PRINTER'S NO. 2225
No. 270 Session of 2002
INTRODUCED BY SCHWARTZ, MELLOW, BRIGHTBILL, MOWERY, KUKOVICH,
COSTA, WAGNER, O'PAKE, GREENLEAF, STACK, C. WILLIAMS,
A. WILLIAMS, MUSTO, KASUNIC, WOZNIAK, THOMPSON, TARTAGLIONE,
BODACK AND BOSCOLA, SEPTEMBER 23, 2002
INTRODUCED AND ADOPTED, SEPTEMBER 23, 2002
A RESOLUTION
1 Designating the week of September 6 through 14, 2002, as
2 "American Character Week" in Pennsylvania.
3 WHEREAS, Coordinated efforts are under way nationally to
4 assist schools, communities, police and firefighting agencies
5 and others to commemorate the first anniversary of the September
6 11th attacks in a manner which encourages community service and
7 celebrates the countless acts of courage, compassion and
8 commitment that show Americans at their best; and
9 WHEREAS, To achieve this goal the CHARACTER COUNTS! Coalition
10 recommends the following activities designed to assure that the
11 celebration of "American Character Week" is positive,
12 constructive and educational:
13 (1) discussion and study of the lives of Americans of
14 extraordinary character;
15 (2) recognition at the local community level of
16 individuals who have in the past year demonstrated the
17 highest qualities of the American character;
1 (3) teaching young people about and encouraging them to
2 consider careers in public service; and
3 (4) providing service learning opportunities to young
4 people, including at least one hour of service during
5 "American Character Week" as a first step in a commitment to
6 a life of regular community service;
7 and
8 WHEREAS, It is particularly important that school-aged
9 children engage in these and other character education
10 activities during "American Character Week" and beyond; and
11 WHEREAS, The basic philosophical principle of character
12 education holds that there are widely shared and pivotally
13 important core values that form good character; and
14 WHEREAS, Character education assists in positive social,
15 emotional and ethical development of students by teaching,
16 modeling and practicing basic civic values and character traits;
17 and
18 WHEREAS, Integration of these character traits into the
19 curriculum, extracurricular activities and schoolwide culture
20 combined with an emphasis on community outreach and a service
21 ethic furthers the internalization of core civic values; and
22 WHEREAS, When character education initiatives have been
23 assessed in studies spanning 20 years, results consistently show
24 that students in those schools:
25 (1) engage in more pro-social behavior;
26 (2) are more skilled at resolving interpersonal
27 conflicts;
28 (3) are more concerned about others;
29 (4) are more committed to civic values; and
30 (5) are more interested in learning;
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1 and
2 WHEREAS, The purposes of a character education program are
3 to:
4 (1) educate students in basic civic values and character
5 traits that are beneficial and essential to civilized society
6 and common to the diverse social, cultural and religious
7 groups of this Commonwealth;
8 (2) instill in students a service ethic and encourage
9 individual outreach to the community;
10 (3) promote student achievement and learning and develop
11 civic-minded students through character education; and
12 (4) reduce student disciplinary problems through
13 character education;
14 and
15 WHEREAS, Schools should initiate a character education
16 program that includes and teaches the following basic civil
17 values and character traits:
18 (1) trustworthiness, including honesty, integrity,
19 reliability and loyalty;
20 (2) respect, including regard for others, tolerance and
21 courtesy;
22 (3) responsibility, including hard work, economic self-
23 reliance, accountability, diligence, perseverance and self-
24 control;
25 (4) fairness, including justice, consequences of bad
26 behavior, principles of nondiscrimination and freedom from
27 prejudice;
28 (5) caring, including kindness, empathy, compassion,
29 consideration, generosity and charity;
30 (6) citizenship, including love of country, concern for
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1 the common good, respect for authority, the law and the
2 community; and
3 (7) the importance of a service ethic and community
4 outreach;
5 therefore be it
6 RESOLVED, That the Senate designate the week of September 6
7 through 14, 2002, as "American Character Week" in Pennsylvania
8 and encourage all Pennsylvanians to gain a greater appreciation
9 of the importance of character education.
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