The Teacher and The Community 123

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The Teacher and The Community 123
Education (Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila)
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MODULE 1: Basic Concepts

Society, Community, School, Education, Social institutions, School-community relations; Responding
to the demands ofsociety: Education 4.0, Reforms in the Philippine Educational System [including
RA10157 and RA10533]
Part 1: What is the nature of society, community, school, and education?

The terms society, community, school, and education must be defined and understood first before their
relationship can be established.
When we speak of society, we may refer to the following:
1. It is the community of people living in a particular country or region and having shared customs,
laws, and organizations (https://www.lexico.com/definition/society).
2. It is a large group of people who live together in an organized way, making decisions about how
to do things and sharing the work that needs to be done or it may refer to all the people in a
country, or in several similar countries (https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/
dictionary/english/society).
3. It is a grouping of individuals, which is characterized by common interest and may have
distinctive culture and institutions. It may refer to a particular ethnic group or to a broader
cultural group. It may also refer to an organized group of people associated together for
religious, benevolent, cultural, scientific, political, patriotic, or other purposes
(https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Society).
4. It always possesses its own culture that is more or less unique. It consists of all the groups and
groupings of which individuals within it are members (Tulio, 2010).
5. It is not only a group of people living together in a definite territory, but it is a social system of
long-established relationships and certain way of life which people in it recognize and follow
(Bustos & Espiritu, 1996).
6. It is a “web of social relationships” which is the key to understanding human behavior and the
various institutions in it (Serrano & Cajigal, 2020).
Community, on the other hand, may refer to the following:

1. It is a group of people with a common purpose, shared values, and agreement on goals. It has
powerful qualities that shape learning. A community has the power to motivate its members to
exceptional performance (Bickford and Wright in Oblinger, 2006).
2. It is a social group of any size whose members reside in a specific locality, share government,
and often have a common cultural and historical heritage. It is a social, religious, occupational,
or other group sharing common characteristics or interests and perceived or perceiving itself as
distinct in some respect from the larger society within which it exists, like the business
community, the community of scholars, Jewish and Muslim communities
(https://www.dictionary.com/browse/community)
3. It is also defined as a group of people with a common characteristic or interest living together
within a larger society. It also refers to a body of persons of common and especially
professional interests scattered through a larger society, like the academic community, the
scientific community (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/community).
4. It is a group of people who share something in common. A community can be defined by the
shared attributes of the people in it and/or by the strength of the connections among them. It

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refers to a bunch of people who are alike in some way, who feel some sense of belonging or
interpersonal connection (Simon, 2018).
5. According to the bibliography made by Neal (2012), community is a broad topic within sociology,
the social sciences generally, and offered the following explanations: First, a community is a
group of people who interact with one another, for example, as friends or neighbors. Second,
this interaction is typically viewed as occurring within a bounded geographic territory, such as a
neighborhood or city. Third, the community’s members often share common values, beliefs, or
behaviors.
According to Sociology Group (https://www.sociologygroup.com/community-meaning/), society
and community are two important concepts in sociology. However, they are often used interchangeably
in everyday life. Thus, it becomes important to differentiate the two from a sociological perspective.
● Society refers to a system or network of relationships. However, community refers to a group of

individuals with a certain sense of belongingness.
● A community is defined by a geographical boundary. However, society is universal as it has no
definite locality or boundary.
● A sense of belongingness is central to the community. However, a society refers to the network
of human relationships and does not require people to feel like they belong to the society.
Society exists irrespective of personal royalties.
● Community is concrete, i.e. it exists in physical reality and is defined by a territorial boundary.
Society, however, is abstract and does not exist in physical space.
School and education are also terms that are used interchangeably.
A school is defined as:

1. a place where children go to be educated (https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/
dictionary/english/school).
2. an organization that provides instruction such as an institution for the teaching of children
(https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/school).
3. an educational institution or a building where young people receive education
(https://www.definitions.net/definition/school)
4. a socially embedded institution that is crucially shaped by its social environment and crucially
shape it
(https://www.encyclopedia.com/social-sciences/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps
/sociology-education)
5. not just a place for learning but a community of people committed to develop human potentials
with a goal of attaining positive social transformation (Pawilen, et al., 2019).
6. an educational institutional designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for
the teaching of students under the supervision of teachers (Serrano & Cajigal, 2020).
Education, on the other hand, may refer to:

