Community education is often viewed from one of two perspectives: the school-oriented and the community-oriented. The former takes the stance that children do not learn in a vacuum – they learn within the context of their family and community. Therefore, if we want children to learn and develop, their family and community must also develop alongside them. In order to transform a child through education, the literacy level of their parents – and their attitude towards education – must also transform. Thus, school-oriented community education is seen primarily as an aid to the core task of teaching children. The latter perspective takes the position that schools are a community’s most valuable resource and that community education makes that resource accessible to all members of the local population. It sees local needs and priorities as sufficient in and of themselves, and the providing of community education as a service to the entire community. From this perspective, community education is seen primarily as a form of social empowerment and advancement.
Both perspectives are valid within the context of community education in the Burnaby School District. Optimal learning strategies for children and youth are built firmly upon students, teachers and parents working together for the betterment of the child. Furthermore, my experience has shown me that the ways in which children learn in school are fully supported and enhanced when both the parent and child learn together. Engagement with families and intergenerational learning are therefore a prerequisite for improved achievement in children and youth.
Community schools also respond to local priorities and are a safe place where community members can turn for help and support. They provide access to information, knowledge and skills which people may need to confront the barriers that hinder continued educational development across the lifespan (for example, socio-economic status, disability, language, gender and sexual orientation). In this regard, community schools are profoundly democratic: they are barrier-free spaces for the collaborative engagement of marginalised groups as they attempt to find collective ways to solve individual and social problems. The community school coordinator is at the heart of this search for a more equitable society.