Reading, Writing, 'Rithmetic...and Responsibility.

Should schools teach values such as honesty and respect along with traditional subjects? Those that do say attendance is up, incidents requiring discipline are down, and children are reminding each other about proper behavior.

Johnny, ready for another day of elementary school, hops out of his father's car. As usual, he is greeted with a banner across the front of his school that reads: "Welcome to our school where character counts!" As his father drives away, Johnny notices the familiar bumper sticker on the car proclaiming to the world that Johnny attends a "school of character."

As he saunters to his classroom, signs posted on the pillar inside the school and on classroom bulletin boards remind Johnny of the importance of six character traits--trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship. When class begins, Ms. Smith reminds Johnny's class that today they will be collecting donations for children in foster care and that tomorrow will be the weekly class meeting where they are encouraged to resolve conflicts they may have with others.

In today's world, where we are bombarded with negative images of school shootings and youth violence, it is probably difficult to believe that schools like this exist. Indeed, they do. In fact, this scene describes a typical day at Atlantis Elementary School, a public school in Cocoa, Fla., where students are known as "kids for character."

"There's just a warm feeling you get when you enter our school," says Vicki Mace, principal for the past five years. She insists that there is "nothing magical about this. There's just lots of pride, and we are building school tradition."

This program might not be magical, but parents and educators in the community are claiming that the school's character education program has brought about significant change. Attendance is up, incidents requiring discipline are down, and children are reminding each other about proper behavior.

Schools all over the country are experiencing similar results. From North Carolina to California and from New Jersey to Washington, schools are reporting significant changes in student behavior as a result of comprehensive character education programs. In fact, a study conducted by the University of South Carolina's Center for Child and Family Studies shows that nine out of 10 South Carolina school administrators report improvement in student attitudes and behavior, and 60 percent report better academic performance when character education programs are used.

SO WHAT IS IT?

"The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically...Intelligence plus character--that is the goal of true education," said Martin Luther King Jr. Advocates of character education agree. They believe that there is a core set of values that a person of good character possesses, including honesty, morality, respect for self and others, self-control, fairness, responsibility, obedience, generosity, patience and kindness.

These values are traditionally taught at home or in church, and proponents of character education agree that is where moral education should first be taught. They argue, however, that schools need to respect and reinforce what parents are teaching since children spend much of their day at school.

"Let's suppose that a family does a good job of teaching good character habits--then we are enforcing what's being taught and providing a chance to practice those skills," says Representative Charles Hudson, vice chair of the Louisiana House Education Committee. "But let's assume that home hasn't done a good job--are we just going to leave it alone? We all need to be reminded. We learn good habits by practicing."

Not everyone is jumping on the bandwagon in support of character education. Many argue that teachers already have too many responsibilities. With the added pressure of accountability and assessments, some educators feel overwhelmed with the additional task of instilling values.

While character education is not based on a particular religious belief or doctrine, these programs also worry those concerned about mixing school and religion. They warn that we must be careful not to restrain the free speech and expression of children and that we may be opening a Pandora's box in dealing with the separation of church and state. Others argue that parents, not big government, should decide what values their children are taught.

Proponents assert that character education focuses on a shared set of values that cross cultures and religious doctrine and promote the common good and the basic tenets of an orderly democratic society. If correctly implemented, they argue, a character education program should not involve religion, but should reinforce what is already taught outside of school. Principal Mace in Florida says she has never received a negative phone call about her school's nationally recognized program. "Once I explain to parents that we are trying to support their efforts at home, they are very supportive."

GETTING CHARACTER EDUCATION GOING

Schools teaching character education typically begin with an advisory group of policymakers, educators, parents and community members organized on the state or local level. The group either designs a program or adopts one from a character education organization offering such services, such as the Character Counts! Coalition or Character First. These programs may include the traits or values to be emphasized, suggested methods of instruction or strategies for recruitment of community support.

Because schools or school districts usually tailor their program to fit their particular needs, character education programs may look very different from each other. One school may set aside a certain amount of time to teach about and reflect on character traits, while another might integrate character education into the entire educational experience, including extracurricular activities.

Many schools teach not only the definition of each trait, but also how to model them. At Atlantis Elementary School in Florida, students were recently given the opportunity to put their character traits to use when they participated in a mock natural disaster in their science classroom. Teachers used this opportunity to teach survivor skills and reinforce such traits as respect, responsibility, reliability and service that are necessary to survive. Throughout the year, students at this school are also given the opportunity to serve their community and organize drives for those in need.

Character education programs usually require everyone--teachers, counselors, principals, secretaries and students--to exhibit the character traits so that students can model their behavior after these authority figures.

Although no one recipe exists for a successful character education program, most of the national organizations suggest guidelines or criteria for evaluating programs. These guidelines include:

* Determination of the core ethical values.

* Instruction in the definition of moral behavior and the process for making decisions based on ethical values.

* Reinforcement of the core values throughout a student's school experience.

* Opportunities for students to demonstrate the character trait.

* Leadership and commitment from both staff and students.

* Recruitment of parents and community members as partners.

