Mission Statement

Our mission is to advance virtues-based character education for elementary school children and to marshal the resources of literature and history on behalf of that endeavor. Drawing on the American Founders’ insight that knowledge and virtue are essential to a properly functioning republic, the Core Virtues program seeks to promote the intellectual, moral, and civic virtues with:​

Building character one story at a time

• An exemplary K-6 character education curriculum, which is
  literature-based, historically informed, and easily implemented
  
  
• A website that supports the Core Virtues approach by showcasing key works of literature and new resources 
  
  
• Posters that provide visual support for classroom efforts
  ​
• A network of communication and support among schools and educators using the literature-based Core Virtues approach ​​
  

What’s the relationship between Core Virtues™ and Core Knowledge®?​

Core Virtues was developed independently by historian and former School Head, Mary Beth Klee.  The program was originally designed to be used in conjunction with the Core Knowledge Sequence, a content-rich academic curriculum developed by E.D. Hirsch, Jr. and the Core Knowledge Foundation. Core Virtues remains an outstanding supplement to Core Knowledge and is used in many Core Knowledge schools nationwide and overseas. 

Of Core Virtues, Professor Hirsch has written:  “Mary Beth Klee doesn’t just make the case for character education, she delivers a first-class program.… It is a pleasure to see in Core Virtues a program that so capably fulfills the possibilities of the Core Knowledge Sequence.” The print volume of Core Virtues has a chapter devoted to Core Knowledge curricular connections.  Dr. Klee remains an enthusiast for the work of the Core Knowledge Foundation.