Some years ago, a gifted education specialist told me she thought that teaching gifted students to connect with the needs of wider society through community service was a crucial, important missing piece in GT education. That may be true, but what I thought at the time was that there’s little to connect any person to wider society.
The last several decades have fostered a more fractured America. People move frequently these days; neighbors often don’t know one another; technological advances are enabling social vacuums. We’re moving farther and farther from our roots, and the sense of “belonging” somewhere is ever more tenuous.
Thus, Obama’s call to greater national service resonates for me.
As a parent, for instance, I like this:
Obama called for greater integration with schools, so that young Americans are better prepared to be active citizens. He said he would make federal assistance conditional on school districts establishing service programs and set the goal of 50 hours of service a year for middle and high school students.
And he laid out a higher commitment (and reward) for college students.
In a world where kids spend their idle time in front of tv’s or computers, there’s much to be said for this proposal.
And then there’s this:
He promised to increase AmeriCorps slots from 75,000 to 250,000 and pledged to double the size of the Peace Corps by 2011.
“We cannot continue to rely only on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives we’ve set,” he said. “We’ve got to have a civilian national security force that’s just as powerful, just as strong, just as well funded.”
I’m sorry to say that prior to just a moment ago, I’ve never looked into AmeriCorps at all. I had no idea, for instance, that they offer educational awards for service… which makes me wonder about this:
For college students, Obama would set the goal at 100 hours of service a year and repeated his pledge to create a $4,000 annual tax credit for college students that would be tied to that level of service.
Since the current award is $4,725 for a year’s service, I see a potential disconnect here. But that’s a detail devil.
CNN summarizes the plan:
Expanding AmeriCorps to 250,000 slots and doubling the size of the Peace Corps; Integrating service-learning programs into schools and universities Providing new service opportunities for working Americans and retirees; Expanding service initiatives that “engage disadvantaged young people and advance their education”; Expanding the capacity of nonprofit groups to innovate and expand successful programs across the country; and Enabling more Americans to serve in the armed forces. Read Obama’s full plan (PDF)
On the whole, I like this a lot. For families who cannot afford to send someone to college, this offers an alternative avenue. For kids growing up in this era of entitlement, it offers a lesson in giving back. And for all of us living in today’s fragmented society, it provides possibilities for getting back in touch with our sense of community. Of belonging to something bigger than ourselves.
Our country.