THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, November 12, 1995 TAG: 9511120220
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: COMPILED BY EDUCATION STAFF WRITERS JON GLASS, ALETA PAYNE AND VANEE
VINES
LENGTH: Long : 109 lines
Everyone agrees that education is vital to the future of the nation. But there is confusion and disagreement about the way it can be fixed and who should fix it. Last week, in small group sessions in neighborhoods, businesses, schools and churches, Hampton Roads citizens completed the sixth of seven weeks of discussion about how they might improve education. Each week they tackle a new question. Here is a sampling of the answers that emerged last week:
What can community groups do to help improve educational opportunities for children?
Provide tutoring and adult mentors
``Adopt'' schools
Find ways to solidify families
Show children how society works and what is expected of citizens
Provide link between classes and the real world
Donate surplus equipment, such as computers
``We've got guest speakers who will go any where, any time on any topic.'' - Ralph W. Stevens III, an Old Dominion University associate professor of biology
What are some of the obstacles preventing these groups from participating?
Transportation problems
Teachers not willing to help
Timing volunteer availability with school plans
Lack of school volunteer coordinators or low-profile coordinators who get ``lost in the bureaucracy''
Failure of school administrators to publicize or to link up schools with community groups, resulting in under use of existing programs
Lack of volunteer time because of work
``There is a little bit of intimidation. . . like, `Who am I? Who is walking into this class. Are they anarchists? Are they against the VEA (Virginia Education Association)?' There is a lot of liability . . . and apprehension.'' - Bob Mandigo, a federal government auditor and fraud examiner, of Virginia Beach, on teachers who may resist offers from community volunteers
What can be done to remove the obstacles?
Get school boards to push the use of volunteers
Appoint school volunteer coordinators and make volunteers a priority
Improve communication, leadership and coordination within schools and the school system to spread word about volunteer programs
Get media to publicize community needs and volunteer opportunities.
Develop a database of community services to promote access and availability
Involve parents
Businesses can provide time for employees to volunteer
Encourage nonprofit, community-service groups to do more because they offer opportunities for kids and adults to develop stable relationships among peers and others
What they cared about most
Wasted community talent that could be put to good use in schools
Enhancing a child's desire to learn and to become productive adults, parents and community members
Those who can help must do a better job of reaching out, because parents may not seek help from community-service groups
``Kids always ask us how can they get a job at a bank. We tell them we're not looking for someone who's never failed, we're looking for someone who doesn't give up.'' - Robert J. Keogh, of Norfolk, president Heritage Bank & Trust
What tradeoffs were they willing to make?
Put more money in budgets to give teachers more free time to coordinate volunteer activities.
Resolve School district identity/boundary issues so efforts would not be duplicated or wasted.
Time to volunteer.
Join efforts to fix faults that erode the education system.
What could they not give up?
Safety measures, such as background checks of volunteers.
Parental responsibility and involvement.
Involvement of more people in the education process, including churches, civic leagues, the military, businesses.
Integration of school, community and businesses should be the norm, not the exception.
``You have to be so cautious as an adult working with children today. . . that's just a sign of the times.'' - Ann Consolvo, of Suffolk, a nuclear power station instructor.
Areas of disagreement
Whether the curriculum should be changed to mandate that schools seek out volunteer experts to come in and teach, or if it should just be a recommendation. MEMO: Question for Week 7 ``What changes need to be made to improve the
overall quality of education?
The study groups are part of a grass-roots project to bring citizens
together to discuss education. The Community Networking Association, a
non-profit group based in Virginia Beach, organized the ``Citizen
Challenge: Education'' project, with financial support from The
Virginian-Pilot. The views and ideas of participants will be compiled
in a January report.
by CNB