New Character Education Website

Posted by on February 28, 2004

FOR RELEASE
February 17, 2004
Media Contact: Carlin Hertz
(202) 401-1576

NEW WEB SITE WILL HELP COMMUNITY DEVELOP CHARACTER EDUCATION PROGRAMS
Department of Education Web site will provide support and information to public, administrators and local educators

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools recently unveiled its new Web site for the Character Education and Civic Engagement Technical Assistance Center (CETAC), or CETAC Online. CETAC provides state program administrators, local educators and the public with information on character education and civic engagement, as well as strategies that support academic goals and other reform efforts. This center will also provide 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 the last two years alone, the Department has awarded 47 grants to state and local school districts to implement character education. Prior to this, only 46 grants had been awarded during the first six years of the program.

To access this Web site, please visit http://www.cetac.org/index.cfm