Let’s get the community involved – Lucky Number 7

The great farm labor organizer Cesar Chavez said it best. “We cannot seek achievement for ourselves and forget about progress and prosperity for our community... Our ambitions must be broad enough to include the aspirations and needs of others, for their sakes and for our own.”

The popular essayist Rev. Samuel M. Crothers added another great quote. “The present movement for using the schoolhouse of a city for the promotion of neighborhood life is one that has a long history – as long as democracy. The ideas of connecting schools and the community can be traced back over one hundred years. We can thank the progressive-thinking minds of Jane Addams and John Dewey. Jane Addams founded Hull House in Chicago’s rundown 19th ward. The settlement house was as a beacon of hope for impoverished immigrant workers. Hull House offered health care, kindergarten, playgrounds, college classes, day care, job training and an assortment of other services and programs. Addams even made Chicago take out its trash as Chicago’s one time garbage inspector. The great philosopher John Dewey adopted the settlement notion of social change to the public school system. It turns as education has changed throughout history, community involvement has always been instrumental in its success.

I have learned to be more aware of my surroundings. I am much more observant of factors that influence the teaching and learning process. That is certainly one thing I have learned entering the masters program.

I have devoted a number of my blogs to societal ills that make learning problematic. It is human nature to blame and point fingers. All too often I blame other societal aspects for educational difficulties encountered. There is truth to many of my allegations. However, schools have to accept some of the blame. Not all.

Seven periods in a school is not enough time to educate our youth. Family, neighbors, and the church play a pivotal role in socialization. Teachers cannot transmit civic and character virtues. We must be supported by our local instructions. Why then, do we close our doors to the community?
Concurrently, the problems of the community don’t disappear when the bell rings. Poverty, violence, parental neglect, and addiction all affect the teaching and learning process. Teachers have to wear many hats. Other roles include parent, babysitter, and counselor, nurse to name a few. How great would it be to just teach?


I haven’t been teaching that long. And, I realize that every school district is different. I have noticed that many school districts are becoming safety obsessed. It has to be a nightmare for an administrator after horrific events such as Columbine, Red Lake, and Virginia Tech. American life in general is safety obsessed. We should treat this on a case by cases basis. Our food, water, transportation, and consumer products should not intentionally harm us, rightly so. However, some fears are blown out of proportion. I think our society is fairly safe from a terrorist act. Another will eventually happen. Yet, we should not sacrifice our inherent rights and liberties in exchange for a false sense of security. It is the Fourth of July isn’t. Patrick Henry said, “Give me liberty or give me death.” Another social studies teacher tangent, SORRY!

Anyway, I am troubled by this safety-obsession in our school. School violence will continue. However, the probability is miniscule. I would equate it to the chances of being struck by lightning. Many administrators have taken the prison warden approach. More locks, though of course not more guards or cells. At least I hope not at your school. Schools are locked up, off limits to students, staff, and the community. I think this is a major travesty. I teach in a very small town. Across northern Minnesota economic decline is leading to alarming depopulation. Small family farms are consolidating into larger and larger operations. Small town public schools are the heart of these small towns. Alumni should want to return to be a part of their school’s events. A good example is small town athletics. You can’t beat high school. The immense pride of a cheering crowd, proud parents, and hard working athletes is unbeatable. I want a school open to the community. It is a public building. The school should be used, not locked up. Citizens that pay school-funding property taxes should enjoy the fruits of their sacrifice. The weight room and gym should be open for adults to exercise and compete in leagues. The library and computers should be available for public access. Fosston is a town with a low socioeconomic status. Computer access is not available to those that can’t afford it. Conference rooms should be available for public forums and group meetings. Classrooms and teachers should be available for afternoon afterschool programs. Once the school goes, the town dries up. McIntosh, a neighboring community of Fosston, knows all too well. Or, if the school is off limits a similar reaction is possible.

Parent teacher conference attendance disappoints me every year. I want to see more people at athletics and other extracurricular events. I am not satisfied in our community involvement.

I am leaning towards parental involvement as a topic for my action research. I think that the lock and key obsession has disastrous effects. It projects a very negative message towards the community. The community’s perception of the school is one of guarded defensiveness. I have seen firsthand the negative feelings that result from feelings of distrust inadvertently generated by an administrator with good intentions.

