Journal of Cultural and Social Anthropology Volume 1, Issue 2, 2019, PP 7-15 ISSN 2642-8237 School Reform as a Catalyst for Sustainable and Engaged Communities in the United States: Theoretical Analysis for Regenerative Strategies Basil Schaban-Maurer, Ph.D* Urban Science Institute, USA *Corresponding Author: Basil Schaban-Maurer, Ph.D, Urban Science Institute, USA, Email: [email protected] ABSTRACT School reform, as well as, sustainability has become a rallying cry for groups both globally and locally because it involves issues that touch all of us. The paper applies a qualitative methodology comprised of a theoretical analysis and examination of social sustainability, from the point of view of two pioneering writers on the subject, namely, Jane Jacobs and Lewis Mumford and within the lens of current planning approaches; New Urbanism and Smart Growth. In order to answer key research questions, several key obstacles to social sustainability are explored, as well as, relevant top-down and bottom-up paradigms, namely, structural functionalism, conflict theory and critical theory, along with their views, strengths and weaknesses. Policies on education reform often embody within their core assumptions values and constructions of deservedness, which are often consolidated at the level of policy design and distilled from key assumptions of these three dominant theoretical paradigms. They are often presented as the product of consensus, though in reality they are the result of conflict and dominance of one paradigm over the others, often the one whose proponents have consolidated political power and framed the debate to reflect the issues from their particular perspective. This has serious implications for present and future school reform as a critical measure of socially engaged and sustainable communities. Keywords: School reform, social sustainability, social conflict, culture, social allocation, social integration, social mobility, stratification, elitism, critical analysis, late capitalism, ethnographies, equal opportunity, educational equity, resource accessibility, value transmission, policy design, policy transparency, engagement, institutional accountability, urban-regeneration, vitality, new urbanism, smart growth. INTRODUCTION Sustainability as a concept is both a process and all of us. In the case of educational equity, a goal depending on how it is applied, and on recent media-covered corruption and university the desired objectives for its application. It admission scandals exposed an endemic could mean different things to different people, problem of academic corruption and unfair as its malleability for usage as a strategy or as a access to educational opportunities. While tactic, is often demonstrated whenever a debate global environmental degradation highlighted on the subject arises between people, the issue of sustainability, in its various representing differing ideologies and conflicting components, in a manner that is unprecedented 1 interests. Campbell and Fainstein 2003, in their in human history. Sustainability is most compilation Readings in Planning Theory contentious, perhaps, when it is applied to the reiterate this view on sustainability, in which urban context because an urban setting is where they say “The remarkable consensus for the idea the majority of the world‟s population lives is encouraging but also reason for skepticism, today, as many prominent writers on the subject since sustainability can mean many things to have pointed out (see studies by Kalamaros2 many people without requiring commitment to 2006; Lockwood3 2006; and Rose4 2006). Of all any specific policies.” (421) the components of sustainability, whether School reform, as well as, sustainability has environmental, political, economic or ethical, it become a rallying cry for groups both globally is, perhaps, the social component of and locally because it involves issues that touch sustainability that has had both the longest Journal of Cultural and Social Anthropology V1 ● 12 ● 2019 7 School Reform as a Catalyst for Sustainable and Engaged Communities in the United States: Theoretical Analysis for Regenerative Strategies historical roots and is by far the most by presenting the similarities between Jacobs‟s contentious. Equitable access to quality strategy at the time of her book The Death and education and equal access to opportunities for Life of Great American Cities for creating such social mobility is at the core of social communities, and current approaches like New sustainability. This presents a challenge to all Urbanism and Smart Growth which are vying parties involved in the decision making process for dominance in the ongoing debate on this that effects a community‟s well being, equity, subject today (Part Two). The paper then vitality, and economic development, effective answers the question of what obstacles are management of its resources, and its political evident from her work in creating these types of standing and ties to other communities. It has neighborhoods by briefly examining the three implications that can be immediately main obstacles that Jacobs points to in her work; experienced by current residents of a planning practices, the socio-political climate community as well as effects that may impact and the economic methods of production (Part future generations of that community. The Three). Finally, the paper concludes with a challenge is to ensure both an endorsement of theoretical analysis of school reform, as a viable socially sustainable principles as well as an catalyst for achieving socially sustainable and implementation of those principles in practice engaged communities in the United States. for the community‟s current and future The first part of this theoretical analysis generations. examines a top-down analytical approach of METHODS AND GOALS society by exploring Structural-functionalism‟s view on the socializing role of public schools as The goal of this paper is to introduce and an agency in an organic social system of integral explore several socially sustainable approaches parts. This paradigm was initially advanced by for implementing equitable educational planning Emile Durkheim6 1893/1997, as Functionalism and policy strategies in the United States aimed and later expanded to Structural-functionalism at school reform. The paper applies a qualitative by Davis and Moore7 1994, and others. The methodology comprised of a theoretical analysis second part will examine social conflict theory, and examination of social sustainability, from which is the polar opposite of Structural- the point of view of two pioneering writers on functionalism in that it presents a bottom-up the subject, namely, Jane Jacobs and Lewis approach to social enquiry beginning at the level Mumford and within the lens of current of the individual and building up to the level of approaches on the subject, like New Urbanism society through an analysis of the role of and Smart Growth. The theoretical analysis conflict in a class struggle for equity. The highlights several key obstacles and seeks to strengths and weaknesses of conflict theory is answer several key questions, which are explored examined as originally posited by Karl Marx8 in three parts; examining relevant top-down and 1843/1975, and its later treatment by Bowles bottom-up paradigms, their perspective views, and Gintis9 1976, The third part will examine their strengths and weaknesses, and their Horkheimer10 1895/1973, and his critical theory implications for present and future school as it transcends previous critiques by Marx and reform as a critical measure of socially engaged Freud into the role of the state in advanced and sustainable communities. capitalism and its implications for public PROBLEM DEFINITION policies on education and school reform. The paper then concludes with a review of school In answering the question of what makes a reform examples advanced by a perspective community socially engaged and sustainable, view of each of the three paradigms, their this paper selects one definition of social strengths and weaknesses, and its implications sustainability and engagement from numerous for present and future school reform as a critical others available on the subject along with a brief measure of socially engaged and sustainable review of the elements of social sustainability communities. and engagement, from the point of view of two pioneering writers on the subject, namely, Jane Part One: What Makes a Community Jacobs and Lewis Mumford (Part One). The Socially Engaged and Sustainable? paper then answers the question of how would Two key issues define the socially constructed Jane Jacobs5 1961, work fit into the creation of view of sustainable and engaged communities; socially sustainable and engaged communities social equity and justice. The space in which the 8 Journal of Cultural and Social Anthropology V1 ● 12 ● 2019 School Reform as a Catalyst for Sustainable and Engaged Communities in the United States: Theoretical Analysis for Regenerative Strategies conflict between social groups and in turn the citizens themselves become many-faceted; they social values that embody that struggle is reflect their specialized interests, their assumed for the purposes of this paper to be the intensively trained aptitudes, their finer community, locally delineated rather than discriminations and selections.” (p. 94) globally. This paper posits a definition of social Mumford‟s vision of the city as “a theater” is sustainability and engagement