New US Department Of Education Website

Helps Communities Develop Character Education Programs

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The US Department of Education’s Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools recently unveiled a new website for the Character Education and Civic Engagement Technical Assistance Center (CETAC), www.cetac.org.

“This new website 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 of the No Child Left Behind Act,” noted Secretary of Education Rod Paige.

In his $42 million investment for the Department of Education in 2004, President Bush consistently underscored the importance of “character education.”

“Students must learn to respect others, as well as themselves, and understand the importance of democracy in this country,” said Mr Paige.

“Sadly, we live in a culture without role models, where millions of students are taught the wrong values, or no values at all,” he continued. “This culture of callousness has led to a staggering achievement gap, poor health issues, crime, violence, overweight students, teenage pregnancy, and substance abuse.”

CETAC’s objective is to provide technical assistance for implementing effective character education and civic engagement to the US 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.