Stop here if you don’t want specifics on Community Learning Centers. I knew relatively little about them, read a lot, and provided lots of examples.

I am interested in your input. How much is your community involved in your school? If so, in what ways? If not, what do you think is stopping involvement?

The summer issue of American Educator is partly responsible for this blog’s topic. The American Federation Teachers (AFT) puts out this quarterly journal of educational research and ideas. This issue focuses on Cincinnati, Ohio's community learning centers (CLCs). New York City also has 21 community schools. They are nationally located, in various shapes and sizes. Fosston and Cincinnati are very similar. We share many things in common; the only exception is the size of the population. As a result I think many things that the CLC’s too apply in small town Minnesota.

An on-site coordinator leads CLCs. Their salary is independently funded, reducing the risk of yearly budget reductions. To start a CLC a core group of parents is identified. These are the leaders of the community. CLC officials do the legwork, shaking hands and interviewing people that are willing to lend a hand. Parental involvement starts very small. Parental involvement gains steam and becomes contagious. Community partners fall in love with students. Young people gain the necessary support to learn, mature, and grow as learners and people.

The site coordinator and parents aim to establish partnerships and resources with the community and relief-based organizations. Teachers do not have extra duties, nor is there extra budget expenditures. This itself makes the coordinator job a full-time one. Winston Hills has a program called Adopt A Class. Local businesses partner with an individual class. Proctor and Gamble, a local television station, a law firm, a construction firm, and a police precinct were some of the organizations that adopted classes. The businesses send representatives to their respective classes to talk shop and even tutor students. Students can also visit these companies. Volunteers from an architectural firm have elaborated the importance of science in the classroom. These representatives have replaced athletes and entertainers as role models. A local bank paid for school supplies, field trips, snacks, and testing week letters of support for Priscilla Copas 3rd grade class.

Subsequently, a Winston Hills parent organized a job fair. Representatives of local businesses set up job information and interview stations. Sixty people attended, and over one-half that applied for jobs were hired. Coordinator Annie Bogenshultz said it was the first time we had sixty outside adults in the building at once.

First of, CLCs are open to the public. Winton Hills, a Cincinnati CLC is open seven days a week until eleven p.m.

CLC’s offer afterschool activities. Students that do not participate in extracurricular's have options. They are not exposed to trouble on the street. Neither are they vegging out on the couch in front of the TV or video game console. In addition, parents can work longer without worry, or arrange day care. After school programs are geared towards elementary students. They offer constructive computer time. Tutors are available for students that have fallen behind on work, or aren’t up to math and reading standards. Ethel M. Taylor Academy high school students can hang out at the recreation center. Extended learning areas are located in the cafeteria, gym, and library. These communal spaces are used by the GED program, and adult education courses. Grown-ups can learn everything from cooking, yoga, or ESL. Taylor students are even served 5 p.m. dinner. Some CLC’s operate year-round. Fun activities augment content-based learning. Taylor students may put in requests for afternoon activities. Examples included ballroom dancing, CRP, and Spanish. The local news station sent over a meteorologist to teach a lesson on weather weekly. Oyler students chose DJ class, drumline, sign language, karate, Mad Science, and theatre. The key is that students are empowered to learn because they have choices.


CLS develop partnerships with clinics, hospitals, and dentist offices. There offices are on the school grounds. Students’ health needs are taken care of. They need not arrange transportation or have to miss extra class time. WinMed is the name of the Winston Hills Medical Health Center partnership. They have a Fast Track program in which parents can permit a school nurse to take a child to a health clinic. St. Aloysius provides mental health services to students and parents. Crisis intervention has saved lives.


The CLC director sometimes coordinates social services. The CLC coordinator helps often-undereducated families cut through bureaucratic red tape. Mental health, childcare, tutoring, and mental heart services are a few examples. Oyler Community Learning Center dispenses food pantry Power Packs every Friday. These are boxes of nutritious child friendly food. Low-income students depend on these donations to prevent a weekend of hunger.

CLCs students report improved academic performance in reading and math. CLS schools report better attendance and fewer dropouts. Students are healthier; mentally, physically, and emotionally. Parents are more active in their children’s education. There is a stronger interconnectedness with the community