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Tamarack is sharing this collection of resources, how-to manuals,
and neat stories of community engagement on the topic of Community
Education in the hopes of inspiring others to build on these
ideas and make positive changes in their communities.
Education affects all sorts of other social
institutions. The amount and quality of learning children
receive has a direct effect on their prosperity, health, and
citizenship. Adults, too, need access to lifelong learning.
And not all learning has to take place inside a classroom.
People learn from their environment, from the people around
them, and from all their experiences. Their community therefore
plays an important part in education throughout their lives.
This is why studying community education is important.
We suggest you take a look at the two introductory
resources below, which will give you a good grasp of the subject;
enjoy exploring these resources, and if you know of something
that we could include here in future revisions, please let
us know by writing Louise at tamarack@tamarackcommunity.ca.
Caledon
Institute: Communities and Schools Series The Caledon
Institute’s Communities and Schools Series includes
five profiles of schools that have made their communities
an important part of education, and two position papers from
the Caledon Institute on the importance of community to learning.
The pieces discuss the different ways that communities and
schools interact, and raises important political issues, such
as the privatization of education. [In Publication
Search, choose "Communities & Schools" under
Subject and then click "Search."]
Institute
for Educational Leadership: Education and Community Building—Connecting
Two Worlds This booklet
from the Institute for Educational Leadership makes the link
between community engagement and education more clearly and
explicitly than any other we found. It describes the rationale
for linking schools to the larger community and how it can
be achieved. It also includes “Sticking Points”—the
things that can stand in the way of the integration process
and how to avoid them. The stories of four communities round
out this extremely useful resource.
Community Engagement: people
working collaboratively, through inspired action and learning,
to create and realize bold visions for their common future.
Community Education: Education
at all levels and ages which teaches skills, instills community
values, uses local resources, and involves the entire community
in the process of teaching and learning collaboratively through
diverse activities both inside and outside traditional classrooms.
Community School: A school
which acts as a hub of community activity, fostering relationships
between students, teachers, parents, business, health and
social services, nonprofits, volunteers, and others.
Service Learning: Incorporating
community involvement and volunteer work into traditional
curricula to the mutual benefit of students, who are engaged
in their communities, and community organizations, which receive
valuable help in their activities. Service learning is just
one aspect of Community Education.
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