In February, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools (OSDFS) unveiled the Character Education and Civic Engagement Technical Assistance Center (CETAC) Web site. The online resource provides support and information for and about schools involved in character education and civic engagement across the country.

“This new Web site is an excellent tool for educators, parents, and the community across the nation because it provides significant information and resources on character education and civic engagement—two key components in the historic No Child Left Behind education reform law,” U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige said.

“President Bush has invested nearly $42 million in programs in 2004, underscoring the importance of character education in our nation. Students must learn to respect others, as well as themselves, and understand the importance of democracy in this country.

Sadly, we live in a culture without role models, where millions of students are taught the wrong values—or no values at all. This culture of callousness has led to a staggering achievement gap, poor health status, overweight students, crime, violence, teenage pregnancy, and tobacco and alcohol abuse. We have to remind our students of a lesson taught in ancient Greece: the character of the person is the primary product of education. Good character is the product of good judgments made every day.”

CETAC’s objective is to provide technical assistance for implementing effective character education and civic engagement to the U.S. Department of Education’s Partnerships in Character Education Program grantees and to serve as a resource for grantees, educators, parents, and the community at large. CETAC also contains publicly accessible information on legislative changes and news and events, as well as publications on character education and links to resources of interest to the field.

 



In 2003, the U.S. Department of Education awarded nearly $3 million in grants to 8 school districts to develop stronger character and citizenship among our nation’s students. These 8 are part of a total of 93 state and local educational agencies that have received character education grants since 1995.

The Partnerships in Character Education Program awards grants to state and local educational agencies to design and implement character education programs that teach elements of character, such as citizenship, justice, respect, and responsibility for grades K-12.

Reauthorized under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, the grant program has enjoyed bipartisan support through two presidential administrations.

Program History

The program began in 1994 when the Partnerships in Character Education Pilot Project was authorized by Congress. Under this program, the Secretary could make a total of up to 10 grants annually to state educational agencies (SEA) in partnership with one or more local educational agencies (LEAs).

Each state was limited to a total of $1 million over a period of no more than 5 years. The state could retain no more than 30 percent of the funds; the remainder had to be given to the LEAs.

Under this initial program, SEAs could use the grant funds to provide technical assistance to LEAs in the development and implementation of curriculum materials, teacher training, and other activities. As part of their efforts, states were required to establish character education clearinghouses.

Grantees were required to implement projects that incorporated specified elements of character: caring, civic virtue and citizenship, justice and fairness, respect, responsibility, and trustworthiness.

In 2001, the program was reauthorized as part of the No Child Left Behind Act and significantly enhanced. Program funds increased from approximately $8 million to $25 million per year.

Several important changes were made. The reauthorized program now allows both SEAs and LEAs to apply for grant funds and emphasizes local community involvement. Rather than proscribing certain elements of character, the new legislation requires grantees to work in consultation with parents, students, and the local community to identify those elements of character that will be taught.

“The new legislation emphasizes a partnership between the school, home, and community all working together to integrate values into children’s learning and lives,” said Linda McKay, senior advisor to the deputy under secretary of OSDFS for character education. “Our character is developed 24 hours a day, so we as a community need to look at what we’re doing together to help build our children’s character.”

The legislation also focuses on the integration of character education into the school's curriculum and teaching methods. Any curricula, materials, and other activities developed under the grant must be consistent with state academic content standards and other educational reform efforts.

“This program emphasizes integration into the whole curriculum,” Ms. McKay explained. “For example, as children are taught to read, it is essential to focus on the process of reading. But it is also important to look at the content of what they are reading. Teachers can use that content to ask questions such as, ‘What does this story mean in terms of developing good character? What are the characteristics
of the hero? What are the characteristics of the villain?’ If they share some qualities, such as leadership skills, how can one differentiate between the two?’ These are real teachable moments in terms of character education.”

As with other elements of the No Child Left Behind Act, the new character education legislation emphasizes proven methods. Grantees must demonstrate that their character education programs have clear objectives that are based on scientifically-based research and must specify how the program will be evaluated. Parental and community involvement is one of several factors for evaluating the effectiveness of the character education program.

<continued on the next page: Communities and Schools Work Together>

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