CETAC E-Newsletter. Parent Issue. Volume 1, Number 3, Winter 2006

Overview & Synopsis

The third issue of this Character Education and Civic Engagement Technical Assistance Center (CETAC) newsletter focuses on parent involvement in character education. The Partnerships in Character Education Program (PCEP), funded by the U.S. Department of Education, is currently providing support to projects that demonstrate parent involvement in character education activities in many forms across the states. Grantees implementing character education programs stress the importance of including parents in school-based efforts. As an example of such inclusion, parents are serving on character education councils and district-level advisory boards; participating in forums to address issues on character education and other areas of the community; serving as trainers and peer mentors in parenting programs; assisting in the designs and implementation of character education programs; and volunteering alongside their children in service-learning activities. Other exciting efforts in character education developed by and with parents will be featured in this newsletter. It is important to note that, as part of the provisions of the "No Child Left Behind Act of 2001," Congress included parent involvement as one of the requirements for those entities seeking funding under the PCEP program. In addressing the spirit of the legislation, a group of parents was asked to participate in the development of this newsletter by sharing varied examples of their involvement in character education programs. Each of the articles featured in this newsletter will hopefully motivate readers to consider how best to involve parents in meaningful ways in character education to ensure our students' academic success and positive behavioral outcomes. [The Character Education and Civic Engagement Technical Assistance Center (CETAC) is operated for the U.S. Department of Education under a contract with the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation (PIRE).]