Click here for readings on character education.

Three of our six scheduled guests were unable to find suitable air travel due to the tragic events of the week of September 11. We currently are working with our speakers and the college calendar to locate an alternative date on which this event can be held. If such a date can be found, we will announce the event through a general mailing, through press releases, and here on our website.

We join the Penner Foundation in thanking you for your interest in this valuable community event. The moral education of our children is vital. The events of this week have reminded us of the supreme importance such education serves, and of the simple act of goodness represented through the healthy discussion of moral education within the community. May God's peace be with you and our world at this time.

Character makes a difference in the quality of one's life, yet an appalling lack of character often marks our cultural life. Incivility, rudeness, deceit, and violence accompany many of our actions and much of our entertainment. Increasingly, our society looks to public schools as instruments in altering the character of its citizens. President Bush has proclaimed the importance of character education to this generation of school children, and currently sixteen states have passed legislation mandating or encouraging character education in the public schools.

If schools are to be effective in character education, we need to relearn the art of character development. What is involved in character formation? If values are to be taught in the public schools, whose values? And how ought schools to decide? How can we strengthen character education in the public schools?

The annual Penner Debate is a community forum focused on vigorous discussion about a current topic. This year's Penner Debate features four national leaders in character education and public schooling.

Dr. Kevin Ryan (Professor Emeritus of Education, former Director of the Center for the Advancement of Ethics and Character, Boston University) and Dr. Larry Nucci (Professor of Education, Director, Office for Studies in Moral Development and Character Formation, University of Illinois at Chicago) will address the question, "What makes good character?"

Mr. Ron Kinnamon (National Coalition Chairman, Character Counts) and Dr. Charles Glenn (Professor and Chairman of Administration, Training and Policy Studies at Boston University) will address the question, "What makes effective character education?"

Following their presentations, the speaker will engage in discussion: challenging, agreeing, and responding to questions from one another and from the moderator, former ABC News correspondent Peggy Wehmeyer.