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THE ATLANTA AND FULTON COUNTY COMMUNITY SCHOOL PROGRAM
The Atlanta and Fulton County Public Schools for the past
twenty-one months have been engaged in a sound and practical endeavor which
attempts to provide an educational opportunity for the entire community.
Thirteen schools have participated in the program by extending the hours
of the school day until ten o'clock in the evening and offering activities
on Saturdays. With advice from a citizens council, the activities offered
provide an opportunity for each member of the family to improve himself
or fulfill his leisure time with wholesome recreational activities. Each
of the schools with one exception is located in an indigent community
where the school has the potential to compensate for the environmental and
‘educational deficiencies that have existed for so many years.
Although each community school has attempted to develop a
program which would serve the needs of the community, there were several
problems prevalent which were common to each community. Some of the
problems most common were:
1. The image of the school was not a positive one.
2. Delinquency was conmon.
3. The dropout rate was alarming.
4. The male image was lacking in many homes.
5. Parents hesitated to participate in school programs.
6. Health problems were existent.
7. Recreational programs and playgrounds were sadly lacking.
8. The initiative on the part of the people to do anything
about it was missing.
Several other factors influenced the need for commmity education
which would establish effective communications and open the doors of the
school to the residents of the community. In each community the educational
level of the people was quite low and their experiences in school had been
unsuccessful. Many adultsneeded to master the basic skills to help them-
selves and to keep up with their children. Other adults had not had the
opportunity to complete high school and others had vocational interest
which had never been satisfied. All of the social ills were prevalent in
the commmity without a conserted effort to eliminate them.
= tDius
With an awareness for the existing problem, the two boards of
education implemented the Community School Program in July of 1965. Some
of the purposes for implementing this program include the following:
1. To provide opportunities for school age children to participate
in educational activities other than during the regular school
day. This includes use of libraries; enrichment, supervised
study and recreational programs during the afternoons, evening
and on Saturdays, fifty-two weeks a year.
2. To provide opportunities for adults to participate in
similar programs, including some pre-vocational activities,
and an opportunity to improve certain saleable skills.
3. To provide an academic program for adults ranging from basic
education for the illiterate and semi-illiterate to completion
of high school.
4. To make the school available for all the people in the community
for programs which would develop and enhance their individual,
family and community lives.
5. To provide leadership which will serve as the catalytic agent
to put unity in the community by bringing people together to
solve their problems.
Funds made available through Economic Opportunity Atlanta, Inc.
made it possible for programs to be started in the target areas in which
community action programs were focusing attention. These funds will be
exhausted on May 31, 1967 and will not permit the operation of the Summer
Program for the youth unless other financial support can be derived.
Proposed Summer Program 1967
Ya\Ve
Based on the experiences of our summer i 966, we anticipate
hiseeen communities.
a program which will involve the youth in each of our
With the total school facilities at our disposal, recreational and enrichment
activities will be offered throughout the summer months. Some of the enrich-
ment activities for boys and girls will include:
Arts and Crafts Creative Dancing
Typing For Fun Reading for Fun
Archery Arithmetic for Fun
Ceramics Cookouts
Junior Homemaking Knitting
Speech and Drama. Beauty and Charm
Doll Making Wood Shop
Camping Trips Science
Leather Craft Music (band)
Recreational activities will provide the following opportunities:
Pee Wee Baseball Bicycle Hikes
Gymnastics Swimning
Tennis Basketball
Weight Lifting Baton and Cheerleading
Softball Judo
Track and Field Volleyball
Soccor Teen Dances
Under the direction of the Assistant Principal for the Community
School, the preceding activities will be possible in twelve of our community
schools affected by federal funding. A request to fund the operation of
these schools under Title I has been made while six additional schools seek
local support for their existence this summer. For the continuation of
the community school $59,000 has been requested while the local support for
six additional sites would total $18,000. These eighteen centers would
provide a vital contribution to the recreational needs in our inner city
communities.
Last summer over two thousand children and youth took part
each day in the program at one particular school. It would be possible
for each school to acconmodate approximately one thousand youth daily in
the recreational and enrichment activities. The community schools stand
ready to accept this challenge.
The Future
The continuation of the Community School Program in Atlanta is
vital to the continued growth and development of our city. The school
has the potential to improve the citizens of each community and in turn,
help each community become the best possible. We are hopeful that we can
look forward to many successful years of community education with September, 1967
beginning our third. Financial assistance is necessary to accomplish these
goals.
