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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Sunday, November 6, 2005

COMMENTARY
Schools are key to democracy

By Lyla Berg and Mildred Sikkema

For more than 200 years, Americans have shared a vision of a democracy in which all citizens understand, care about and engage actively in civic life and democratic processes.

Public education was established by the framers of the U.S. Constitution to create and sustain a democratic society in our country, to enable active participation in a free society. Public education is the one unifying institution in which people can acquire knowledge and develop dispositions for informed, reasoned engagement in a representative democracy.

Public education in Hawai'i, however, historically was established to maintain a two-tiered society: Those who controlled what occurred economically and politically, and those who were controlled. Caucasians were considered the rulers and non-Caucasians were those ruled. This separated non-Caucasian from Caucasian children and restricted education for non-Caucasians to sixth and not more than eighth grade so they remained as plantation laborers.

As a result, the purpose of public education in Hawai'i was not to create a democratic society but to retain the status quo.

This is the paradigm on which our system still operates, no matter what we say.

Changing the mindset is a challenge and an opportunity. While this change should have happened earlier, it is not too late.

In 2004, the state Legislature passed Act 51, which clearly states the meaning and intent of public education: to create and sustain society as a democracy. It also transferred authority and responsibility for policy and education programs from the Department of Education and the Board of Education to the local school level, where it belongs.

The law clearly states that "ultimately education must do no less than advance the endowment of human culture itself so that each succeeding generation finds itself further along the road toward peace, social justice and environmental sustainability in a society guided by creativity, compassion and curiosity."

But how do we do this? How do we move from one paradigm to another? The encouraging news is that there are school communities that are already beginning "to live" Act 51:

  • At Honoka'a Elementary School on the Big Island, the "Family Focus Team" is the support group for students, parents and teachers. It helps students by bringing community resources — including families — into the classroom to enhance the students' learning experience. The team brings parents into the school to learn how to help their child succeed in school.

    The team helps teachers by supporting their efforts to create relevant learning experiences for students. The school has developed rapport with the Honoka'a Business Association by inviting them onto the campus to learn more about the school and its students.

  • At Kapunahala Elementary School, the faculty has worked together to develop a school philosophy that guides the development of its students' learning experience. They see developing a strong School Community Council, or SCC, as part of this process and as the venue to reach the area superintendent level.

    At this level, from the material from each complex, policies and programs and student learning expectations are formulated as guides for schools. Kapunahala is therefore creating a strong SCC.

  • A group of young adults, ages 18 to 29, from the East Kaua'i School Complex, has met three times since August. They want to hear their generation's voice in civic issues, particularly on Kaua'i and want to get involved in civic learning and action.

    Their discussions gravitated to education and concerns about the community. Facilitated by a tireless member of the group, they are demonstrating strong leadership.

    Although several members of the group are attending schools on the Mainland, they are still involved and connected with each other through e-mail.

  • The Kane'ohe Community Family Center facilitates a Castle Complex Parent Leader Group to bring parents from different schools together. This year they have invited parent community representatives from each school's community council.

    The complex area superintendent is a member of the group, which provides networking opportunities for parents and opportunities to exchange ideas. In this way, the Kane'ohe Community Family Center is working toward having parents assume more stewardship and responsibilities within the group and for their schools.

  • The Kaiser Complex Schools have hosted two community forums at various schools in the complex since June 2005. They intend to continue these regular meetings to engage and include more residents of the school communities in participating with the successful implementation of changes in their schools.

    The complex area superintendent is a consistent participant, as well as business representatives and nonprofit organizations.

    Each of these schools and school communities has identified what is most important to that particular school complex. There may be different priorities because there is no one right way for all schools.

    Guiding principles are emerging, however. Among them are:

  • An acceptance of the essential role of parents and community in the school with efforts to discover ways to engage them as part of the school.

  • Recognition and respect for the values of everyone involved — teachers, students, parents, the administration, and all the community — as they work collaboratively and authentically toward goals they define together.

  • An eagerness to be engaged and include others.

  • A need to discover together what schools and community can do.

  • A driving interest to encourage more citizens to see that our society depends on individual willingness to take leadership and become active as civic learners and "doers."

    The change envisioned in Act 51 clarifies the role of the Department of Education and the Board of Education as the administrative unit of public education, with the responsibility of working with the broad community to create and implement a plan for stable funding for public schools.

    This would be a much-needed step toward fundamental change in the public school system. What if our schools were organized and operated as democratic communities in which everyone is a valued, engaged participant?

    "Everyone" includes students, teachers, administrators, parents and community — learning and working together to enact a guiding philosophy for the school, its policies and educational program.

    Schools so organized create opportunities for youth and adults to practice civic values and ways of thinking for the common good — essentially, to live civic learning.

    Such an environment affords the freedom to learn in ways that motivate. Students in several recent forums in Hawai'i have expressed their desire for this kind of learning atmosphere. Youths become empowered as civic learners and adults contribute to developing graduates who are able to create a healthy economic and socially just society.

    If we are sincere about our desire to live as a democratic society in Hawai'i, we must embrace the challenge of looking beyond the status quo and seize this moment to fulfill the civic intention of public education.

    Instead of hating what is wrong and trying to fight it, let us learn from the examples of school communities among us to love what can be and make the commitment to bring it forth.