Believe,
Succeed, Achieve
Chester
and Mrs. Shelman "being cool!"
Character
education teaches
the habits of thought and deed that
help people live and
work together
as
families, friends,
neighbors,
communities and
nations.
Education
at its best should expand
the mind and
build
character.
—Secretary
Margaret Spellings
One
of the great education reformers, Horace Mann, in the 1840s, helped
to improve instruction in classrooms nationwide, advocating
that character development was as important as academics
in American schools. The United States Congress, recognizing
the importance of this concept, authorized the Partnerships
in Character Education Program in 1994. The No
Child Left Behind Act of
2001 renews and re-emphasizes this tradition—and
substantially expands support for it. Indeed, one of
the six goals of the Department of Education is to “promote strong
character and citizenship among our nation’s youth” (Strategic
Plan 2002-2007). To reach this goal, the
Department of Education
joins with state education agencies and school districts across
our country to provide vital leadership and support to implement
character education.
What
is character education?
Throughout
history, character education has been the shared responsibility
of parents, teachers and members of the community,
who come together to support positive character development.
Character
education teaches the habits of thought and deed that help
people live and work together as families, friends, neighbors,
communities and nations.
Character
education is a learning process that enables students and
adults in a school community to understand, care about and
act on core ethical values such as respect, justice, civic virtue
and citizenship, and responsibility for self and others.
Upon
such core values, we form the attitudes and actions that are
the hallmark of safe, healthy and informed communities that
serve as the foundation of our society.
What
is the school’s role in character education?
Students
spend much of their young lives in classrooms. This time
in school is an opportunity to explain and reinforce the core
values upon which character is formed.
In
school, character education must be approached comprehensively
to include the emotional, intellectual and moral qualities
of a person or group. It must offer multiple opportunities
for students to learn about, discuss and enact positive
social behaviors. Student leadership and involvement are essential
for character education to become a part of a student’s beliefs
and actions.
To
successfully implement character education, schools areencouraged to:
J
Take a leadership role to bring the staff, parents
and students together to
identify and define the elements of character they want
to emphasize;
J
Provide training for staff on how to integrate
character education into
the life and culture of the school;
J
Form a vital partnership with parents and the
community so that
students hear a consistent message about character traits essential
for success in school and life; and
J
Provide opportunities for school leaders, teachers,
parents and community
partners to model exemplary character traits and social
behaviors.
State
education agencies, through a collaborative community process,
have chosen to incorporate character education into their
school improvement plans and state standards. Some states have
chosen to implement character education through official state
policies such as the Michigan State Board of Education Policy
on Quality Character Education. Many schools have chosen to
incorporate character education into their plans for Safe and Drug-Free
Schools and Communities.
From
state to state, the following are common threads in character
education agendas:
J
Involvement of the whole community in designing and
implementing character education for its
schools; and
J
Commitment to making character education an integral
part of the education process.
Federal
resources and support for character education
The
United States Congress and the Department of Education have
expanded support for character education for more than a decade,
enabling schools across our nation to implement character
education in a variety of ways. The Department of Education
provides grants to state and local education agencies to
support the development of character education. Since 1995, through
the Partnerships in Character Education Program (www.ed.gov/programs/charactered/index.html),
the Department has awarded 97
grants to assist in designing, implementing and sustaining
high-quality opportunities for students to learn and understand
the importance of strong character in their lives.
U.
S. Department of Education
Office
of Safe and Drug-Free Schools
400
Maryland Avenue, S.W.
Washington,
DC 20202-6450
1-800-872-5327
www.ed.gov
SM
Resources
for parents and teachers in character education
Office of Safe and
Drug-Free Schools www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osdfs/index.html
Character Education and
Civic Engagement TechnicalAssistance Center
www.cetac.or
What Works Clearinghouse—Character
Education www.whatworks.ed.gov
Helping Your Child Become a
Responsible Citizen
View the booklet
online at: www.ed.gov/parents/academic/help/citizen/index.html
Order by calling (877)
4ED-PUBS.
Character Education-Our
Shared Responsibility
View the brochure online
at:
www.ed.gov/admins/lead/character/brochure.html
Order by calling (877) 4ED-PUBS.
information borrowed from:
http://www.ed.gov/programs/charactered/resources.html
