Dear Parents,

The goal of Character Education is to build in young people attitudes, habits, instincts and predispositions toward doing what is right, because it is right, not because it is advantageous. To accomplish this goal, we must teach and show:

*The ability to discern right from wrong

*The commitment to do what is right and proper.

In 90% of the ethical problems we face, we know what we should do. We know what is right. The issue is: are we willing to do what is right when it costs more than we are willing to pay? We all want our kids to have good values and strong character. But good character doesn't just happen. It's up to each of us to lay a solid foundation for character development by teaching children right from wrong and by acting as a positive role models.

Character is moral strength. A person of character does the right thing for the right reason. A person of character does right, even when no one is looking. In short, character is ethics in action.

Character education is not about simply teaching children to obey, but about teaching them to make sound moral judgments. Character education is about helping young people become good adults.

Character counts is a research based nationwide initiative to provide teachers, parents and community leaders with a politically and religiously neutral and educationally sound framework to teach values and evaluate good character.