Community+Support

**Community Structure and Impact on the Decision to Include PBE**
 Before schools initiate place-based education programs into their curriculum, much attention needs to be placed on the community, especially its organization. Place-based education programs cannot work successfully unless community members take an active interest in the school and are well informed about local reform issues. Communities do play a very important role in students’ educational success. For instance, when communities partner with local schools, students grades not only improve, but students are more likely to enjoy school more and, therefore, stay in school longer (Henderson & Mapp, 2002).

William Julius Wilson (1996), a sociologist, argued that community organization was important for adolescent behavior, school performance, and school achievement. When a community was close-knit, students had adult supervision. This meant that neighbors, community elders, and the child’s parents, all monitored the students' behavior and made sure that socially approved actions and behaviors were completed. Therefore, the child was more likely to go to school, to stay in school and get good grades, since any deviation from these normal activities would likely result in punishment. Given the importance of an organized and close community, it seems like Wilson believes that it really does take a village to raise a child. On the other hand, when a community is disorganized and spread apart, fewer neighbors are available to monitor a child’s behavior. There is no penalty for missing school or failing a class, since the chances of a guardian or parent finding out are very slim. In this type of community, adolescents form their own community, with normal behaviors and attitudes differing from rest of society. Adolescents find drug taking, dropping out of school, joining a gang all normal behaviors. According to Wilson, the community structure has a huge effect on student achievement and future success.

Communities also influence the establishment of place-based programs in rural towns. Place-based education programs are essential for students to make connections with potential bosses as well as locating a specific job and skill they liked. It was also used as a way for students to become active members in the community and learn about local businesses. However, in some instances, community leaders might reject the idea of place-based education programs during financially troubled times. Despite the benefits of the program, if the local community does not support the idea, the program can not be established (Plumb, 2003).

References:
=== Henderson, A.T., & Mapp, K.L. (2002). A new wave of evidence: The impact of school, family, and community connections on student achievement. //Southwest Educational Development Laboratory.// Retrieved from [] ===

===Plumb, S. (2003, October). The potential power of place in education: An evaluation of the Northeast community mapping program. [Online forum post]. Retrieved from [] ===

=== Wilson, W. J. (1996). //When work disappears: the world of the new urban poor. //  New York, NY: Author. ===