Schools and Teachers Can't Fix Society's Problems On Their Own

What do the Pope, Hillary Clinton and an anonymous African villager have in common? No, this is not the opening line of a joke. As it happens, they all agree, “It takes a village to raise a child.”

The common wisdom encapsulated by Pope Francis, Clinton and the famous African proverb has been echoed in scholarly literature. An article entitled “The Community and Child Development” published in the January 1947 edition of The Journal of Educational Sociology begins with this observation: “As emphasis in education changes from subject-matter content to the development of the whole child, it is apparent that the community plays an increasingly greater role in education.” But something has changed over the last 60 years.

Today, the cultural challenges of raising children have multiplied. And in response, policymakers have put more emphasis on schools and teachers as a way to tackle these challenges. But schools and teachers can't achieve this alone.

Historically, the supporting culture for raising children was made up of families, or similar support networks, and participation in religious communities. But the combination of family breakdown as well as declining involvement in “organized” religion and other civil institutions has increased pressure on America’s schools to pick up the slack. At the same time, we are ever more focused on testing as the central metric of educational success. But testing doesn’t measure or develop character, nor even guarantee an ability to balance a budget, run a home or be self-sufficient — let alone raise children.

This is where non-academic and non-profit organizations come in, from Habitat for Humanity and the LA Kitchen to Big Brothers Big Sisters. One such non-profit, the Best Friends Foundation recently celebrated its 30th anniversary by assembling a panel of experts to explore this education-and-community crisis from the standpoint of morality, poverty and family breakdown.

According to one of those experts, Dr. Thomas Lickona, a developmental psychologist and professor of education at the State University of New York at Cortland, surveys show that many Americans worry that the “moral fabric of our society is unraveling." He cited research from Lost in Transition by Christian Smith that shows many young adults see money as the key to happiness, don’t value careers in public service and admit to frequent binge drinking and having multiple sexual partners.

Tony Perkins, President of the Family Research Council, was also on the panel. He mentioned the “precipitous decline in religious participation” as additional evidence of the breakdown of civil society. Regardless of whether one is a believer or not, studies show that on average, children exposed to organized religion do much better academically than those who are not. GPAs are higher; dropout rates are lower.

Panelist W. Bradford Wilcox, Director of the National Marriage Project at the University of Virginia highlighted one of the core challenges. He noted that the trends cited above hit poorer communities hardest, especially with the widening “marriage gap.” For example, the share of children born to college-educated mothers in a single parent family is eight percent and declining. Meanwhile, 65 percent of children born to non-college-educated mothers live in single parent homes, and that share is increasing.

Children in low-income communities are doubly disadvantaged. As panelist Dr. Curtis Adams put it: “zip code” determines a child’s “over-exposure to toxins” and vice as well as “under-exposure to virtue.” (“Exposure to virtue” is roughly defined as the influence of two dedicated parents or mentors.) Low income, substandard housing and early introduction to drug and alcohol abuse as well as violence also negatively impact children’s emotional and physical health. Dr. Adams, a Baltimore-based psychiatrist affiliated with the University of Maryland Medical Center, says that sexual violence, in particular, is all too common in the low-income families he works with. It is a key factor in eroding a child’s ability to trust authority figures.

It is violence in general that Elayne Bennett, Founder of the Best Friends program, sees as the fundamental issue facing American children. Up to 10 million children annually witness some form of domestic violence. And domestic violence is still the leading cause of injury to women. Mrs. Bennett has long decried the role of media and social media as a force multiplier for these phenomena. Children can become desensitized to violence by spending an average of seven hours daily consuming media — at least as long as they spend in school on a typical day.

While the data are not encouraging, there are hopeful signs. Panelist Anna Maria Farias, who has served in three presidential cabinets, said she escaped becoming “a statistic” because of her single mother’s dedication and involvement. Troy Carter, one-time West Philadelphia youth, founder and CEO of Atom Factory and father of five, also had a single mother who instilled in him a sense of values — along with an unlikely mentor: young rap artist Will Smith. In addition to embodying how individuals can break the “cycle,” Farias and Carter are also engaged in helping others do the same.

Where do schools, especially in low-income communities, fit in? One way, noted by Dr. Lickona, is to expand or replicate the National Character Education movement’s “Blue Ribbon Award,” which recognizes schools not just for academic achievement but also for citizenship and character development.

A common theme that emerged from the panel discussion is that third-party organizations are critical surrogates or amplifiers of the community. And, while religious participation cannot and should not be mandated by the government and public institutions — separation of church and state is fundamental to our society — it need not be actively discouraged, either.

If policymakers continue their overreliance on education policy to fix problems emanating from culture and poverty, they will continue to come up short. Policies should focus on facilitating a role for the expanded “village” today. More than better technology or clever fiscal policy, America needs well-rounded and responsible — good — citizens. But our schools can’t do it alone — it takes a village.

Based in Washington, D.C., Portia M.E. Mills is a principal in Great Eagle Markets. Readers can follow her on Twitter @portiamills.