He had seen too many fights that could have been avoided if kids believed in and knew other ways to end their arguments. Through these projects, students developed a deep understanding and appreciation of the tension between safety and liberty in a free society. Making it happen Many schools use community resources. But too often they fail to capitalize on them for teaching about the underpinnings of our society. Community members talk at students rather than work with them.
Field trips are rewards for good conduct rather than an avenue for learning.
By giving community connections short shrift, schools only make it harder on themselves to teach the importance of intellectual inquiry, diligent work habits, well-rounded skills and knowledge of current issues in civic life. However, they need support from their principals for long-term staff development, and money must be found to pay for it. Teachers need to be encouraged to use a variety of ways to assess student progress, not just standardized tests. The intense pressure to raise test scores tends to drive teachers away from programs like these even though students in them often end up scoring higher. Fundamentally, though, schools and communities must value teaching about democracy as much as they value teaching reading, writing, arithmetic and computers.