The focus of education in America, until recently, has been primarily on developing academic skills rather than social competencies. In the 1990's, a movement emerged to begin teaching academics in combination with character. Since 1996, the U.S. Department of Education has awarded more than $25 million dollars to States to assist in developing character education programs. Although there are many definitions of character education, a commonly accepted one is "an integrated, intentional effort to help students understand, develop, and use commonly accepted ethical values." Fundamental elements required for a successful character education program include: (1) community participation; (2) an integrated curriculum across all subject areas and grades; (3) character traits that can be identified and clearly defined; (4) a strong experiential, service learning component; and (5) outcome assessment. The paper includes brief descriptions of five character education programs and links to 37 sites related to character education and character education programs. References, bibliography