FROM SERVICE TO ENGAGEMENT
"Wingspan Partnerships is challenging
independent schools to be involved in education in a very different way.
Wingspan helps others imagine a future in which every independent
school in the country is partnered with the least resourced
schools in their community, providing the space and time for citizens
to encounter each other across the socio-economic divide, united by a
common commitment to the best possible education for all their children.
It is this idea of an independent school as a
space for collaboration by citizens that reflects what Jefferson seemed
to have in mind for education in our country. "
Chris Ellsasser, Director of Studies, Lawrence Academy, Groton, Massachusetts
Independent schools have significantly increased their public purpose commitments over the past decade. Their initiatives carry them beyond community service to broader engagement with their communities.
Why? The reasons vary, but include a moral commitment to serve the community, a desire to teach students how to live and work in a multicultural world, and an acknowledgment that continuing as we are is unsustainable for society.
Paradigm Shift in Education
Paradigm Shift in Community Service
Glossary of Terms
Further Definitions
The Public-Private Partnership Continuum