vision2020
Re: Schools for young people
You single out gang psychology, only one of the items I mentioned.
But there can be a "gang" of two or three, as at Columbine. You can
have an alienated kid or two who begin to stalk others. We need to
know how structure affects behavior.
My research references run back some years but the psychological
effects of large structures has indeed been documented. I'll try to
find a couple references for you when I have time. I'm certain if you
called the right persons at the UI you'd get some data on it. I also
recall that, when one large high school in Michigan was
"de-agregated" into 3 separate units, lots of behavioral problems and
blockages to studious attitudes dissipated. The same thing happened
in Albuquerque a few years ago. Kids found better relationships, both
social and educational, in the new, smaller more familiar settings.
AT LEAST, we should FIRST look at the record to see what it reveals,
right? Thanks. Ken M.
>I am somewhat skeptical that building design has anywhere near the impact of
>family structure when it comes to influencing kids to join gangs. In all of
>the criminal justice/sociological studies I've read, none have ever
>mentioned the factor of building design as having any relevance to whether
>or not a child feels the psychological/sociological need to join a gang.
> Of course, with the plethora of studies and research being done today,
>it wouldn't surprise me to see such a theory proposed.
>
>
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "William K. Medlin" <dev-plan@moscow.com>
>To: "Moscow" <vision2020@moscow.com>
>Sent: Friday, February 02, 2001 6:06 PM
>Subject: Schools for young people
>
>
>> I heartily concur with most of what Duncan says (post 2/12 8:13 AM)
>> about the intrinsic values of our older school structures and their
>> intimate relationships with community and the bonding roles they
>> serve. In the history of educational planning and administration over
>> the past century, the "business" oriented philosophy coming out of
>> Taylorism (production-line concepts, economies of scale, etc.) has
>> pretty much dominated school architecture, the results of which are
>> all across the country: huge sprawling structures housing between
>> 1500 and 2500 youngsters, creating not a sense of ownership or
>> attachment but rather alienation, loneliness (many kids have little
>> or no bonding experiences), anonymity, and sometimes "gang" like
>> tendencies alien to wholesome values that speak to caring, loyal and
>> accepting behaviors. Such things do serve well those who prize big
>> schools for their competitive sports potentials.
>> While in some respects these monsters do "offer" more options
>> and space for broader activities, they are unwieldy as social
>> "encampments" and as effective means for giving each child the kinds
>> of attention he/she deserves from a basically nurturing institution
>> -- a surrogate of the family which releases its child each day for
>> further education and nurturing.
>> And how about logistics? Locations where kids can walk, bike
>> or car pool enhance the sense of community, of belonging to
>> traditional values and ethics. Plopping a large structure out on the
>> edge of a town does just the opposite. I can recall vividly two new
>> high schools in Ann Arbor, MI, a college town once much like Moscow.
>> Both were carved out well within the city's main residential areas --
>> perfect locations -- where all my kids went to school. I've lived the
>> experience. Moscow students do need more athletic and other creative
>> arts spaces for sure. But must these needs be satisfied only "way
>> out" someplace on the edge of farm land? Do they really need "40
>> acres"? Will every kid then want 4 wheels to go to school? Must we
>> further congest the few main arteries running in and out of the city?
>> As in other major planning issues, we need a competent and
>> fully representative task force in which all citizens can place
>> trust, and which will not end up forcing through a decision that
> > lacks genuine features serving the best interests of both school and
>> community -- they are bound together!
>>
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