by Terry L. Besser
Assistant professor and extension sociologist
Iowa State University Extension to Communities
Iowans are proud of their schools. Children from Iowa schools consistently outperform children from most other states on college admission tests and standardized achievement tests. Important though that is, schools serve a variety of other functions as well. School performance in musical, academic and athletic competitions promotes community spirit and cohesiveness. Band concerts, plays and various programs (such as winter programs, commencements, etc.) provide opportunities for community members to gather, celebrate, and enjoy themselves. School facilities represent a resource available for adult education, community and local organizational activities.
Most people are aware of these school - community linkages. However, they frequently do not realize the magnitude of the contribution these linkages can make to community betterment, especially in rural communities. When rural towns consolidate their schools, in many ways people's definition of community expands to include all the townsÕ contributing students. In the same way, the benefits to community improvement resulting from community school linkages can be shared by the combined community that is the school district.
Bruce Miller, with the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory, identifies several reasons why school officials, educational personnel and students should be invited to join community betterment efforts. The first reason is obvious: young people can be a needed source of volunteers for community projects such as clean-up efforts, welcoming new comers, designing and working at community celebrations and so on. They can be a boon to community programs not only because of their potential as workers, but also because of their ideas and enthusiasm.
Another reason is that community involvement offers a great educational laboratory for students. They can apply principles learned in biology class to land-use planning or park management, principles from shop class to building playground equipment, and skills from accounting class to helping the library club prepare a financial report for a grant application. Students can help in conducting surveys and tabulating and analyzing results. They can design, paint and refurbish murals and other town displays. History classes can be embellished by recording local history as told by long time residents; working on historical preservation of local sites; locating, analyzing and preserving historical documents; preparing historical displays; and re-enacting significant local events. Historical projects can root the community in its historical heritage, preserve it for future generations and provide a source of community pride.
At the same time that young people learn how to apply traditional subjects in areas useful to the community, they are getting a refresher course in civics and the democratic process. They learn leadership skills and how to work in groups. No less important, they observe firsthand the value of community responsibility. By providing them with opportunities to become active, responsible members of a community who work together, they are helped to see that rural communities are a positive place in which to spend their adult lives.
According to Miller, there are three broad overlapping ways that communities and schools can work together for community betterment. The first way is described above, where the community provides a laboratory for school subjects and in return receives information, services and labor for community projects. The second way is to view the school as a resource for lifelong learning, and as a vehicle for delivery of a wide range of services such as health screening, day care and dental care. Rural communities located many miles from a college or university find that the classroom, shop and telecommunications resources of local schools are essential prerequisites for programs on adult literacy, enhancing job skills or retraining.
School-based enterprises are the third method. Here the emphasis is on serving a community need while helping young people develop entrepreneurial skills. Students in school-based enterprises establish and run a community business. This approach is elaborated at length in a book entitled "School Based Enterprise: Productive Learning in American High Schools" (by D. Stern, J. Stone, C. Hopkins, M. McMillion and R. Crain). Illustrations of successful school-based enterprises presented by the authors include shoe repair, grocery, delicatessen and day care businesses.
Development experts advise communities to draw on their strengths in devising strategies to sustain and revitalize their communities. If they are right, it only makes sense that Iowa communities should enlist their greatest assets -- youth and schools -- in development efforts. For more information about school community development opportunities, refer to the book mentioned above. Miller's report entitled "The Role of Rural Schools in Community Development" is available by calling (503) 275-9500. Both sources list a number of other useful references.
Contacts:
Terry L. Besser, ISU
Extension Sociology, (515) 294-6508
Del Marks, ISU Extension
Communication Systems, (515) 294-9807
