deceptive or harmful behaviors, an innate sense of fairness or unfairness, feelings of kindness or love, self-sacrifice, feelings related to competitiveness and moral punishment or retribution, and moral "cheating" or hypocrisy. Issues and controversies Scientific studies The largest federal study, to-date, a 2010 report released under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Education found that the vast majority of character education programs have failed to prove their effectiveness, producing no improvements in student behavior or academic performance. Previous and current research on the subject fails to find one peer-reviewed study demonstrating any scientifically validated need for or result from character education programs. Typically, support is attested to by referring to "correlations" (e.g., grades, number of disciplinary referrals, subjective opinion, etc.). Functional and ideological problems 1) An assumption that "character" is deficient in some or all children 2) Lack of agreement on what constitutes effectiveness 3) Lack of evidence that it does what it claims 4) A conflict between what good character is and the way that character education proposes to teach it 5) Differing standards in methods and objectives. Differing standards for assessing need and evaluating results. Some attempts have been made. 6) Supportive "studies" that overwhelmingly rely on subjective feedback (usually surveys) from vested participants 7) Programs instituted towards ideological and/or religious ends 8) The pervasive problem of confusing morality with social conformity 9) There are few if any common goals among character education programs. The dissensions in the list of values among character education programs, itself, constitutes a major criticism that there is anything to character education that is either fundamental or universally relevant to students or society. 10) It might be said that there is agreement in as much as what values do not find inclusion on lists of core values. Not found, even though they are fundamental to the success of modern democratic societies, are such noted values as independence, inventiveness, curiosity, critical thinking, skepticism, and even moderation. "Take chances, make mistakes, get messy!" the famous saying by Ms. Frizzle on the much celebrated TV show, The Magic School Bus, embodies values that would be antithetical to those found on today's character education lists. See also Lawrence Kohlberg's stages of moral development Journal of Moral Education Moral character Moral development Moral emotions Moral enhancement Moral psychology Moral reasoning Social cognitive theory of morality Values education References Notes Further reading Arthur, J. (2003). Education with Character,