Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend's first significant campaign initiative will build on something she's been pushing for almost two decades -- community service and character education.
Starting this week, Townsend will lay out plans for every public school in Maryland to create substantive, "high-quality" programs to teach -- and have students practice -- such character traits as respect, responsibility, caring and kindness.
"Originally, the whole purpose of public schools was to teach democratic values: to teach honor and responsibility and respect," said Townsend, the leading Democratic nominee for governor. "In the 1960s, schools got away from that. I think it's important to focus on teaching kids right and wrong, and personal responsibility and respect for others."
The proposal -- which will include about $1 million for teacher training -- follows on Townsend's efforts 10 years ago to make Maryland the first, and still only, state to require community service for high school graduation.
By selecting character education as the first major issue of her campaign, Townsend is focusing on a subject that's widely acknowledged as a popular bipartisan issue. President Clinton and President Bush have pushed for character education at the federal level, including grants to states and local districts.
"A majority of states are now doing some form of character education," said Thomas Lickona, director of the Center for the 4th and 5th R's (Respect and Responsibility) at the State University of New York College at Cortland.
Character education typically refers to teaching children such values as right and wrong, respect, responsibility, tolerance, honesty, citizenship and honor, often through explicit classroom lessons.
All 24 local systems have some type of character education programs, but only nine have them in all elementary, middle and high schools.
"It hasn't spread everywhere yet because we haven't had all of the resources we need for training," said Mary C. Aranha, who oversees character education at the state education department.
Townsend said that putting about $1 million toward training school staffs -- and throwing the weight of the governor's office behind the initiative -- will ensure that schools follow through.
"We're beyond the question of whether you should do this. The real issue now is how you go about it," Townsend said.
