The community education movement, housed in community school centers, is an enterprise with a national thrust. It involves individuals and institutions, professionals and nonprofessionals, organizations and community groups, business and industry, in a massive focusing of resources on the educative, occupational, recreational, social, and other needs of each American. Its great promises demands and merits our support. Ways must be found to humanize power motives. Ways must be found to develop and share leadership. "Ways must be found to help man to strive for the things worth being, as well as for the things worth having." Community education, which is on the doorstep of every American, can help all citizens to learn what to be and what to be able to do, as well as what to know. The National Association of Black Adult Educators believes, that as the community education movement objectively meets the challenges and opportunities before it, the quality of life for all people will be enhanced. Therefore, any effort, any activity, any legislation, which is viably in support of said movement wins our active endorsement. Mr. Chairman, on behalf of my association, I am privileged to announce our support for the Community School Education Development Act. Thank you for the opportunity to present this testimony to this committee today. Senator WILLIAMS. Thank you very much. Dr. Dow, it is a most helpful statement. We appreciate it. Where is your office and where are you headquartered? Dr. Dow. I am in the District of Columbia at 1411 K Street. That is where we have our office. But I am associate professor in the School of Education, graduate division, adult education, of Federal y College. Senator WILLIAMS. Have you observed the community school program here in the District? Dr. Dow. Not specifically. Senator WILLIAMS. I think maybe you better and I better. Dr. Dow. I would agree with you. As a matter of fact, if I could make a comment, community education, of course, is so very close to people, and should be a concern to a broad spectrum of minority persons in the country. I think at this hearing today there should be more present. But I do not know whether they are cognizant at the present time of this movement, but it must move across the land because of its potential. Something must be done to move the propaganda to them so we can possibly activate the community education movement. To this end, I pledge the cooperation of the association. Senator WILLIAMS. Excellent. Thank you very much. At this point, I order printed all statements of those who could not attend and other pertinent material submitted for the record. [The material referred to follows:] 97-457 O 73 pt. 3 - 12 I regret to inform you that I will not be able to appear before the I support Senate Bill 335 wholeheartedly and have prepared a written I appreciate this opportunity and I am very sorry that I will not be Sincerely, Everetti E. Nance Dr. Everette E. Nance, Director Development Center American Association of Community and Junior Colleges A Honorable Claiborne Pell Subcommittee on Education United States Senate Washington, D.C. 20510 Dear Senator Pell: July 16, 1973 The American Association of Community and Junior Colleges would like to take the opportunity to comment for the record on S. 335, the Community School Center Development Act, on which public hearings were held July 11 and 12 of this year. We generally support the bill, and have cooperated with the bill's proponents in analyzing the bill and giving technical assistance for its improvement. At a recent meeting in which we participated, a number of changes and improvements were recommended. Many of these ideas were incorporated into testimony given at the hearings. It is our hope that, if the bill is to be given serious consideration, these recommendations will be codified and the bill changed accordingly. The Association applauds both the concepts of the community school and the dedication of its advocates. It would seem to us that federal encouragement of the use of local schools for a variety of community purposes would stimulate national interest in community education and help more communities to move in this direction. Our one concern, unless the bill is revised slightly, is that this program might potentially cause either conflict or duplication at the local level. Many community colleges are currently serving as community schools in the very sense envisioned by this bill. But, if the enacted program should focus too narrowly on the delivery system rather than the objectives to be served, it is conceivable that a community school could be established in an elementary school just a few blocks from a community college which is serving similiar purposes. This would be wasteful and an unnecessary duplication of services. The potential for conflict is not by any means confined to this particular sort of confrontation. A much wider variety of local social and educational agencies are involved in community education programs and all of these organizations could be viewed competitors with local school districts. The intent of this bill is to fill a need in places or circumstances in which the need is not presently being met. However, to make it clear that wasteful duplication is not contemplated, we support the suggestion made by Mr. Van Voorhees in his testimony on July 12, that community schools should serve to coordinate community resources, pull varieties of existing resources together and integrate them into a plan or program. He urged a coordinated, conjunctive effort of all organizations One Dupont Circle/N.W./Suite 410/ Washington/D.C. 20036/202-293-7050 Senator Pell Page Two which want to be involved in community education activities. This problem could be handled through some changes in the language of Title II (1) Section 201 (a) could be amended to read "The Commissioner may, of new community school programs and the expansion of existing ones." (2) Section 203, which gives the only advisories on criteria for selecting recipients, could usefully be expanded in a number of respects. For our purposes, one point should be a required survey of existing community education facilities in the community in question. This would help verify the need for such a service in that particular area and by the same token ensure against duplication. " Although not related to the problem of duplication, we would support an additional change in Title II, which would be helpful in giving more flexibility in the use of funds available to any one state. The system outlined in Section 202 would give states with x population a fixed number of projects, which would make it necessary for each of the state's projects to be of exactly the same size and cost, whereas it is quite conceivable that lesser funds, to give a boost to a greater number of existing projects, might be the most desirable use of the money in some states. A more flexible system would apportion total program funds to the states on the basis of their population as a percentage of total population. Funds thus apportioned could be allocated in the most appropriate manner in the individual states. Thank you very much for permitting us to express our views. If you should have any further questions, please contact us. Sincerely, Claire T. Elson Claire T. Olson For Governmental Affairs CTO:rs Virginia Commonwealth University July 16, 1973 The Honorable Claiborne Pell Senate Office Building Dear Sir: I wish to support the legislation (S.B. 335) regarding implementation of the Community School Program. To my knowledge, there is no existing program to support community education development either at the federal level or in the state of Virginia. If this community program is to be given the opportunity it deserves, federal legislation is important. With this bill it can receive the necessary identification, coordination, and support system that is needed. The Richmond area needs this "involvement" approach to solving community problems. I know of no other program that can compare with the comprehensive community school. Sincerely yours, Robert T. Frossard Academic Center. Richmond, Virginia 23220 |