Vision for the 21st Century: Seamless Relationship between School and Community

Educators are faced with a new challenge of preparing students for an increasingly technological world. It is essential that schools must change to become interdependent with the life of the community. Schools and communities must adopt common goals, values, needs, and expectations to produce individuals who care about the betterment of society. Springfield, Massachusetts has attempted to build stronger partnerships between schools and communities by forming School Centered Decision Making Teams. The teams are composed of the individual school's governing body, the principal, teachers, a business representative, and parents. At the secondary level, the teams also have students. In addition to the community becoming more involved in the schools, the schools must become more involved in the community (such as through community service learning projects).