Turning Schools into Community Centers in Today's Economic Crisis

President Obama has encouraged us a few times now to view our economic challenges as opportunities. In the midst of our financial crisis, our communities now have opportunities to revisit how we do things in the name of conserving resources while making our nation stronger. Sec. of Education Arne Duncan appeared on the Charlie Rose show a couple weeks ago discussing how rethinking the use of our nation's schools could open up several doors to our communities.

Secretary Duncan outlines his vision of schools serving as "community centers," in which facilities are not limited to educating children during the day, but also holding functions at night to improve the community. Duncan points out that schools are one institution in our society that has a plethora of resources -- "classrooms, computer labs, libraries, gyms, and pools" -- and they're all the taxpayers'. Duncan also sees this effort not falling solely on educators' plates, but instead being pursued by a partnership of school officials and non-profits, especially the YMCAs and Boys and Girls Clubs. School officials would have class from 9-3 (or thereabouts, depending on the school system's schedule), with the partnership of non-profits coming in and running "academic, social, enrichment, and even medical services" from 3-9.

There's no doubt that Duncan thinks outside the box. But what I really like is his focus toward the end of the clip on the foundational aspects of education and ensuring that we provide enough there to combat negative forces outside of the classroom affecting the students' ability to learn. In the clip above, Duncan explains that, while working in Chicago, he made sure that students had breakfast, lunch, and dinner, because if they're hungry, it's hard to concentrate in the classroom. Duncan discusses giving out tens of thousands of glasses each year to ensure that students can see the blackboard. And he also made sure that students had a safe atmosphere in which they could learn, otherwise they might be thinking about their walk home instead of their education. Talk about a student-centered approach...

Duncan seems determined to do everything he can to deeply invest in our future. But he's also thinking big, observing that schools can form the backbone of our community life. There's no reason for schools to sit empty from 4:00 to 9:00, while youth are going home, eating high fructose corn syrup in bulk amounts, and watching television. Duncan's plan to create that seamless array of resources for students and families could have a huge impact on our public life. Opening the doors of these schools, filling them with collaborative non-profit organizations dedicated to improving various facets of the community, opens doors for our communities. Duncan's plan is a great example of taking advantage of our present economic situation, turning it into an opportunity for the future.

(h/t to Peter Levine.)