How do character education, social-emotional learning, practical wisdom, and human flourishing actually fit together? In this post, we share a new integrative model that uses the Good Project’s 3Es—ethics, excellence, and engagement—as an interpretive lens to explore how these widely used frameworks overlap, reinforce one another, and support wise action and flourishing over time.
We’re thrilled to share the results of a three-year global study on character development in education: Developing Virtues through an Educational Community of Practice: A “Good Work” Approach. This new data report highlights insights from over 5,000 students and 100 educators across more than a dozen countries who implemented The Good Project’s lesson plans in their classrooms. Designed to cultivate ethical reflection, civic engagement, and other moral, civic, intellectual, and performance character strengths, these lessons helped students grow in self-awareness, explore their values, and envision meaningful futures. The report also shares powerful educator feedback from our international Community of Practice and offers a closer look at how character strengths and career agency evolve in diverse learning environments. Dive in to see what we’ve learned about helping young people do work that is not only excellent—but also ethical and deeply engaging.
How do character education, social-emotional learning, practical wisdom, and human flourishing actually fit together? In this post, we share a new integrative model that uses the Good Project’s 3Es—ethics, excellence, and engagement—as an interpretive lens to explore how these widely used frameworks overlap, reinforce one another, and support wise action and flourishing over time.
The Good Project Receives Grant from the Henry Luce Foundation to Advance Research on Intellectual Risk-Taking in Computer Science Education
The Good Project is pleased to announce grant support from the Henry Luce Foundation for a five-month mixed-methods pilot study examining intellectual risk-taking (IRT) in undergraduate computer science (CS) classrooms, with particular attention to the experiences of women in the field. The study will develop and test a preliminary survey instrument designed to measure behaviors such as asking clarifying questions, acknowledging confusion, and proposing new ideas despite uncertainty—behaviors that support learning yet may be discouraged in high-pressure academic environments. Working in partnership with 2 higher education institutions, the research team will conduct faculty focus groups, cognitive interviews with undergraduate women, and a pilot survey of approximately 200 students across CS and comparison liberal arts disciplines.
The pilot is designed to produce initial evidence on how intellectual risk-taking varies across gender and academic context and will inform the refinement of a formal IRT-CS measurement instrument. Findings will also support immediate applications in faculty development, curricular design, and classroom climate improvement. A potential second phase of research would pursue broader validation across additional institutions, STEM fields, and student populations, alongside psychometric testing and expanded analysis of how instructional practices, peer norms, and disciplinary culture shape students’ willingness to take intellectual risks. This work contributes to ongoing efforts to advance equity and belonging in STEM education and to develop tools that support inclusive, innovative learning environments. The Good Project extends its deep appreciation to the Henry Luce Foundation for its support of this research.
We are delighted to share that The Good Project has received funding from Lumina Foundation to launch a research study entitled “Good Work Value Alignment: Measuring the Non-Economic Value of Postsecondary Credentials Across Sectors,” which will begin this fall. This 15-month project will explore how students and professionals in high-need fields, including healthcare, IT/technology, and construction/architecture, define the value of post-high school credentials beyond purely economic measures. Building on nearly three decades of “Good Work” research, the study will elevate how meaning, purpose, social contribution, and identity shape learners’ and workers’ views of their education and careers.
Through surveys, focus groups, and interviews with a nationally representative sample, the research team will gather insights from today’s diverse student populations and professionals to inform more inclusive approaches to higher education and workforce development. One of the project’s key outcomes will be the development of a prototype tool to measure the non-economic value of credentials—capturing dimensions such as ethical responsibility, civic engagement, and community contribution. We look forward to sharing updates as the study unfolds and to contributing knowledge that helps institutions and employers better support students in preparing not only for available work, but for meaningful work. We are deeply grateful to Lumina Foundation for their generous support and partnership in advancing this work.
by Howard Gardner and Ellen Winner
This piece was originally published on Sunday, July 20, 2025 as a letter in the opinion section of The Cambridge Day. In their letter, Howard and Ellen chronicle their ill-fated but amusing tangle with the City of Cambridge Department of Transportation after receiving two unexpected parking tickets. They describe their hearing with an austere Cambridge clerk—and that meeting’s surprise-ending. Ultimately, Howard and Ellen step back to locate their experience in a conversation about two concepts coming out of The Good Project, neighborly morality and the ethics of roles.
