IV
105TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. CON. RES. 127
Expressing the sense of the Congress that the Nation must place greater
emphasis on helping young Americans to develop habits of good character
that are essential to their own well-being and to that of our communities.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JULY 28, 1997
Mr. CLEMENT (for himself, Mr. DUNCAN, Mr. ETHERIDGE, Mr. HALL of
Ohio, Mr. WOLF, Ms. LOFGREN, and Mr. SMITH of New Jersey) submit-
ted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Education and the Workforce
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of the Congress that the Nation must
place greater emphasis on helping young Americans to
develop habits of good character that are essential to
their own well-being and to that of our communities.
Whereas the future of our Nation and world will be deter-
mined by the young people of today;
Whereas record levels of youth crime, violence, teenage preg-
nancy, and substance abuse indicate a growing moral cri-
sis in our society;
Whereas a recent poll of teachers found that 45 percent of
all students cheat on tests;
•HCON 127 IH
Whereas character development is the long-term process of
helping young people to know, care about, and act upon
such basic values as trustworthiness, respect for self and
others, responsibility, fairness, compassion, and citizen-
ship;
Whereas these values are universal, reaching across cultural
and religious differences;
Whereas a recent poll found that 90 percent of Americans
support the teaching of core moral and civic values;
Whereas parents will always be children’s primary character
educators;
Whereas good moral character is developed best in the con-
text of the family;
Whereas parents, community leaders, and school officials are
establishing successful partnerships across the Nation to
implement character education programs;
Whereas character education programs also ask parents, fac-
ulty, and staff to serve as role models of core values, to
provide opportunities for young people to apply these val-
ues, and to establish high academic standards that chal-
lenge students to set high goals, work to achieve them,
and persevere in spite of difficulty;
Whereas the development of virtue and moral character,
those habits of mind, heart, and spirit that help young
people to know, desire, and do what is right, has histori-
cally been a primary mission of colleges and universities;
Whereas in recent years the emphasis on developing the
moral character of students has steadily declined in our
colleges and universities as students are increasingly
viewed as consumers in the marketplace rather than citi-
zens participating in a democracy;
•HCON 127 IH
Whereas print resources that recognize colleges and univer-
sities according to emphasis of character development as
an essential component of higher education are available
to students, parents, and high school counselors;
Whereas many of these resources are available in public li-
braries and in public and private high schools across the
Nation; and
Whereas the Congress encourages parents, faculty, and staff
across the Nation to emphasize character development in
the home, in the community, in our schools, and in our
colleges and universities: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That the Congress supports and encourages
character building initiatives in schools across America
and urges colleges and universities to affirm that the de-
velopment of character is one of the primary goals of high-
er education.
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