FAQs
Are there more character strengths than those listed on your site?
Yes, there are many more individual character strengths than we have profiled we’ve just selected some of those that are the best-studied. Because character is not one-size-fits-all, there’s probably no list that’s exhaustive. We encourage teachers, students, and families to think about what’s right for them. What strengths are important to you and your community?
Do you work directly with schools?
The Character Lab Research Network works directly with all types of schools. We believe that character development has a place wherever there are students—public, private, parochial, urban, suburban, rural, low-income, high-income, and everything in between. The Research Network aims to have a representative sample of students in the country, with an emphasis on promoting the voices of underrepresented students. We’ve also created Playbooks and Tips of the Week as resources for educators as well as parents.
If you are interested in learning more about becoming a school partner, please visit schools.characterlab.org.
How do you ensure student privacy?
Character Lab partners with schools that share our commitment to helping all kids thrive. We believe that in order to support students, their privacy must be protected. We are a proud supporter of the Student Privacy Pledge, and our team does whatever it takes to safeguard student information. Learn more about our core commitments to privacy and see our Student Privacy FAQs.
Do you offer measures of character for summative assessment?
No, we don’t offer summative character assessments. Why not? There are several reasons. For instance, measures of character are often too easy to fake, and we think that assessing it for a grade undermines the idea of character as intrinsically good for the student and for others. Read more in this op-ed.
Doesn’t success depend on things other than character?
Yes, success is affected by many factors, especially a student’s environment. For more on how our environment shapes our behavior, check out this Tip of the Week.
I have a program that develops character. Can you evaluate it?
No, we do not offer program evaluation. While it’s great to hear that others are doing parallel work, we focus on a different, earlier piece of the pipeline. Specifically, Character Lab focuses on foundational and early-stage or exploratory research in order to help inform theories about what helps kids thrive.
I want to include your [visuals, strengths, information] in my [curriculum, training, presentation]. Is there copyright? What do I need to do?
It’s our goal to make our work as widely accessible as possible. To that end, you’re welcome to use and distribute our materials to your staff or colleagues for non-commercial purposes. Similarly, if you’d like to share them on a blog or other public forum, that’s great, too. All of our materials are under copyright, so we ask that you credit us and respect the following limitations: Please don’t take our work and 1) claim it’s your own, 2) misrepresent or misconstrue it and then claim the ideas came from us, or 3) attempt to make money from it in any way. If you wish to distribute our content for commercial purposes, please contact us. Thanks!