Character Education Act of 1993

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Character Education Act of 1993''.

SEC. 2. PURPOSE.

    The purposes of this Act are--
            (1) to explore, assess, and stimulate a variety of 
        approaches to character education;
            (2) to lend Federal support to local and State character 
        education programs that seek to promote commonly accepted civic 
        and character values and the principles of democracy.

SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds that--
            (1) many Americans of all economic and social levels and 
        ages no longer make determinations of right and wrong as to 
        their own actions or the actions of others in matters of both 
        public and private concern;
            (2) educational institutions, which have traditionally 
        played a role in assisting students to make such 
        determinations, no longer receive explicit authority or proper 
        assistance necessary to fulfill this responsibility;
            (3) the Nation has witnessed a national moral recession in 
        governmental and political activities, scientific research, and 
        business and commerce, in which individuals have failed to 
        consider the ethics governing their behavior;
            (4) statistics show alarming incidents in individual and 
        gang violence, drug and substance abuse, and suicide among both 
        young people and adults;
            (5) polls show that Americans overwhelmingly prize values 
        such as honesty, but believe that people are less honest today 
        than in the past;
            (6) leaders representing a broad spectrum of political, 
        social, and religious backgrounds believe that education in 
        moral issues contributes to good citizenship and have called 
        for strengthening the teaching of democratic values;
            (7) local character education programs have shown positive 
        results in reducing negative student behavior, including 
        violence, vandalism, and disrespect for others, and in 
        promoting an understanding of shared civic and character 
        values;
            (8) training in ethics is an ongoing concern in business 
        and industry and in public service; and
            (9) while education remains the responsibility of local and 
        State governments, the Congress and the Federal Government may 
        appropriately provide assistance to educational agencies and 
        institutions attempting to promote ethics, civic and character 
        values, and the principles of democracy through character 
        education programs.

SEC. 4. DEFINITION.

    For purposes of this Act, the term ``character education'' means 
the teaching of commonly accepted civic and character values and the 
principles of democracy that contribute to ethical behavior.

           TITLE I--CHARACTER EDUCATION DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM

SEC. 101. AMENDMENT TO SECRETARY'S FUND FOR INNOVATION IN EDUCATION.

    (a) Program Authorized.--Paragraph (2) of section 4601(a) of the 
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 3151(a)) is 
amended--
            (1) by striking ``and'' at the end of subparagraph (C);
            (2) by striking the period at the end of subparagraph (D) 
        and inserting ``; and''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(E) help stimulate understanding of ethics, civic and 
        character values, and the principles of democracy as a means of 
        enhancing and improving elementary and secondary education in 
        accordance with section 4610.''.
    (b) Character Education Demonstration Program.--Part F of title IV 
of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 3151 
et seq.) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating section 4610 as section 4611; and
            (2) by inserting before section 4611 (as redesignated by 
        paragraph (1) of this subsection) the following:

``SEC. 4610. CHARACTER EDUCATION DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM.

    ``(a) General Authority.--The Secretary is authorized to make 
grants to State educational agencies, local educational agencies, 
institutions of higher education, and other public and private 
agencies, organizations, and institutions to conduct character 
education activities designed to help stimulate understanding of 
ethics, civic and character values, and the principles of democracy as 
a means of enhancing and improving elementary and secondary education.
    ``(b) Uses of Funds.--Grants made under this section may be used 
for--
            ``(1) the development of teaching materials for character 
        education;
            ``(2) teacher training and seminars;
            ``(3) the establishment of clearinghouses for character 
        education programs;
            ``(4) proposals seeking to involve the entire school 
        environment;
            ``(5) research and followup studies of existing programs of 
        character and civic values and ethics education;
            ``(6) projects that measure and evaluate the effectiveness 
        of ongoing character education programs;
            ``(7) character and values education projects demonstrating 
        a beneficial effect on individual ethical behavior and on the 
        incidence of individual and gang violence, drug and substance 
        abuse, and suicide;
            ``(8) projects that assist in identifying a consensus of 
        values within a community that may be appropriately promoted in 
        schools of the community; and
            ``(9) projects that seek to develop model programs to 
        promote character and civic values, ethics, and responsible 
        citizenship.
    ``(c) Application.--Each applicant desiring to receive a grant 
under this section shall submit an application in such form, in such 
manner, and containing or accompanied by such information as the 
Secretary may reasonably require. Each such application shall--
            ``(1) identify civic and character values and ethics that 
        receive widespread support from a consensus of individuals in 
        the community served;
            ``(2) describe the school population intended to benefit 
        from the proposed activities;
            ``(3) demonstrate how the proposal fulfills the purpose 
        described in subsection (a);
            ``(4) describe the methods to be used to evaluate the 
        results of the proposed activities; and
            ``(5) provide assurances that the applicant will appoint an 
        advisory board to assist the applicant in conducting the 
        proposed activities, which board shall consist of individuals 
        representative of--
                    ``(A) parents;
                    ``(B) educators and teachers;
                    ``(C) community leaders;
                    ``(D) social service professionals;
                    ``(E) business leaders; and
                    ``(F) the general public.''.

          TITLE II--NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON CHARACTER EDUCATION

SEC. 201. NATIONAL CONFERENCE.

    (a) Establishment.--The Secretary of Education shall sponsor a 
National Character Education Conference (referred to in this title as 
the ``conference'') not later than 60 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act to evaluate local and State character education 
programs throughout the Nation.
    (b) Membership.--The Secretary of Education shall invite 
individuals who have expertise regarding character education to 
participate as members in the conference, including--
            (1) parents;
            (2) teachers;
            (3) educators;
            (4) community leaders;
            (5) social service professionals;
            (6) business leaders;
            (7) philosophers;
            (8) government officials;
            (9) representatives of the arts, entertainment, and sports 
        fields; and
            (10) the general public.

SEC. 202. DUTIES.

    Members of the conference shall--
            (1) assess and evaluate what types of character education 
        programs are available at the State and local level;
            (2) assess and evaluate programs used by schools to teach 
        students character education;
            (3) determine how to measure the content and efficacy of 
        character education programs in preparing students as 
        productive members of society;
            (4) determine how the Government can assist with the 
        development and implementation of character education programs; 
        and
            (5) evaluate and make recommendations regarding successful 
        teaching methods and models for character education.

SEC. 203. REPORTS.

    The Secretary of Education shall submit to the Congress a report 
which states the findings, conclusions, and recommendations of the 
conference not later than 180 days after the conference is held.

Summary: TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Character Education Demonstration Program Title II: National Conference on Character Education Character Education Act of 1993 - Title I: Character Education Demonstration Program - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to provide for an ethics and values demonstration program under the Secretary's Fund for Innovation in Education. Authorizes the Secretary of Education to make grants to State educational agencies, local educational agencies, institutions of higher education, and other public and private organizations to conduct activities designed to stimulate understanding of ethics, civic and character values, and the principles of democracy as a means of enhancing and improving elementary and secondary education. Title II: National Conference on Character Education - Directs the Secretary of Education to sponsor the National Conference on Character Education. Directs the Secretary to report, with recommendations, to the Congress after such Conference.