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CHARACTER EDUCATION

MISSION :: Character Education is a national movement creating schools that foster ethical, responsible, and caring young people by modeling and teaching good character through an emphasis on universal values that we all share. It is the intentional, proactive effort by schools, districts, and states to instill in their students important core, ethical values such as respect for self and others, responsibility, integrity, and self-discipline. It provides long-term solutions that address moral, ethical, and academic issues that are of growing concern about our society and the safety of our schools. Character education may address such critical issues as student absenteeism, discipline problems, drug abuse, gang violence, teen pregnancy, and poor academic performance. At its best, character education integrates positive values into every aspect of the school day.

STUDENT CITIZEN ACT OF 2001

In the fall of 2001, the Student Citizen Act of 2001 (SL 2001-363) was passed into law by the North Carolina State Legislature. This Act requires every local board of education to develop and implement character education instruction with input from the local community. With the passage of this Act, the state of North Carolina has affirmed that the development of character in our children is the cornerstone of education. Additional information (link to legislative act)


NEWS & UPDATES

The second edition of the Character Education Informational Handbook is now available on-line.
Click here to view or download the pdf file.