Improvement indices favor Lessons in Character across all three outcome domains, largest for academic achievement¶
Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · causalr2·q3
Currency · newest study 2006 · checked against its sources 2026-10-20 (automated, 1 of 1 entry) · not reviewed by a person
Subclaims¶
Reading the evidence codes
q is the design tier, i the impact, n the sample, and the kind with its r
the rigour judged within that kind: what each code means.
This claim: no standardized effect is recorded in observations/ for it yet, so no benchmark reading is possible.
q3 i? The average improvement index for academic achievement is +16 percentile points (range +12 to +18), for knowledge, attitudes, and values +6 (range +4 to +12), and for behavior +8. → Lessons in Character 2006
Evidence¶
Lessons in Character 2006¶
Lessons in Character. (2006). WWC Intervention Report, What Works Clearinghouse, U.S. Department of Education. https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/WWC/InterventionReport/270
q3 · i? · causal · r2
WWC-computed improvement indices across the two reviewed studies, representing the percentile-rank difference between the average intervention and comparison student. Indices favor the program in all three domains regardless of statistical significance.
"The average improvement index for academic achievement is +16 percentile points, with a range of +12 to +18 percentile points (Dietsch, Bayha, & Zheng, 2005)."
Discussion¶
Related Claims¶
- Four of seven knowledge, attitudes, and values outcomes favor the comparison group, including ethnic identity (effect size -0.19) and both moral reasoning measures, none statistically significant — related
- CSC/CDP shows no discernible effects on knowledge, attitudes, and values — related
- CSC/CDP shows no discernible effects on academic achievement — related
- Lessons in Character shows no discernible effects on student behavior — related
- Lessons in Character has potentially positive effects on academic achievement, with statistically significant effects on mathematics grades and attendance in one randomized controlled trial — related
- The average effect across all four behavior outcome measures in the Page & D'Agostino study is positive and statistically significant (effect size 0.40) — related
- The Child Development Project/CSC shows potentially positive effects on student behavior, with an average improvement index of +8 percentile points — related
- Lessons in Character shows no discernible effects on knowledge, attitudes, and values — related
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
claim |
id |
lessons-in-character-improvement-index-all-domains |
title |
Improvement indices favor Lessons in Character across all three outcome domains, largest for academic achievement |
description |
Improvement indices favor Lessons in Character across all three outcome domains, largest for academic achievement |
status |
review |
evidence_strength |
weak |
newest_evidence |
2006 |
source_checked |
2026-10-20 |
generated |
by process:wiki-ingest on 2026-10-07 |
trust |
unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content |
sources |
1 — lessons-in-character-2006 |
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