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Dear Secretary Duncan,
In order for children to receive a well rounded educational experience, we
as youth development professionals must be visionary. I believe, to truly advance
a child’s ability to learn in a healthy and positive manner, we must
include summer camp experiences along with school based education. On behalf
of the American Camp Association (ACA), I would like to thank you for allowing
us to be a part of your commitment to quality education.
Through the coalition of United Voices for Education, a partnership has already
formed with DOE by including ACA in your recent H1N1 discussion. We were pleased
to participate as a partner in the collection of important information which
will benefit schools all across the country. As two American traditions (camps
and schools) who have served children for generations, this kind of partnership
should be the norm, not one limited to crisis.
As proponents of "Race to the Top", it is imperative that year
round educational opportunities, like summer camp, be formally recognized.
For the first time in an official construct, we must proactively seek to include
the emotional, social, and nature deficit disorders plaguing our children today.
Because quality camp programs already include these vital educational components,
it is critical we consider creating a formal camp/school partnership duplicating
the best practices of both school and camp. The camp model has both research
and best practice offering efficacy in replication. Camp is a viable partner
for schools and adds value to the challenges, at hand.
To accomplish our end result, we must strive to graduate well educated men
and women who are ready to make a positive impact on their respective communities.
This can be accomplished by carefully constructing a curriculum which promotes
the advantage of STEM while equally recognizing the value of emotional and
social development. A whole-child approach to
education should be reflected in both Federal Education Policy and fund allocation
which will serve as new guidelines for school accountability.
As you set forth the priorities for educational goals and the criteria by which
these are measured, please recognize ACA and the camp community are committed
to providing valuable support to character education. We know many schools
and camps which promote a creative environment with the inclusion of character
education and produce aspiring leaders with an
acute understanding of critical thinking, problem solving, and resiliency.
The ACA would be glad to help in this just cause by offering measurement standards
and data collection statistics for the accredited summer camp population.
Camp is one of the oldest and finest community based experiential education
and development models in America. The camp community has a long, well proven
history of promoting healthy risk-taking in a controlled environment. Quality
camp/school partnerships fully supported and funded, will achieve our goals
of producing graduates who become productive, contributing citizens. Based
on Race to the Top guidelines, we believe ACA and the camp community can be
an integral part of the type of change the Department seeks.
Sincerely,
Greg Cronin, CCD
Member of the American Camp Association |
