[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Con. Res. 89 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







105th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. CON. RES. 89

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 SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 3, 1998

  Mr. Frist submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was 
         referred to the Committee on Labor and Human Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                         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 determined by the young 
        people of today;
Whereas record levels of youth crime, violence, teenage pregnancy, and substance 
        abuse indicate a growing moral crisis in our society;
Whereas a recent poll of teachers found that 45 percent of all students cheat on 
        tests;
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 
        citizenship;
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 context 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, faculty, and staff to 
        serve as role models of core values, to provide opportunities for young 
        people to apply these values, and to establish high academic standards 
        that challenge 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 historically 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 citizens participating in a democracy;
Whereas print resources that recognize colleges and universities 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 libraries 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 Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), 
That the Congress supports and encourages character building 
initiatives in schools across America and urges colleges and 
universities to affirm that the development of character is one of the 
primary goals of higher education.
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