VIRGINIA LAW

The Virginia Legislature enacted laws in 1999 requiring all Public Schools to teach Character Education starting in the summer of 2000. No funding was allocated for this. The legislation was introduced by Roanoke's Senator John Edwards.

Senator Edwards
Senator John Edwards

Born in Roanoke, Virginia, October 6, 1943; educated at Patrick Henry High School, 1962; Princeton University (A.B., 1966, cum laude); Union Theological Seminary (N.Y.) Rockefeller Brothers Theological Fellowship, 1966-67; University of Virginia Law School (J.D. 1970); attorney at law; member: Lutheran Church (E.L.C.A.); Captain, U.S.M.C., 1971-73; Member of Senate: 1996

The wording of the actual law is included in a March 10, 2000 memorandum to Division Education Superintendents from Virginia's (then "acting") Superintendent of Schools JoLynne DeMary, which can be seen HERE

The Virginia Department of Education current statement of criteria for implementation of this legislation can be seen at HERE

OTHER STATES LEGISLATION

The link shown here will take you to a summary of the positions taken on Character Education in other States in the USA" Click Here

CHARACTER COUNTS!
The majority of schools in our GRVCC area have adopted CHARACTER COUNTS! as the basis of their Character Education programs. To see the CHARACTER COUNTS! As this is the primary approach in the GRVCC area at present - this adds another reason to reinforce the six "PILLARS" of CHARACTER COUNTS! since they are also included in the Virginia Legislation as "Basic character traits" that may be taught. They are: Trustworthy - Responsibility - Respect - Fairness - Caring - Citizenship


CHARACTER EDUCATION PARTNERSHIP

Many other Character Education programs have been developed and are in use in the USA. One organization that has attempted to look at all these options and also assess best practices and schools that exhibit these is the CHARACTER EDUCATION PARTNERSHIP. They describe themselves as ". . . a nonpartisan coalition of organizations and individuals dedicated to developing moral character and civic virtue in our nation's youth as one means of creating a more compassionate and responsible society" The CEP web site also offers LINKS to a number of other Character Education sites, although it is by no means all-inclusive.

THE SEARCH INSTITUTE

The Search Institute describes its mission as "An independent, nonprofit, nonsectarian organization whose mission is to advance the well-being of adolescents and children by generating knowledge and promoting its application. To accomplish this mission, the institute generates, synthesizes, and communicates new knowledge, convenes organizational and community leaders, and works with state and national organizations"It has already been used in recent years in our area to assess the "Assets" that it appears are possessed by some of the youth of our area. Indications are that many of our youth fall much too short of the community and parental support that they see as desirable for successful adulthood. Organizations have already been initiated here to attempt to raise these ASSET levels.

WEB SITES FOR KIDS:
Boy Scouts of America - Blue Ridge Mountains Council
Character Counts - Take the Kids for Character Pledge
Disney - Back to School Survival Guide
Girl Scouts of Virginia - Skyline Council
Reading Rainbow - Young Writers and Illustrators Contest Winners
Virginia is for Lovers - Family and Kids - Official Tourism Web site of the Commonwealth of Virginia
Virginia VIEW- What do you want to be when you grow up? The free Career Information System for Citizens of Virginia.
Young Heroes Awards 2003
Zoom into Action
The Do's And Don'ts of Character
Great Books For Children About Character


Roanoke City Schools

MORE SITES WITH CHARACTER:

A MetLife Foundation recent survey titled The MetLife Survey of the American Teacher Executive Summary emphasizes that "Educators, families and communities all have roles and responsibilities in supporting student learning and development". The full report can be accessed and downloaded HERE.


Dr. Philip Fitch Vincent, Director of the Character Development Group, brings more than 20 years of experience to his work in character education. Several educators in the GRVCC area have heard Phil Vincent in a recent workshop offered in Blacksburg at the Virginia Department of Education. His site can be seen at CHARACTER EDUCATION


NAYS (National Alliance for Youth Sports) see their guidelines document at
NAYS GUIDELINES

Think It Over - An inspiring flash video presentation

Teachwithmovies.com - Movies with Character

Health Committee Links:
A tremendous amount of information is available on nutrition and physical activity on the internet. Health and character go hand in hand!

http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dash/index.htm This is the link to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Division of Adolescent and School Health.

http://www.niddk.nih.gov/health/nutrit/pubs/physact.htm This is the National Institutes of Health's Weight-Control Information Network (WIN). This web site contains significant information regarding diet, exercise and weight control issues.

http://www.niddk.nih.gov/health/nutrit/pubs/walksis.htm This is the "Sisters Walking" program, which is a neighborhood, multigenerational walking program to promote exercise and health.

http://www.cancer.org/docroot/PED/content/PED_1_5X_Generation_Fit.asp This is the American Cancer Society program called Generation Fit. In the program students ages 11 to 18 take part in community service projects that promote more physical activity and healthier eating among their friends and families, and in their schools and communities. The young activists themselves come away better educated about good nutrition and the need to stay physically active.

http://www.cancer.org/docroot/PED/content/PED_1_5X_Healthy_Kids.aspAccording to this web site"The American Cancer Society's Healthy Kids Network is a growing number of people who want to learn more about how school health benefits children. Information is powerful. When you join the Healthy Kids Network, the American Cancer Society will bring you accurate, up-to-date, and meaningful information to help your kids stay healthy at home, at school, and for the rest of their lives.

www.healthyschools.org -- Healthy Kids Network

http://www.smart-mouth.org Smart-Mouth.org uses games to teach middle-school-aged children how the food environment (advertising, portion sizes, school vending choices) influences their food choices. Kids can see how their favorite restaurant foods stack up, play 'true or false' with a food industry spokesman, and 'bite back' by asking food companies and government officials to support healthy eating.

http://www.kidnetic.com Obesity with a focus on children has been one of the five leadership areas selected by ADA Board of Directors. One of the activities supporting this has been ADA's involvement in the Activate partnership. The Activate partnership has been focused on creative ways to use technology to promote healthy eating and physical activity for 'teens' and their parents. The web site was launched this summer and has had over 300,000 hits in first two months.

www.childrenshealthfund.org Healthy K.I.D.S. (Knowledge Improving Diet and Strength), is a health education program for middle school children, focused on exercise and nutrition. Supported by a grant from Metropolitan Life Foundation and developed by clinicians from The Children's Health Fund's National Children's Health Project Network, Healthy K.I.D.S. is designed to address the increasing rate of obesity in children. It provides children and the adults in their lives with simple and culturally appropriate tools to make positive lifestyle changes. The project consists of quarterly newsletters in English and Spanish that contain fun, age appropriate activities and information. Newsletter content is suitable for children of all backgrounds, and may be used for individual or classroom nutrition education.

http://coy.state.va.us/initiativecontents.htm -- The Virginia Commission on Youth