Community-Based Education. There are many ways that parents, family members, and community members influence our children. Education is not only what occurs within the classroom. It is the sum total of experiences our children are immersed in when they wake through when they return to sleep. Everything shapes who we are. Community based education refers to those practices, programs and institutions that are generated from the student’s home community. In African American culture, the tradition of community-based education precedes formal schooling.
African
American cultural practices have their origin in the far-flung ethnic groups of
Africa. Enslaved Africans brought these practices in their very bodies and
minds. During slavery, African American societies reorganized themselves through
force and through choice, creating ways to sustain the culture and survival of
the collective community. Today you find these practices in church groups providing
troops, rites of passage programs, or even informal gatherings like church
lunches and socials. Each opportunity to connect, to share stories, and shape
our children is an opportunity to educate.
Beyond
informal and formal practices and programs there also exists a strong history
of educational institutional run by community partners for African American
children. Historically these existed as
the first schools built by freedmen, and encompass a long tradition of creative
self-education and structural innovation, including African American segregated
public schools, and independent private institutions such as those built by the
Black Muslim community, as well as the Council of Independent Black
Institutions (CIBIs).
Even some
contemporary charter and public schools should be considered community based. For
parents looking to find more information on charter schools offered in your
community, the National Charter
School Resource Center is a good start. The important key is that the
education reflects the values, interests, and best vision of the community
being schooled. We want the best for our children and through our collective effort;
we demonstrate that in a variety of ways. Are their spaces in your community
that you are grateful for? Where does community based education happen in your
town? Post your responses here and share
your resources.
For more information on African American community based education, check out these resources:
Hale, J. E. (1986). Black children: Their roots, culture, and learning styles. Johns
Hopkins University Press.
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