Character Education

The Six Pillars of Character

Superintendent Horne strongly believes in the Six Pillars of Character program given its universal success over the years. The Six Pillars of Character are the core ethical values of CHARACTER COUNTS!

These values were identified by a nonpartisan, secular group of youth development experts as core ethical values that transcend cultural, religious, and socioeconomic differences.

When I was last Superintendent, from 2003 to 2011, we successfully implemented character counts and its six pillars:

Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Citizenship, and Caring.

We had a six pillars band that I played in. Unlike social and emotional learning, which has been a distraction from academics, Character Counts program was integrated into academic education such as students writing essays on each of the six pillars. As we work to renew the focus on academics, and eliminate distractions, Character Counts will provide an important balance to our students’ education.

A message from Scott Raecker, Executive Director of The Robert D. and Billie Ray Center at Drake University, the proud global home of CHARACTER COUNTS! serving over 8 million people worldwide: 

CHARACTER COUNTS! provides a meaningful and measurable framework to help focus on character skills that shape a positive culture for students and prioritize character development. Through this effort, we can achieve improvement in students’ character, academic skills, and ensure their school is a safe and welcoming learning environment.

Character Counts Day!

Character Ed License Plate

The Arizona State Legislature approved the use of an Arizona State Character Education License Plate.

To purchase the plate, visit www.ServiceArizona.com and visit their License Plates section to order your custom plate.

EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITY (ECA) TAX CREDIT