Welcome to the Learning Community's
Program Transition Page

Statement of purpose:

The Learning Community students are committed to find creative ways to provide for an effective transition of our program when our Program Coordinator/Teacher, Gary Bacon, retires at the end of the 2001-02 school year. We wish to ensure that our program, which has served so many students over the past thirty years, survives to serve students in decades to come. We are open to suggestions as to how to do this. We have been asked to suspend our fundraising efforts at this time, so we are no longer asking for money (the Apprentice Project has been replaced by this Transition Page). We have constructed this set of web pages--student's story, video clips, and suggestion page----to help you understand our program more thoroughly and to provide you with an opportunity to join us in brainstorming this issue. (These web pages can be viewed by selecting one of the menu bars on the left side of this page.)

Background:

Many critics have questioned the effectiveness of the public school system to meet the needs of today's youth. Examples of the failure of public schools are chronicled almost daily in the media. We are bombarded with bad news about low test scores, increased dependency on drugs, rising dropout rates, violence on school campuses, racial prejudice, and teenage crime. However, the real bad news about public education and our culture is often overlooked by people, in part due to the glaring headlines and sensational images in the media.

The real bad news lies beneath the purview of the culture and permeates our daily life in more subtle ways--in ways that we can more easily ignore. Consider a nation whose people are preoccupied with self-gratification, material gain, and competitive dominance over people and nature, and who are in denial about the negative effects of such behavior. Public education is not effectively addressing these issues. Consider the role that public education could play in combating this kind of self-perpetuating systemic bad news. 

Unfortunately, we only start to see the underlying issues when the quality of life starts to slip away or when our fragile ecosystem becomes endangered. Consider how we as a people are easily diverted from life-enhancing activities such as healthy living, collaborative work and play, creating sustainable social and ecological systems, and service to humankind. Consider how important these qualities are for our national and global well-being, for our very survival. Consider how important it is to raise the consciousness of our youth and to enlist them in the act of creative and conscious planetary evolution.

A working model does exist:

Yet, there are exemplary models in public education that have addressed these issues and more. They are few; they are often misunderstood; and they must be identified and sustained. This is where you come in. We would like to share with you our model, The Learning Community, and ask for your suggestions for ensuring its continuance.

You can read about our successes in our books. They are on our web page.

You can watch our videotapes. Contact us for information on their availability.

You can see examples of the research and service projects that we have developed over the years.

You can see a listing of local, state, and national awards and recognition that have been conferred on our program by viewing the Awards Page. Thank you for supporting our efforts to sustain our program.

Gary Bacon, Ph.D.
Teacher/Coordinator
The Learning Community

Questions of feedback may be e-mailed to Gary Bacon.

Go to: Video Clips, Daniel's Story, or Suggestion Page.

Make a selection: --> [Home] --> [Table of Contents] --> [Search Page]