The National School Boards Association proposed to the United States Department of Education a project, "Building Character in the Public Schools," designed to enhance character development in the schools through involvement of more than 15,000 local school boards in this country. The project had two overall goals: to heighten national awareness of the importance of character development programs in local public schools to the continued success and stability of American society; and to encourage the establishment and improvement of character development programs in public elementary and secondary schools. The first chapter deals with the triggering conditions and problems surrounding this problem. Chapter 2 reflects on several approaches to the definition of character education. The remaining chapters describe the methods that boards desiring to respond to this issue can take to ensure development of effective character education policies and programs in their school systems. Policy development guidelines and implementation procedures relevant to character building in the public schools are listed. Appended are: (1) a list of resources; (2) 16 different sample policies; and (3) sample implementation aids. (SI)