NATIONAL CENTER FOR COMMUNITY EDUCATION

OUR MISSION:

It is the mission of the National Center for Community Education to promote community and educational change emphasizing community schools by providing state-of-the-art leadership development, training and technical assistance.

OUR HISTORY:

It was vision that led to the creation of the National Center for Community Education (NCCE). Opening schools and making them rallying places in the community in order to give vitality and identity to Flint, Michigan’s neighborhoods and its people was the dream of Frank J. Manley. A physical education teacher in Flint in 1935, he passionately espoused noted American educator John Dewey’s philosophy that, "Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself."

The Evolution of the Community School Concept Often called the "Founder of Community Education", Frank Manley was devoted to improving the quality of life for young people and adults through academic and recreational programs in schools. It's safe to say, that without the hard work and dedication of Mr. Manley, many of the community education/after school programs around the world today would probably not exist. Larry Decker, Ph.D. of Florida Atlantic University catalogs the life and times of Frank Manley in his wonderful detailed monograph entitled, "The Evolution of the Community School Concept". Download the monograph (PDF -- 259KB)

In June 1935, industrialist and philanthropist Charles Stewart Mott heard Manley speak at a Rotary Club meeting about youth problems in Flint. Mott, known for his ability to spot good leadership, saw in Manley not only an educator, but also a man with a deep commitment to "helping people help themselves." Mott also recognized Manley as someone who knew how to translate dreams into realities.

Both men agreed that schools belonged to the people. They also knew there were many unmet needs that could be solved if the schools would open their doors, both literally and figuratively, to the community.

Later that summer, the two developed a plan by which Mott would supply $6,000 to open a few Flint schools after regular hours to provide a supervised program of health, recreation and adult education. This was the beginning of what would become the Mott Foundation’s lifelong support for community education.

"Community schools" quickly became the focal point for delivering a wide range of neighborhood services. The concept evolved, broadened and intensified until the entire community, not just the school and its after-hours recreation programs, became a part of the initiative.

Building on the successes of these first few schools, Mott and Manley, along with Ernest O. Melby, professor emeritus at Michigan State University, developed a community school model that by 1953 would spread to all 36 schools in the Flint system and eventually would serve as a national example of how schools and communities could work together to solve community problems.

Over the next decade, as young educators were hired and trained as community school directors, the movement gained momentum not just in Flint, but nationwide. By the late ‘50s, 10,000 people annually were coming from across the country to attend Flint-based community school workshops. Many left hoping to replicate what they had seen.

But with the success of the program came an unforeseen liability for Flint as creative and committed Flint community school directors were increasingly snapped up by outside education systems, universities and social service agencies.

Mott Foundation officials took notice of the talent raids and decided that a training program could stem the outbound exodus from Flint while producing the educators necessary to spread the concept nationally. The result was the Mott Intern Program, a yearlong training initiative for master-, specialist- and doctoral-level students to ensure development of qualified leaders in the field.

The program, a collaborative effort of the Foundation and seven Michigan colleges and universities, was established in Flint in 1964 as the Mott Leadership Center, under the direction of Melby. Three years later in 1967 the Center moved to a nearby estate, known as the Crawford House—where the NCCE remains today. By the early 1970’s the Center became known as the National Center for Community Education.

In addition to their academic studies, interns gained practical experience through rotating internships in schools, social service agencies, universities and government during their year in Flint. The program also exposed students to people of national stature, such as the late anthropologist Margaret Mead, in social and behavioral sciences.

From 1964 to 1974, the Mott Foundation invested more that $5.5 million in training some 700 educators. Today, Mott fellows can be found in all walks of life—they are superintendents of schools, directors of neighborhood housing organizations, police officers, editors, consultants, public policymakers, national and state legislators, and community school directors.

The Mott Intern Program was exceptional for its time. But with increasing costs and a rapidly changing society that placed greater demands on its citizens, both at home and at work, the program’s continued relevance came into question. In 1974, with a network of leadership centers in place nationally, hundreds of community school practitioners trained and a sense that the intern program had served its purpose, the Foundation opted to discontinue it. But as the intern program was phased out, new types of training took its place.

The priority for the community education field became shorter-term programs for people who were already on the job and who wanted the benefit of some additional training without a yearlong initiative. Using the best of the original program, a two-week orientation training program was established as the Center’s core activity, thus opening community education training to scores of new individuals.

The new training prompted the need for a center director to oversee its activities. In 1979, Flint community school educator, Dr. Duane Brown, was named executive director. Under his leadership: the NCCE became incorporated as a nonprofit organization in 1984, and in 1986, the Flint board sold the Crawford House to the NCCE for $1. For 17 years Dr. Brown expanded and developed the NCCE: he modified the orientation workshops to six days and added a variety of four- to five-day workshops. Over these years the NCCE grew to an annual capacity of serving 500-600 participants, from all walks of life.

When Brown retired in January 1996 after 17 years, he was succeeded by Daniel Cady, a 36-year veteran of community education in the Flint schools. Dr. Pat Edwards, on loan from the Mott Foundation, joined him at the same time.

The National Center for Community Education and its staff are building on the excellent ground work developed over the past decades. . . . while moving forward into the 21st century. The national and international training programs are expanding to include a variety of ways in which community education is practiced today—using resource people and trainers from many models (i.e., human service, school reform, community development). In addition the NCCE is offering follow-up technical assistance to training participants as they return to their home locals. The NCCE is developing a "neutral convener" role in Flint, Michigan—so it can "practice what it preaches"!