This project aims to make character education a fundamental part of education in Colombia by providing school leaders with an evidence-based, cost-effective, and scalable model for implementing character and virtue education in their schools. In partnership with the Centre for Character and Citizenship at the University of Missouri–St. Louis, the Colombian character education organization Coschool will adapt and test the PRIMED model. Originally developed by Marvin Berkowitz, the PRIMED model comprises six elements necessary for embedding, promoting, and ensuring character education in schools:

P = Prioritizing Character Education
R= Relationships, relationships, relationships
I = Intrinsic Motivation
M = Modelling
E = Empowerment
D = Developmental perspective

The project will study the relevance and acceptability of the PRIMED model for character education among school leaders at ten schools. Participants will take part in an intensive, five-day training institute that teaches the adapted model. They will also receive ongoing support from the Coschool team over the school year, helping them integrate it into their teaching practices. Using descriptive methods, the team will document satisfaction with the training model, participants’ sense of efficacy as character educators, and the intervention’s impact on the school climate. With a view to scaling up the model throughout the country, the project also aims to drum up interest in character education initiatives among key policy makers and leaders in Colombia.