* Evaluation and analysis of the effectiveness of the program.

The goal is for these traits to become second nature to a child. "You build a habit from being immersed in character education," says Esther Schaeffer, executive director and CEO of the Character Education Partnership, a nonpartisan, nonsectarian organization.

STATE AND FEDERAL SUPPORT

Character education is being pushed at both the state and federal levels. The Clinton administration supports character education by providing up to 10 grants per year of up to $1 million to partnerships between state and local education agencies for programs. Over the past five years, 36 states and the District of Columbia have received funding. Both presidential candidates have also pledged their support.

States are endorsing the movement, with legislation coming from both sides of the aisle. At least 24 states and the District of Columbia had enacted legislation as of August 2000, encouraging or requiring schools to address values and character education. At least 24 states considered such legislation during the 2000 session.

Esther Schaeffer says she is glad to see the federal government providing funding to states for character education programs, but she stresses that "states are the key. With anything this important, if states don't emphasize it, it might not happen."

States have tackled the issue in very different ways. Some states, such as Arkansas, Georgia and South Dakota, are specific in their approach. They require public schools to teach character education and specify which traits should be taught, which programs should be used and how much time should be set aside. Other states, such as North Carolina and Oklahoma, preserve local control by encouraging or granting permission to local school boards to start a program.

Texas has taken a different approach--the state has not received federal funding nor has it passed legislation. Instead, Governor George W. Bush has announced that he will provide funding through his criminal justice division over a two-year period to support the Lone Star Kids of Character Initiative. The initiative will provide tools to parents, educators, coaches, community and youth organization leaders and others who want to instill strong character in the state's youth. The state is working with the Character Counts! Coalition, which will design and implement the statewide initiative with support from the Texas Education Agency, educators, coaches and various youth development professionals.

Why is this such a hot topic this year in almost half our statehouses? Michael Josephson, president and founder of the Josephson Institute of Ethics and the Character Counts! Coalition, says it is because there is a "great sense of need," and with school shootings and violence, there's motivation. "People want legislators to do something," he says. "There is a movement toward a consensus of values. It's a nonpartisan movement where people are saying 'Let's stop quibbling and find common values.'"

Michelle Exstrom is NCSL's expert on character education issues.

WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT TEACHING CHARACTER

"The true test of civilization is not the census, nor the size of cities, nor the crops--no, but the kind of man the country turns out."

Ralph Waldo Emerson, American writer, philosopher, essayist and poet.

"The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically... Intelligence plus character--that is the goal of true education."

Martin Luther King Jr., Nobel prize-winning American civil rights leader.

"The formation of character in young people is educationally a different task from and a prior task to the discussion of the great, difficult ethical controversies of the day."

William J. Bennett, former U.S. secretary of education.

"To educate a person in mind and not in morals is to educate a menace to society."

Theodore Roosevelt, 26th U.S. president.

"Don't worry that children never listen to you. Worry that they are always watching you."

Robert Fulghum, American author.

"Character is the only secure foundation of the state."

Calvin Coolidge, 30th U.S. president.

YES, MA'AM, LOUISIANA KIDS ARE RESPECTFUL 

Courtesy title or "respect" bills are the newest trend in character education legislation. In 1999, Louisiana became the first state to require students in kindergarten through fifth grade to address teachers as Mr., Ms., "sir" or "ma'm" in an effort to instill courtesy and respect in children. The bill overwhelmingly passed both the Senate and House and was strongly supported by the governor.

Representative Charles Hudson, House sponsor of the Louisiana legislation, argues that the legislation was necessary. "There's been a great decline in respect for authority and laws and rules. It's like wildfire consuming our young people. I believe that character education will throw water on the fire of disrespect."

Wisconsin Representative Carol Owens agrees. She introduced legislation modeled after the Louisiana bill during the 2000 session.

"I'm simply trying to get respect back in the classroom," says Owens. Although the bill ultimately failed, she feels that the legislation was successful because it brought attention to the lack of respect in classrooms. "I got the dialogue going, which is what really matters."

Typically there is little organized opposition to character education, However, this is not the case with the courtesy title bills, which are stirring up a controversy. Owens remembers that she was very surprised by the reaction from her colleagues and the media. "I would have had less attention if I had introduced legislation to drop a bomb," she says. Groups opposing these bills argue that the state should not restrict a student's speech and question how the bills will be enforced. They also argue that it is only a quick fix and does not support the comprehensive approach of successful character education programs.

Experts are concerned, too. Esther Schaeffer of the Character Education Partnership says that she does not consider courtesy title requirements to be character education arid worries that "it's only skin deep. This legislation doesn't go far enough to develop character. You build a habit by being immersed in character education."

Although he recognizes the good intention of the bill sponsors and appreciates their effort, Michael Josephson of Character Counts!] Coalition urges legislators to address the larger concern. "This [respect] bill, by itself, will not generate respect. It needs to be part of a much larger commitment."

Despite this controversy, at least five other states-- Alabama, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi and North Carolina--have considered courtesy title legislation during the 2000 session.