PRIMED for Character Education in Colombia
TWCF Project Number: 0359
Project Duration: March 1, 2019 – June 30, 2021
The Center for Character and Citizenship partnered with Coschool SAS, one of Colombia’s leading organizations in character education, to support school leaders in strengthening character education in their schools. This collaboration marked the beginning of an ongoing partnership focused on bringing research-based approaches to character development to schools across Colombia.
Together, the Center and Coschool adapted the PRIMED framework, a research-based model developed by Dr. Marvin Berkowitz, to better align with the Colombian educational context. PRIMED outlines six key principles that help schools intentionally cultivate a strong culture of character:
P – Prioritizing Character Education
R – Relationships
I – Intrinsic Motivation
M – Modeling
E – Empowerment
D – Developmental Perspective
As part of the project, school leadership teams from ten schools participated in an intensive five-day training institute where they explored the foundations of character education and learned practical strategies for applying the PRIMED principles in their schools. Following the institute, Coschool provided ongoing coaching and support throughout the school year to help leaders translate these ideas into daily school practices.
The project examined how school leaders experienced the training and how the PRIMED framework influenced their confidence in leading character education efforts. It also explored how these practices contributed to strengthening school climate. The work helped build interest in character education among educational leaders and policymakers and laid the foundation for expanding PRIMED to additional schools in Colombia.
Expanding PRIMED to Colombian Public Schools
TWCF Project Number: 30097
Project Duration: February 10, 2023 – August 9, 2025
Building on the success of earlier collaboration, the Center for Character and Citizenship and Coschool continued their partnership to expand the PRIMED model to public schools in Colombia.
This project aimed to demonstrate that the PRIMED approach to character education could be successfully implemented in Spanish by locally trained facilitators and mentors and support meaningful improvements in school communities. Led by Henry May and co-directed by Nicole Bruskewitz at Coschool, the initiative brought together leadership teams from ten public schools in Bogotá.
Participants engaged in in-person PRIMED training institutes and received sustained professional development and coaching over a two-year period. Throughout the program, school leaders worked collaboratively to design and implement school-based character action plans tailored to the needs and strengths of their communities.
The project also examined how the program functioned in public school settings, including its relevance, feasibility, and impact on school climate. By supporting leadership teams in developing long-term strategies for character education, the project helped strengthen educators’ capacity to foster positive school cultures and support students’ moral and civic development.
A Multi-Year Collaboration
Together, these projects represent a multi-year collaboration between the Center for Character and Citizenship and Coschool to bring research-based character education to schools in Colombia. Through this partnership, the PRIMED framework was adapted to the local context, implemented with school leadership teams, and evaluated in both private and public school settings. The lessons learned from this work continue to inform ongoing efforts to support educators and expand access to high-quality character education across the region.
Resources
Learn more about these projects and related work:
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Templeton World Charity Foundation project pages:
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Videos about the projects:
Publications and research reports from the projects:
Bier, M.C., Funk, C.D., Berkowitz, M.W., Bruskewitz, N., Samtani, S. (2023). Implementing and Evaluating PRIMED for Character Education in Colombian Schools Professional Development. In: Lovat, T., Toomey, R., Clement, N., Dally, K. (eds) Second International Research Handbook on Values Education and Student Wellbeing. Springer International Handbooks of Education. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-24420-9_5