“If, in President Obama’s words, we’re entering ‘a new era of responsibility,’ this third thrust [getting kids ready for democracy by preparing them to live in and contribute to a system based on personal ethics and mutual responsibility] provides a call to action for every educator in America. Why? Because only as we teach character and integrity will tomorrow’s kids be ready for democracy. Only as we provide a clear moral compass will they be able to avoid the ethical lapses underlying the current recession. And only as we extend character education just as fully to schools with names like P.S. 137 as to those with names like Country Day will they see that building trust is everyone’s business.”
— Patrick F. Bassett, Paul D. Houston, and Rushworth M. Kidder,
“Building Character in Crisis”: Education Week, July 15, 2009.