Community resources in support of the education of high school students

Abstract

This study begins with a rationale, grounded in the literature, of the relevance of community-based secondary education, followed by descriptions of some exemplary high school programs which make use of community resources in their teaching strategies; the Social Education Project, the Parkway Program, FoxFire, and Bridging The Gap, are shown to make various uses of community resources, while maintaining some common threads in their aims and strategies. Other programs are briefly mentioned. An in-depth descriptive analysis of one other such program, Developing Unusual Opportunities, is presented, followed by the results of the first evaluation of it, which was undertaken in 1983. Conclusions are then drawn about this program’s value. The attitudes of students, community members, and teachers towards community-based school programs are then examined, leading to a suggestion for further professional development. The reason for teacher resistance in particular is examined in relation to the common aims and teaching strategies of these programs. A brief, speculative look at future developments in such programs is finally presented.