Character Education Handbook

One of the great education reformers, Horace Mann, strongly advocated that character development matters greatly and is as important as academics. The United States Congress has also advocated for the role of character development in American schools by recognizing its importance through various federal legislation. One of the goals of the U.S. Department of Education is to "promote strong character and citizenship among our nation's youth" (Strategic Plan 2002-2007). To reach this goal, the Department of Education supports state education agencies and school districts across the nation to provide leadership, resources, opportunities, and support for implementing character education. 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 and is indeed, as important as academics.