The Community Education concept embraces these beliefs:

• Education is a lifelong process;
• Everyone in the community – individuals, businesses, public and private agencies — shares responsibility for the mission of educating all members of the community;
• and Citizens have a right and a responsibility to be involved in determining community needs, identifying community resources, and linking those needs and resources to improve their community.

Community Education results in:

• A responsive education system and an improved learning climate in the schools;
• Efficient and cost-effective ways of delivering education and community services;
• Broad-based community support for schools and other community agencies;
• An emphasis on special populations, such as at-risk youth and minorities;
• and Collective action among all educational and community agencies to address quality of life issues.

Working together – through Community Education – Communities can address such concerns as: child care and extended day care programs; substance abuse; senior citizen services; student achievement/school effectiveness; community pride/support for schools; unemployment/underemployment; literacy/diploma and degree completion; community economic development; and many other community ideas.

Minnesota Community Education Association

It is important to fully understand the community education concept before developing a “community school.”

Start first with understanding the change process.