University of Pennsylvania ScholarlyCommons Theses (Historic Preservation) Graduate Program in Historic Preservation 2013 An Evaluation of Contemporary Community Preservation Education in the U.S. and Recommendations for Strengthening Practices Alyssa Margaret Lozupone University of Pennsylvania Follow this and additional works at: http://repository.upenn.edu/hp_theses Part of the Historic Preservation and Conservation Commons Lozupone, Alyssa Margaret, "An Evaluation of Contemporary Community Preservation Education in the U.S. and Recommendations for Strengthening Practices" (2013). Theses (Historic Preservation). 219. http://repository.upenn.edu/hp_theses/219 Suggested Citation: Lozupone, Alyssa Margaret (2013). An Evaluation of Contemporary Community Preservation Education in the U.S. and Recommendations for Strengthening Practices. (Masters Thesis). University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA. This paper is posted at ScholarlyCommons. http://repository.upenn.edu/hp_theses/219 For more information, please contact [email protected]. An Evaluation of Contemporary Community Preservation Education in the U.S. and Recommendations for Strengthening Practices Abstract Community preservation education is a powerful tool for exciting and empowering the public to become motivators and facilitators of preservation within their communities. Such non-formal education is geared towards a general audience and aims to foster greater knowledge, appreciation and involvement within the public. While community preservation education is embedded within modern preservation theory, policy and practice, it is also considered to be amongst the field’s primary weaknesses. Despite such criticism there have been no efforts to critically evaluate current education efforts and identify ways in which they can be improved. This thesis endeavors to instigate such a dialogue. The purpose of the research project was to evaluate the current state of community preservation education in the U.S. The er search process included an extensive literature review regarding education and best practices within the preservation, environmental and museum education fields as well as the marketing profession. This information was the lens through which current education programs were evaluated. To gain insight into contemporary education initiatives a survey was disseminated to all local and state public and non-profit preservation organizations. Case studies were also conducted and provided a more in-depth understanding of program development, implementation and execution. Overall, research revealed that there is significant room for improvement in current education efforts. Included in this thesis is a set of recommendations that can be used to inform improvements to overall practice and individual education programs. Keywords non-formal preservation education, preservation education, preservation education best practices, public engagement, public's role in historic preservation Disciplines Historic Preservation and Conservation Comments Suggested Citation: Lozupone, Alyssa Margaret (2013). An Evaluation of Contemporary Community Preservation Education in the U.S. and Recommendations for Strengthening Practices. (Masters Thesis). University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA. This thesis or dissertation is available at ScholarlyCommons: http://repository.upenn.edu/hp_theses/219 AN EVALUATION OF CONTEMPORARY COMMUNITY PRESERVATION EDUCATION IN THE U.S. AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR STRENGTHENING PRACTICES Alyssa Margaret Lozupone A THESIS in Historic Preservation Presented to the Faculties of the University of Pennsylvania in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements of the Degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE IN HISTORIC PRESERVATION 2013 Advisor Mary Means Mary Means + Associates Acting Program Chair Frank G. Matero Professor of Architecture ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost I would like to thank my thesis advisor, Mary Means, whose encouragement, patience, and enthusiasm made my process of discovery a positive and rewarding experience. Thank you for supporting my ideas and encouraging creativity. I would also like to extend a special thank you to Professor Frank Matero for his consistent guidance and unwavering support throughout the year. Thank you is also due to Lisa Dady of the Newport Restoration Foundation, who introduced me to the realm of preservation education and encouraged my pursuit of the topic. In addition I would like to thank all of the preservation practitioners whose time and insight was invaluable to my research endeavor. This includes not only my interviewees but also Valecia Crisafulli and Claire Hamp at the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Nancy Schamu at the National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers, and Paul Trudeau at National Alliance of Preservation Commissions who disseminated my thesis survey. Finally, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my family whose endless support and encouragement gave me the confidence and strength to stay the course and pursue my passion. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................................. II TABLE OF CONTENTS ....................................................................................................III LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................. V INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................................1 CHAPTER ONE: THE PUBLIC’S ROLE WITHIN HISTORIC PRESERVATION .......................4 1.1 Grassroots Preservation ..........................................................................................6 1.2 Public Engagement Strategies ................................................................................9 CHAPTER TWO: EDUCATION WITHIN HISTORIC PRESERVATION .................................. 13 2.1 Historical and Theoretical Framework for Education ........................................... 13 2.2 Who is Responsible for Education? ...................................................................... 18 2.3 A Common Goal for Education ............................................................................ 20 CHAPTER THREE: EDUCATION WITHIN RELATED FIELDS ............................................ 22 3.1 Heritage Education............................................................................................... 22 3.2 Archeology Education .......................................................................................... 24 3.3 Environmental Education ..................................................................................... 26 CHAPTER FOUR: STANDARDS FOR EDUCATION ............................................................ 29 4.1 Preservation Education......................................................................................... 29 4.2 Environmental Education ..................................................................................... 33 4.3 Museum Education .............................................................................................. 39 4.4 Program Evaluation ............................................................................................. 43 4.5 Program Marketing .............................................................................................. 46 CHAPTER FIVE: SURVEY ANALYSIS .............................................................................. 49 5.1 The Current State of Education ............................................................................ 49 5.2 Best Practices ....................................................................................................... 58 CHAPTER SIX: CASE STUDY ANALYSIS ......................................................................... 69 6.1 Preservation Buffalo Niagara ............................................................................... 70 6.2 Montana Preservation Alliance ............................................................................ 75 6.3 City of Decatur, Georgia Historic Preservation Commission ................................ 80 6.4 New Hampshire Preservation Alliance ................................................................. 85 6.5 Preservation League of New York State ............................................................... 90 6.6 Young Preservationists Association of Pittsburgh ................................................ 94 6.7 Preservation Alliance of Greater Philadelphia ...................................................... 98 iii CHAPTER SEVEN: RECOMMENDATIONS ...................................................................... 105 7.1 Weaknesses of Current Practices and Strategies for Improvement ...................... 105 7.2 Best Practice Recommendations......................................................................... 111 CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................... 116 BIBLIOGRAPHY ........................................................................................................... 116 APPENDIX I: THESIS SURVEY ...................................................................................... 128 INDEX .......................................................................................................................... 137 iv LIST OF TABLES Figure One: Priority Placed on Education. ...................................................................