Study On The Localization Development Of American Community Education

In the age of knowledge economy, the thought that education is the foundation of strengthening countries and people has been universally approved and extensively practiced; the concept and principles advocated by life-long education , which is an important international trend of thought, has penetrated into people's heart; constructing the system of life-long education and learning society is more and more thought highly of at home and abroad; the community education in modern sense is an important part of the system of life-long education and an important way to construct learning society. America is one of the countries whose community education is the most developed in the world. The constantly perfect model of community education whose main body is community college is America's pioneering work. With close relationships with politics, economy and culture in different developmental periods of America, American community education takes deep roots in the lives of the people and hence shows distinctive characteristic of localization. Studying the localization development of American community education has much theoretical and practical meaning to the development and perfection of community education of China and the other countries in the world. The dissertation brings the characteristic of localization development of American community education to light, gives some enlightenment to Chinese community educational development, and tersely shows the future of the world's community education in the 21st century by concisely analyzing the connotation of American community education and its localization development, outlining the course of localization development of American community education, elaborating the multiple developmental moments of American community colleges and the diversified functions of American community education. The dissertation consists of six parts.The first part mainly analyzes the connotation of American community education and its localization development. The community in American English emphasizes three factors: region, contact and social interaction. Community education is the sum total of regional educational activities, involving all the people, the whole life course, all developmental aspects, and multiple forms. The essence of American community education can be summarized as: formal education extending to communities,community activities tending to educational functions, public affairs involving all the mass. American community education is an opportunity for local citizens and community schools, agencies and institutions to become active partners in addressing education and community concerns. American community education embraces these beliefs: Education is a lifelong process; everyone in the community-individuals, businesses, public and private agencies-shares responsibility for the mission of educating all members of the community; and citizens have a right and a responsibility to be involved in determining community needs, identifying community resources, and linking those needs and resources to improve their community. The development of American community education is an endogenous course of localization.The second part sketches the tortuous and progressive developmental course of American community education, including three periods: the preliminary period of community education, the broadly-sensed period of community education and the self-conscious period of community education. The community education in colony period belongs to the preliminary period. The community education from the founding of America to the beginning of the 20th century was in the broadly-sensed period, including three periods: the community education from the founding of America to the American civil war, the community education from the latter half of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century, the founding of junior colleges. After 1920s, American community education went into self-conscious period, divided into vigorous developmental period of Junior College Moment a...