The Atlanta and Fulton County Public Schools for the past
twenty-one months have been engaged in a sound and practical endeavor which
attempts to provide an educational opportunity for the entire community.
Thirteen schools have participated in the program by extending the hours
of the school day until ten o'clock in the evening and offering activities
on Saturdays. With advice from a citizens council, the activities offered
provide an opportunity for each member of the family to improve himself
or fulfill his leisure time with wholesome recreational activities. Each
of the schools with one exception is located in an indigent community
where the school has the potential to compensate for the environmental and
‘educational deficiencies that have existed for so many years.
Although each community school has attempted to develop a
program which would serve the needs of the community, there were several
problems prevalent which were common to each community. Some of the
problems most common were:
1. The image of the school was not a positive one.
2. Delinquency was conmon.
3. The dropout rate was alarming.
4. The male image was lacking in many homes.
5. Parents hesitated to participate in school programs.
6. Health problems were existent.
7. Recreational programs and playgrounds were sadly lacking.
8. The initiative on the part of the people to do anything
about it was missing.
Several other factors influenced the need for commmity education
which would establish effective communications and open the doors of the
school to the residents of the community. In each community the educational
level of the people was quite low and their experiences in school had been
unsuccessful. Many adultsneeded to master the basic skills to help them-
selves and to keep up with their children. Other adults had not had the
opportunity to complete high school and others had vocational interest
which had never been satisfied. All of the social ills were prevalent in
the commmity without a conserted effort to eliminate them.
= tDius
With an awareness for the existing problem, the two boards of
education implemented the Community School Program in July of 1965. Some
of the purposes for implementing this program include the following:
1. To provide opportunities for school age children to participate
in educational activities other than during the regular school
day. This includes use of libraries; enrichment, supervised
study and recreational programs during the afternoons, evening
and on Saturdays, fifty-two weeks a year.
2. To provide opportunities for adults to participate in
similar programs, including some pre-vocational activities,
and an opportunity to improve certain saleable skills.
3. To provide an academic program for adults ranging from basic
education for the illiterate and semi-illiterate to completion
of high school.
4. To make the school available for all the people in the community
for programs which would develop and enhance their individual,
family and community lives.
5. To provide leadership which will serve as the catalytic agent
to put unity in the community by bringing people together to
solve their problems.
Funds made available through Economic Opportunity Atlanta, Inc.
made it possible for programs to be started in the target areas in which
community action programs were focusing attention. These funds will be
exhausted on May 31, 1967 and will not permit the operation of the Summer
Program for the youth unless other financial support can be derived.
Proposed Summer Program 1967
Ya\Ve
Based on the experiences of our summer i 966, we anticipate
hiseeen communities.
a program which will involve the youth in each of our
With the total school facilities at our disposal, recreational and enrichment
activities will be offered throughout the summer months. Some of the enrich-
ment activities for boys and girls will include:
Arts and Crafts Creative Dancing
Typing For Fun Reading for Fun
Archery Arithmetic for Fun
Ceramics Cookouts
Junior Homemaking Knitting
Speech and Drama. Beauty and Charm
Doll Making Wood Shop
Camping Trips Science
Leather Craft Music (band)
Recreational activities will provide the following opportunities:
Pee Wee Baseball Bicycle Hikes
Gymnastics Swimning
Tennis Basketball
Weight Lifting Baton and Cheerleading
Softball Judo
Track and Field Volleyball
Soccor Teen Dances
Under the direction of the Assistant Principal for the Community
School, the preceding activities will be possible in twelve of our community
schools affected by federal funding. A request to fund the operation of
these schools under Title I has been made while six additional schools seek
local support for their existence this summer. For the continuation of
the community school $59,000 has been requested while the local support for
six additional sites would total $18,000. These eighteen centers would
provide a vital contribution to the recreational needs in our inner city
communities.
Last summer over two thousand children and youth took part
each day in the program at one particular school. It would be possible
for each school to acconmodate approximately one thousand youth daily in
the recreational and enrichment activities. The community schools stand
ready to accept this challenge.
The Future
The continuation of the Community School Program in Atlanta is
vital to the continued growth and development of our city. The school
has the potential to improve the citizens of each community and in turn,
help each community become the best possible. We are hopeful that we can
look forward to many successful years of community education with September, 1967
beginning our third. Financial assistance is necessary to accomplish these
goals.