By Jim Brown
August 3, 2006

(AgapePress) - The U.S. Department of Education has shelled out more than $15 million in funding to state educational agencies and school districts for the implementation of character education programs.

Educational agencies and school districts in 13 states have been awarded the grants through "The Partnerships in Character Education Project Program." This initiative is designed to promote the teaching of core ethical values to students -- values like honesty, citizenship, and responsibility.

Linda McKay is a senior advisor in the Department of Education's Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools. She oversees the character education grant program but notes that communities determine for themselves what values are to be taught.

For example, McKay says a growing number of school districts are using character education in their sports programs to teach young athletes perseverance, respect, and cooperation. And, she adds, some of the grants the program has coming out include partnering relationships with faith-based groups or institutions, which cooperate with the schools to design and implement character education programs.

"The materials they develop, though, do have to be secular in nature," the Education Department senior advisor cautions. "But it definitely is possible," she says, "if a school district wants to, to have as a partner a faith-based community organization."

McKay points out that all of the grants for the Partnerships in Character Education Program are competitive. "These grants have to go through a peer-review process," she explains, "so applications come from all across the country, and then outside reviewers look at the selector criteria that we have in the department, and from that a determination is made by the highest score."

In other words, McKay emphasizes, the U.S. Department of Education does not decide which applications are accepted; but rather, "people across our country decide who gets grants." According to Department statistics, she notes, 136 state and local agencies have received character education grants since 1994.

Jim Brown, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is a reporter for American Family Radio News, which can be heard online.

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