What is Character Education? A person of good character exhibits those inherent qualities we each possess that allow us to make responsible and respectful choices. Character education facilitates the development of strong character traits in our youth, such as respect, responsibility, fairness, compassion, courage and honesty. Students are taught to know, care about, and act upon core ethical values that transcend religious, political and cultural differences and focus on our common humanity. Parents and caregivers are the primary source for developing strong character in our young people, but schools, youth service groups, businesses, faith and community organizations must step forward to share in this responsibility. Character education is not a new concept. The world's greatest minds have been advocates of a conscious approach to the development of character. These include Plato, Aristotle, Kant, Dewey, Confucius and Lao Tzu. Our founding fathers called for schools to teach the civic virtues necessary to develop a strong and viable democratic system of government. Alexis de Tocqueville writes, "America is great because she is good, but if America ceases to be good America will cease to be great." Advocates of character education believe that the social, emotional, and ethical development of our nation's youth is as important as their academic development. For more information about character education, visit the Character Education Partnership Web site at www.character.org.