Across the nation, schools and communities are working to ensure children learn values such as respect, responsibility and good citizenship as they learn traditional subjects such as reading, math and science. Studies show schools integrating character education in their classrooms are witnessing fewer disciplinary referrals, improved school attendance and fewer dropouts, which all contribute to a safer environment for learning. A number of organizations offer educator resources for developing character education programs, including the following:

The Character Education Partnership (CEP), a non-profit, nonpartisan coalition of organizations and individuals, points out in its “Eleven Principles of Effective Character Education” that “the school must recruit parents and community members as full partners in the character-building effort”. Each year, CEP highlights promising practices by schools and districts across the country that excel in these principles. 2001’s selections have been compiled into the publication 2001 National Schools of Character. For more information, call 1-800-988-8081 or visit www.character.org.

Equipping schools and families with solutions for building character, the National Character Education Center offers two online resources: a free monthly newsletter entitled Values in Action! The Best Ethics in Education, and an extensive search engine of practical strategies. In addition, the center just released Character Lessons for Life, a 52-lesson plan for teaching teenagers about respect and responsibility. For more information, call 949-888-2670 or visit www.ethicsusa.com.

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On the topic of reading, the U.S. Department of Education has the following resources available free of charge:

Put Reading First:: The Research Building Blocks for Teaching Children to Read (EXR0007B) focuses on the critical years of kindergarten through third grade, when children learn to read. The 58-page booklet, designed especially for educators, identifies methods that have proven to lead to reading success, such as instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and text comprehension. www.nifl.gov/nifl/partnershipforreading/publications/PFRbooklet.pdf.

Put Reading First: Helping Your Child Learn to Read (EXR0006H) guides parents of children in preschool through third grade in activities that help build critical early skills for reading. This brochure provides tips for introducing children to language, such as pointing out letters on boxes, and encourages a daily time for reading. www.nifl.gov/nifl/partnershipforreading/publications/PFRbrochure.

How Do I Know a Good Early Reading Program When I See One? (EA0177F) is a one-page flyer that lists the characteristics and qualities of an effective early reading program, for example, a classroom library that offers many books for varying skill levels and reading instruction that lasts 90 minutes for the primary grades. www.ed.gov/inits/rrrl/guide.html.

The Reading Tips for Parents (EKH0051P) booklet provides simple strategies for creating strong readers and identifies the five essential components of reading. www.pfie.ed.gov.

For a free hardcopy of these publications, while supplies last, contact ED Pubs at 1-877-4ED-PUBS or at www.ed.gov/about/ordering.jsp. Some of these resources are available in Spanish but may be filed under another identification number.

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