Character Education and Parents Choice of the Private Education Secto

Building students' character is one aspect of bringing up children, and it is a shared responsibility between parents and schools. Character education has always played a role in the purpose of schools. Many parents choose private schools for their children's education; however, it is not clear whether character education is the predominant reason for parents to make that choice. The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify if there is an emphasis on character education that private and public schools integrate and utilize in their curriculum. The study was also focused on whether parents choose private schools predominantly for more emphasis on character education than public schools. The study was based on interviews to identify private and public school parental and administrator focus on the importance of character education. The study included two schools, one private and one public with different missions and visions in the Phoenix, Arizona area. Participants in the study included administrators and parents. All administrators and parents valued character education as a ticket to student success. The effectiveness of the program is based on how it is implemented and the consistency of the implementation. Parents seek to find schools with a safe and positive environment; however; they do not associate that with the private or public- school sector. It is one of the top priorities after the school's academic performance. Since parents with the private school choice believe that any high academic performance school will be strong in character education, they do not inquire about character education in the school. All parents and administrators expressed that they would not choose a public school with no character education.