'Finding Pleasure in the Right Things': A Concept Paper on Arts, School-to-Career, Service Learning, and Community Revitalization.

N

7

Adolescents; Art Education; Attitude Change; Behavior Change; Career Education; Change Strategies; Community Development; Education Work Relationship; Educational Benefits; Educational Change; Educational Needs; Educational Objectives; Educational Principles; Happiness; High School Students; High Schools; Individual Development; Interpersonal Competence; Learning Processes; Lifelong Learning; Outcomes of Education; Position Papers; Relevance (Education); Satisfaction; Service Learning; Well Being; Youth Programs

High schools are simply not designed to help young people develop interests or passions, become deeply engaged and productive in the life of the community, develop a commitment to high-quality work, or make connections and build relationships with peers and adults. School-to-career, arts education, and service learning each offer especially promising avenues for meeting this challenge. Each can lay claim to its own unique and innovative ways to contribute to youth and community development through the following core principles: students learn through relationships; students learn when they are engaged; students learn through active, in-depth investigation and exploration; students learn in multiple contexts and through reflection on authentic problems; and students become lifelong active learners through searching for connections, being persistent, and striving for accuracy. Despite their tremendous value, school-to-career, arts education, and service learning must often struggle against marginalization. Educators can use the following to combat this threat of marginalization: (1) gather and disseminate evidence of effectiveness; (2) emphasize the value of the core principles and key practices; (3) work as colleagues across fields of practice; (4) expand scope beyond schools and bring the discussion to a variety of forums; and (5) examine and speak to public perceptions and priorities. (MN)

2001

ED444022