Kansas Department of Education Abstract

Contact: LaNetra Thomas
Kansas State Department of Education
120 Southeast 10th Avenue
Topeka, KS 66612-1182
(785) 296–8965
lthomas@ksde.org

Kansas Character Education Project

Application Number : R215V990004
Project Period : 10/1/99–9/30/03
FY 1999 Award : $250,000
FY 2000 Award : $250,000
FY 2001 Award : $250,000
FY 2002 Award : $250,000

The Kansas Character Education Partnership will work with school districts to develop curriculum materials, provide teacher training, gauge and build community consensus on common values, involve parents in character education, and integrate character education into the school curriculum. The focus is on values such as caring, civic virtue and citizenship, justice and fairness, respect, responsibility, and trustworthiness.

The Wichita Public Schools and the Southeast Kansas Education Service Center, representing 27 rural districts, will work with the Kansas State Department of Education as partners to design and implement systemic model character education programs. In the first year, an additional 84 districts and schools in Kansas will help to pilot the curriculum materials and training. Small subgrants will be awarded to these participating districts to assist them in their character education activities. Project outcomes include:

• School districts will develop and implement effective character education programs;
• Kansas students will show greater academic achievement, higher levels of social involvement, and an increased source of educational balance; and
• Parental and community involvement will provide an authentic voice, diverse opinions, and participation in the local district’s character education program.

Evaluations will be conducted to determine districts’ successes in reducing discipline problems, improving student grades, increasing participation in extracurricular activities, and strengthening parent and community involvement. A clearinghouse for the distribution of materials and information about character education will be established at Emporia State University.

The Kansas State Department of Education will provide both technical assistance and professional development to pilot sites in developing and implementing model character education programs.

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