Lessons in Character has potentially positive effects on academic achievement, with statistically significant effects on mathematics grades and attendance in one randomized controlled trial¶
Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · causalr2·q3·i2medium
Currency · newest study 2006 · not yet checked against its sources · 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 i2 In the Dietsch, Bayha, & Zheng randomized controlled trial, mathematics grades showed a statistically significant difference favoring the Lessons in Character group, with an effect size of 0.46. → Lessons in Character 2006
q3 i2 In the same trial, attendance (absences) showed a statistically significant difference favoring the Lessons in Character group, with an effect size of 0.48. → Lessons in Character 2006
q3 i? Reading grades favored the Lessons in Character group (effect size 0.31) but were not statistically significant as calculated by the WWC. → 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 · i2 · causal · r2
WWC recalculation of the Dietsch, Bayha, & Zheng (2005) randomized controlled trial of 372 fourth-grade students in 21 classrooms. The WWC found "0.46 Statistically significant" for mathematics grades and an attendance effect size of 0.48, also statistically significant; reading (ES 0.31) was not significant.
"Mathematics grades Grade 4 4/141 2.95 (0.84) 2.56 (0.86) 0.39 0.46 Statistically significant +18"
Discussion¶
Related Claims¶
- Lessons in Character shows no discernible effects on student behavior — related
- Lessons in Character shows no discernible effects on knowledge, attitudes, and values — related
- Improvement indices favor Lessons in Character across all three outcome domains, largest for academic achievement — related
- Students who attended FAST three or more times showed strong positive effects on Grade 1 reading and more modest effects on mathematics, but a strong negative effect on kindergarten attendance — related
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
claim |
id |
lessons-in-character-potentially-positive-academic-achievement |
title |
Lessons in Character has potentially positive effects on academic achievement, with statistically significant effects on mathematics grades and attendance in one randomized controlled trial |
description |
Lessons in Character has potentially positive effects on academic achievement, with statistically significant effects on mathematics grades and attendance in one randomized controlled trial |
status |
review |
evidence_strength |
moderate |
newest_evidence |
2006 |
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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