More than 45 million children in America attend the nation's public elementary and secondary schools. For many, a public education equates to state-of-the-art teaching equipment, shiny new campuses, motivated moral instructors in the classroom and a challenging up to date curriculum to prepare these students for a quality education in a university or career. Sadly, for many more of these children, public schools mean outdated textbooks, decaying buildings, demoralized teachers, and armed police officers on staff. The children that face this reality also share the burden of living in a low-income family, particularly children of color. Everyone agrees something needs to change, but challenges and obstacles stand in the way for this ever growing problem. .
Parents, community leaders and dedicated educators have all worked on strategies, resulting in a real change for low-income children. The foundation for change in education, and even successful education , in some cases, is integration of the local community with the school. Some may argue that public schools are fine just the way they are, and should not be interfered with by the community. However, as James Bryant Conant says:.
"One needs only to visit such a school to be convinced that the nature of the community largely determines what goes on in the school. Therefore to attempt to divorce the school from the community is to engage in unrealistic thinking, which might lead to policies that could wreak havoc with the school and the lives of children. The community and the school are inseparable." (1961, 20).
We can clearly see the importance of community in education stated here as he later shares his experiences in a low-income educational school and the relationship between the quality of education and the value of the community.
One aspect that affects community in the classroom is the family of the individual student. In a rural environment, children's speech and behavioral patterns are often formed after their parents, and are usually stemmed from a closely bonded relationship with the parents and children.
