Robert Putnam and his associates at Harvard University have invited us to revisit an earlier discussion on Social Capital.  In his book, Bowling Alone (2000), Putnam delineated a quantifiable decline in the amount of time and effort we invest together in our community life...or a decline in Social Capital. 
 
He discussed the consequences that result from our deteriorating state of connectedness, as well as the benefits observed in communities that possess Social Capital.  We are affected positively or negatively by whether and how we connect with those around us at home, in the community, or at work. His premise is that Social Capital is the heart and soul of building healthy communities where people commit themselves to each other as the social fabric in that community is being knit together more intentionally. Social Capital results in greater happiness, interpersonal trust, and norms of reciprocity.
 
Schools provide a context for intervening in this deterioration.  This daily gathering of peers builds in its significance of influencers as students progress toward graduation.  The experience of inclusion can be as incredible in this journey as is the destruction of exclusion. 
 
An intentional and comprehensive program of character education within a school can transform an environment of exclusion into an environment of inclusion and connection.
• Character becomes not only a common vocabulary but also a value for students, teachers and staff.
• Character establishes a relational common ground within a diverse student body when universally accepted character qualities take precedence over sub-cultural distinctions that most often lead to exclusion.
 
How does that happen?  Social Capital develops in the culture and climate of a school that embeds and infuses character formation throughout the school on a daily basis all year long.  How does that happen?  It is possible when a character education curriculum can pass the "sniff" test of well-informed educators:  (1)  Educators need to learn that it doesn't take much time...15 minutes per day.  (2)  Educators need to understand that it doesn't cost much money...a fraction of the annual per pupil budget.  (3)  Educators need to discover that it doesn't require much teacher preparation...a simple structure repeated weekly.  (4)  Educators need to know how much it works...rural, urban, suburban or international.  (5)  Educators need to realize how much adult role models play into this character formation process.
 
When we weave character education into the fabric of our schools we are building Social Capital into our next generation of global citizens.  It is worth the investment, and it is worth the effort!

Dr. Dick Daniels
President, Changing Lives
dickd@mark1.org
www.teachingtochangelives.com
www.coachingtochangelives.com
800-932-7235