Linda "Blessed by Gulu!" Nowakowski said:

Do you think that higher education should be involved in community development?

Great question--on many levels.

I'll first start with talking about public schools in the U.S. (that's my knowledge base) that deal with elementary and secondary education. It's important, I believe, for all U.S. citizens to understand that these schools are government run. As such, these schools partially focus on making good citizens out of the students. The students learn to value the flag, national anthem, and Pledge of Allegiance. Students also are required to take a government class, in which they learn the workings of the American system. Furthermore, all of the textbooks are selected by government officials (as everyone who works for the public school system is, ultimately, a government worker). The texts are known to be slanted toward the "Woo-hoo America" point of view, thus focusing more on Manifest Destiny than the plight of the Native Americans who were forced onto reservations. Should students be priveledged enough to be in the National Honor Society, community service is required as the program wants students to learn how to "give back" or "pay it forward" in order to be "good citizens."

If we look at the burgeoning charter schools, we see the focuses imposed on the students change. Schools run by GM and other car companies (yes, they have schools now!) focus on why technology is good. They also make sure to use their products throughout the learning process. Schools run by National Heritage Academies (www.heritageacademies.com) have the following focus, as quoted from their website:

National Heritage Academies believes great schools develop both a student’s heart and mind. Our moral focus program is designed to support our parents' efforts to teach character at home by reinforcing and modeling universal human virtues, such as compassion, respect and integrity. A different virtue is featured each month of the school year and is supported by curriculum in the classroom. Additionally, teachers model behavior that exemplifies the virtue and recognize and praise students when they do the same. Classrooms are selected to perform a skit at a school-wide assembly that highlights the virtue of the month. The moral focus creates a school environment that is not just physically safe, but also emotionally safe. Students are taught to respect their classmates, make smart decisions and to resolve disputes in a manner that displays strong character.

Charter schools are evermore important to look at than private schools, in my opinion, as they are free to the public and offer low-income parents a new choice besides public education. While the quality of education from school to school is important, also important are these behind-the-scene focuses that the schools have. Community service is just one area that will differ from charter school to charter school.