Sec. Paige - June 22, 2001

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Southeastern Character Education Conference

Chattanooga, Tennessee

(Note: Because Safer Child, Inc. is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, with no political affiliation, we have omitted all political references from the excerpt below. Omitted portions are indicated by (>>>). Additionally, as noted on the U.S. Department of Education Web site, Secretary Paige might have deviated from the prepared text when he delivered the original speech. Permission to reprint this excerpt does not necessarily indicate U.S. Department of Education endorsement of Safer Child, Inc. or of the Safer Child, Inc. Web site.)

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Nelson Mandela once said that, "A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination." He was right. Reading, math, and science can give our children strength of mind. Character education can give our children strength of heart. I have long believed that in educating our young people we must not simply teach children how to count. We must also teach them WHAT counts. To those who say that schools should not be in the business of teaching children about character, I say—to the contrary. It's time for school to get back into the business of teaching children that character, honesty and integrity are important.

Just as prosperity must have a purpose, education must have a purpose. Today, I want to talk to all of you about the purpose of education. We believe that education is a foundation for freedom. We believe that education is a tool to succeed in your professional and personal life. However, in order to benefit from the knowledge they receive in school, our children must have a strong character.

We know we need character education to improve the lives of every child in America. We need to give our children healthier minds, healthier bodies, and healthier spirits. It is time to take action and give our children a chance at a good life in which they can find both prosperity and purpose.

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Once we teach our children these lessons, we can give them the power to build this character as they grow. When I look at the leaders standing with me today and in the audience, I see examples of men and women who exhibit great character. These men and women grew up to be honorable people because each of them made the decision to become a man or woman of honor.

When I was a boy in Monticello, Mississippi in the 1940's, how could I have known that I would someday be the Secretary of Education? I had no idea, but I made the decision to respect my teachers, and then to respect my classmates, and then to act with discipline, and these decisions got easier and easier. By making these decisions, I gradually built my character and that character is what I brought with me to Washington, D.C.

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We need to make sure our children are on the same path to respect, responsibility, honesty, and civic virtue. We need to ensure our children a promising future of not only academic achievement and professional success, but also moral strength.

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Character education grants like the ones being given today to Tennessee districts are used for training teachers on how to teach character. The grants also help us to study what kinds of teaching strategies actually work.

We will give schools and districts not only the money for these programs, but the freedom from government red tape to use the money to get the job done. We will allow schools and districts to form partnerships with private, non-profit organizations in order to add a spirit of innovation and a special expertise to their character education programs. These programs will be judged on the basis of results. If children are benefiting from the state and school district character programs, these programs will be worthy of our support.

Many children are born with disadvantages, but they need the same things all children do to have a happy life: a good family, a good education, and a good character. These make all the difference. Our character education plans, of course, come in a larger context of education reforms underway to address the needs of our children and of children from disadvantaged backgrounds in particular.

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We want to change the culture of public education, and here are the four ways we have to do it:

	First, we must get away from the belief that it's OK for some children to fail. To do this, we have to make sure that schools are accountable for demonstrating progress.
	Second, we must give schools and local leaders the authority to make their own decisions. Reforming our schools is a job that must be done at the local level and not in Washington.
	Third, we must bring education into the twenty-first century by making use of the concrete research that shows us how children learn. Schools must not guess about how to teach children. For example, there is no longer any excuse for not teaching children how to read at a young age. There is plenty of research that shows not only how to teach children to read, but how important it is to teach reading to young children, instead of waiting to intervene later. So we must focus on educational strategies that have been proven to work. Just as NASA uses research instead of guesswork to launch rockets, so must we to educate children.
	Fourth, we must give parents more choices.

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We can have a positive impact on America's future by giving all of our children the tools they need to succeed in all aspects of their life…a healthy body, a healthy mind, and a healthy heart. When we give children knowledge and skills, we give them tools to build a future for themselves. But, returning to why we are here today, when we give our children lessons in character, we give them tools to build a brighter future for their world. Everyone knows that good leaders and good people do not just have intelligence. They have a passion for improving the circumstances of others and making the world a better place. I applaud the educators here today on your commitment to strengthening the character of our young people. Through your work you are truly shaping the future of our culture.

The full text of this speech can be found at this address: http://www.ed.gov/news/speeches/2001/06/010622.html .

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