From the NYT
“Imagine schools that are open all day and offer after-school and evening recreational activities, child care and preschool, tutoring and homework assistance,†the speech reads. “Schools that include dental, medical and counseling clinics.â€
I’ll get around to imagining that just as soon as I’m finished imagining schools that do what they’re supposed to actually do–educate. Right now, I’m not able to do much beyond imagining.
Going to the Mat has similar thoughts.
Since the mid-60s we have asked more and more of our schools to help close some socially worrisome gap, that the schools have forgotten how to do their basic mission–educating kids. Adding more “social missions” to the schools is not going to improve schools.
Full-Service or Community Schools are not trying to detract from the education of children. They are about communities taking ownership of school buildings and a vested sense of ownership in the potential for the school and the community. The schools themselves would stop feeding breakfast and dinner to students and community food banks would step in and provide food for entire families. Schools wouldn’t be doing vision and hearing testing as they do now. Medical groups would provide vision, hearing and other health services.
Cathy, thanks for the link on Full-Service schools…very interesting stuff.
I love the idea of communities taking ownership of schools (and education.
I loathe the idea of the federal government and national teacher unions taking even more control.