Program Information:
The Partnerships in Character Education Pilot Project Program is authorized under Title X, Part A, Section 10103 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act as amended. Part A is the Fund for the Improvement of Education (FIE).
The Secretary may make a total of ten grants annually to state educational agencies (SEA) in partnership with one or more local educational agencies (LEA). Each state is limited to a total of one million dollars over a period of no more than five years. The state may retain no more than 30 percent of the funds; the remainder must be given to the LEAs. There are currently 37 states funded by the Department of Education.
Parents, students, and community members, including private and nonprofit organizations, can participate in the design and administration of the projects. The projects will help states work with school districts to develop curriculum materials, provide teacher training, involve parents in character education and integrate character education into the curriculum. Each project will design activities to incorporate six elements of character,-- caring, civic virtue and citizenship, justice and fairness, respect, responsibility, and trustworthiness. Projects may add other elements of character deemed appropriate by the members of the partnership. Each project must also establish a clearinghouse for the distribution of materials and information about character education and include an evaluation designed to determine the success toward reducing discipline problems, and improving student grades, participation in extracurricular activities, and parent and community involvement.
Character Education Projects