So, we received two notices from the Cambridge Massachusetts Transportation Service, indicating that we owed $60 (2 x $30) for wrongly parking in spaces reserved for Cambridge residents.
Though we could certainly afford to pay the fine, we decided to contest the tickets. In part, this was on principle—we did not feel that we had broken any rule. Also in part, because we wanted to go to a certain neighborhood in Cambridge anyway and so we could “kill two birds with one stone.”
The announced date for the hearing arrived. We were set to drive to the East Cambridge courthouse. Checking on the time and address, however, we learned that the hearing would actually occur online—so there was no need to get dressed up for our encounter with the local Justice System and we could save some time. We arrived online a bit early. A message on the screen welcomed us by name, noted that we were a bit early, and bade us to be patient. Which we were.
Clerk Annie Lynch (not her real name, but a typical Cantabrigian name) arrived a bit late. Neither she nor we knew how to adjust the various parameters that governed the chat, but eventually we connected and introduced ourselves.
By agreement with Ellen, Howard would be the spokesperson. He explained the reason for the plea:
We have lived in Cambridge all of our adult lives—64 and 60 years respectively. Throughout, we have been good law-abiding citizens.
We have had cars throughout that period and never had been summoned and penalized in this way.
As soon as residents of Cambridge began to receive annual parking stickers (some time ago), we always displayed the sticker in the proper place—and so we had the right to park throughout Cambridge.
Over the decades we have had our own parking spaces at home, so we rarely needed to park on the street.
This past winter, we unexpectedly lost our parking space. While searching for a new one, we parked on the street in spaces reserved for residents like us.
To our surprise and annoyance, we received notification that we had violated the parking rules on April 9th and April 10th of 2025…and therefore owed $60. If we had been travelling for some weeks, we could easily have accumulated hundreds of dollars of fines!
The reason for the alleged parking violation: A few years ago, Cambridge had changed the location on the car where the sticker should be displayed. And so, while we had indeed displayed the sticker, it was no longer in the proper place, and accordingly, we were fined $30 for each violation.
We were not expecting that the violations would be forgiven, let alone both of them. After all, as Clerk Lynch told us, the new place to display the sticker has been in effect for some years. No mercy, even for good, law-abiding citizens!
The surprise ending: As the hearing wound down, she said, “So we will send you the violation notice to your home address: 70 Larchwood Drive.”
“Aha!” I said. “We have not lived there for over five years. Your books are completely out of date. And yet you are accusing us, and making us pay, for exactly the sin that the city of Cambridge has committed.”
To tweak the old phrase, “Clerk Annie Lynch was hoisted by her own petard.” But we still owe Cambridge $60. And we won’t send her this essay! Stepping back: Drawing on our own research on “Good Work,” here’s another way to think of our exchange with Annie Lynch. It pits “neighborly morality” vs. “the ethics of roles.”
To the extent that we have been good citizens of Cambridge for decades, and simply displayed the decal in the wrong spot, Lynch could have treated us as neighbors and let us off the hook. On the other hand, she has the role of the “professional” and perhaps needs to follow the procedures—indeed, the ethics—of her profession. But of course, if she had no latitude, then we should not have been allowed to have a hearing and to contest the decision. It was an unnecessary ritual and waste of everyone’s time.
The fact that the City of Cambridge had been so inattentive to our own address would have given her an opening to cancel or reduce our fine, our sentence. As a professional, she could have said, “Well, in view of your impeccable record, and the discretion given me as an officer of the court, I am going to reduce of cancel your penalty. You might consider donating the saved funds to a worthy cause.” But she did not seize the moment—and perhaps she never does…in which case, it’s not clear that she deserves the label of a “professional” clerk. “Rubber stamp” would be a less flattering, but perhaps more accurate descriptor.
We’re thrilled to share the results of a three-year global study on character development in education: Developing Virtues through an Educational Community of Practice: A “Good Work” Approach. This new data report highlights insights from over 5,000 students and 100 educators across more than a dozen countries who implemented The Good Project’s lesson plans in their classrooms. Designed to cultivate ethical reflection, civic engagement, and other moral, civic, intellectual, and performance character strengths, these lessons helped students grow in self-awareness, explore their values, and envision meaningful futures. The report also shares powerful educator feedback from our international Community of Practice and offers a closer look at how character strengths and career agency evolve in diverse learning environments. Dive in to see what we’ve learned about helping young people do work that is not only excellent—but also ethical and deeply engaging.
