U.S. Department of Education Awards $1.6 Million to Help Students Develop Strong Character and Good Citizenship

Schools in California, New York, Illinois and South Dakota will share $1.6 million in grants designed to help them implement programs that teach the principles of character development and the responsibilities of citizenship to their students, U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings announced today.

“Character education is integral to a well-rounded education. Positive, respectful students help create and maintain healthy school environments,” U.S. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings said. “Lessons in responsibility and respect are just as important as lessons in reading, math and science.”

The Partnerships in Character Education Program awards grants for up to four years to eligible state and local education agencies to design and implement character education programs that teach students core ethical concepts, such as: civics; citizenship; justice; responsibility; and respect themselves and others. Grant recipients must show how they have integrated character education into classroom instruction and teacher training. They also must involve parents, students and the community in the process. The projects are evaluated to determine their success in helping students develop positive character, reduce discipline problems and improve academic achievement. Projects also must increase parent and community involvement with the school. This year’s recipients were chosen in rank order from the list of the most qualified FY 2006 applicants, which had not yet received funding in FY 2006. The grantees were solicited and peer reviewed during FY 2006. Since 1994, a total of 147 state and local education agencies have received character education grants.