"The Education of character must be a central aspect of the mission statement of the school and of the Philosophy of its leader". Marvin Berkowitz, professor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis (USA), pronounced these words during his speech at discussion paper in the congress 'Education 'character in Latin America: challenges and opportunities', organized by the University of Navarra in Argentina at partnership with the Austral University and with funding from the Templeton World Charity Foundation.

The expert presented his model PRIMED, in which he proposes six success strategies for schools: prioritizing the development of character(Priority), strengthening relationships between all members of the educational community -from teachers to cooks-(Relationships), motivating students to internalize the good(Intrinsec Motivation), setting an example with the values we want to see in students(Modelling), giving a voice to all members of the community(Empowerment) and Pedagogy of development (Developmental Pedagogy).

Professor Berkowitz indicated that character Education "must be a genuine priority" and mentioned some strategies to achieve this: rhetorical emphasis (shared values), providing resources (invest in professional development ), climate at high school and class (e.g., trust in teachers), school-wide Structures (a comprehensive approach to character Education ), and leadership ( director leads the initiative).

Regarding the second point, he stressed that "we must consider ways of working that help to build positive relationships". He stressed that these should be within all groups and among them: students, teachers, staff canteens, parents....

Regarding intrinsic motivation, he pointed out that the goal of the Education of character "is that students internalize moral values". He pointed out several pedagogical strategies to boost this motivation. On the one hand, he pointed to Edward L. Deci and Richard M. Ryan's self-determination theory: autonomy (sense of empowerment), belonging (social connectedness) and skill (skill to achieve goals). On the other hand, he pointed out the contributions of Jacquelynne S. Eccles: giving importance (making a meaningful difference), responsibility (contributing to group), commitment (challenge and enjoyment) and identity (knowing one's place in the social context).

agreement The fourth point of model consists of setting an example, since, according to Berkowitz, "youcannot ask of your students what you do not do", bearing in mind that "they learn more from what you do than from what you say", he said. Along these lines, he added that "the most powerful tool you have to influence a child's character is your own character".

Empowerment of all groups in the school community - teachers, administrators, staff support, students, parents...- is another aspect core topic of school success in Professor Berkowitz's model . "Character is developed in part through a sense of one's own autonomy," he emphasized.

The last point is the pedagogy of development, fostering the development of students' character and the social-emotional skill through strategies such as integrating character concepts into the curriculum, practicing role-playing or setting high expectations.

Marvin Berkowitz presented PRIMED on the framework of an international congress on Education of character in Latin America that brings together researchers, professors and education policy makers. It has taken place on June 13-14, 2018 at the IAE Business School of the Austral University, in Pilar (Argentina).

The event is promoted by 'Researching and promote the Education of character in secondary schools in Latin America', a project of research joint School of Education and Psychology and the Institute for Culture and Society (ICS). It is funded by the Templeton World Charity Foundation.