1. the deliberate process, outside the family, by which societies transmit knowledge, values, and
norms to prepare young people for adult roles (and, to a lesser extent, prepare adults for new
roles)
(https://www.encyclopedia.com/social-sciences/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps
/sociology-education).
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2. a discipline that is concerned with methods of teaching and learning in schools or school-like
environments. It can be thought of as the transmission of the values and accumulated
knowledge of a society. In this sense, it is equivalent to what social scientists term socialization
or enculturation. Children are born without culture. Education is designed to guide them in
learning a culture, molding their behavior in the ways of adulthood, and directing them toward
their eventual role in society (https://www.britannica.com/ topic/education).
3. the process that encompasses teaching and learning specific skills, and also something less
tangible but more profound: the imparting of knowledge, positive judgment and well-developed
wisdom. It has as one of its fundamental aspects the imparting of culture from generation to
generation, yet it more refers to the formal process of teaching and learning found in the school
environment (https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/ Education).
4. the fundamental method of social progress and reform. Tulio (2010) added this statement from
John Dewey that education has been traditionally thought of as a preparation: as learning,
acquiring certain things, because they will later be useful, that acquisition of skills, possession
of knowledge, attainment of culture are not ends: they are marks of growth and means to its
continuing.
5. a social institution that includes not only the effects of schooling but also the more pervasive
effects of child rearing practices, of parental life styles, of television, magazines and other
media of mass communication. It also encompasses the behavior, attitudes and values learned
from friends, the church, political parties, social groups, and work groups. It includes all the
experiences from which one learns and which bring about changes in him (Bustos and Espiritu,
1996).
6. A lifelong learning process, which needs thorough attention on how its policies work and affect
those who are being educated. It is considered as the foundation of society that helps in the
achievement of social prosperity, political constancy, and economic wealth (Serrano & Cajigal,
2020)
Based on the information presented, we can see that there exists a relationship among the four
terms. Let us look at this figure and find out how they relate to one another.
The figure tells us that a society can be

composed of many communities and in
each community, one or more schools
can be established. Everything that
happens in each school, in each
community and in the whole society can
be considered as part of the whole
education process.
Let us read the following literature that

discusses this kind of relationship:
According to Tulio (2010), education

has been regarded as synonymous with
schooling. The function of formal
education is to equip individual for membership in society. Education is an expression of the ideas,

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hopes, and aspirations of the existing social organization and the religious, economic, and political
forces – everything that makes up the total culture of a group, both spiritual and material.
According to Ornstein, et al. (2017), since the early 1980s, the school has come to be seen as
only one of several educational agencies within the community. Under this concept – called community
schools – the school serves as a partner, or coordinating agency in providing educational, health, social,
family support, recreational, and cultural activities to the community. Such concentrated efforts are
designed to not only increase student achievements but to also provide a safe and supportive
environment where the whole child can develop. As part of the community schools plan, schools share
their personnel and facilities with other community agencies or even businesses. In return, schools may
expect to share facilities, equipment, and personnel with other community agencies, local businesses,
and area universities.
According to Pawilen, et al. (2019), schools play an important role in the development of
individuals and societies. They are vital sources of knowledge and innovations, contributors to
economic development, agents of social and cultural development, and are warehouses of information.
They also develop the manpower needs of the society, developing the necessary skills, values, and
knowledge needed in everyday life particularly in the industry. Furthermore, schools are national and
regional symbols serving as repository of the people’s history and culture. In a nutshell, a school is a
dynamic social organization that develops every learner for various social roles.
Additionally, Serrano and Cajigal (2020) listed the following as some of the basic roles of
schools: (a) socialization and (b) preservation and promotion of culture. They also mentioned the roles
of schools listed by Khan Baba (2015) as follows: (a) transmission of cultural values, (b) social
agreeableness, (c) civic training, (d) promotion of democratic values, (e) development of abilities, (f)
fulfillment of national aims, (g) character building, and (h) propagation of civilization and culture. They
also stated the social roles of education identified by Mondal as follows: (a) development of
personality, (b) social control, (c) social integration, (d) determination of status, (e) provision of routes
for social mobility, and (f) social development.
Serrano & Cajigal (2020) likewise enumerated the multiple school functions as provided by
Cheng (1996):
1. Technical/economic functions which refer to the contribution of schools to the technical and
economic developments and needs of individuals, the institution, the local community, the society, and
the international community.
2. Human/social functions which refer to the contribution of schools to human developments
and social relationships at different levels of the society.
3. Political functions which refer to the contribution of schools to the political developments at
different levels of society.
4. Cultural functions which refer to the contributions of schools to the cultural transmission and
developments at different levels of society.
5. Education functions which refer to the contribution of schools to the development and
maintenance of education at different levels of society.
From these statements, we can conclude that the society and the community are connected
with the school and thereby, education. The political, social, cultural, economic, technological, and
environmental conditions of the society and the community serve as the foundations in the planning of
the curriculum and affect the curriculum design that is taught in school. Whatever lessons in the
cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains are taught to children in schools, they will bring back to

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their own communities and society. Likewise, whatever experiences and learnings they got from their
own families, neighborhood and community will affect how they behave and learn in their schools.
It is also important for the teachers to know the basic social institutions that are present in any
society. According to essaycorp.com, these social institutions are the establishments in a society that
make the society function. They work as the backbone of that society. They include politics
(government), economy (economics), education (schools), family, and religion. Serrano and Cajigal
(2020) added health while Tulio (2010) added recreation in the list. These institutions provide the
needed rules and norms that people have to follow in order to maintain peace, order, harmony and
prosperity in the society.
Since the school (education) and the community (society) are connected, it is important for the
school and the community to build a partnership in the business of educating the young (Lozada, n.d.).
The same author mentioned that in school-community partnership, it is the schools that should initiate
the relationship, nurture it, and see to its sustainability.
Bilbao et al. (2015) emphasized that the school and the community are the mainsprings of
effective and powerful forces that can create a wholesome climate for mutual gains and betterment.
They can forge a kind of partnership where both are willing to share information as well as
responsibilities to the best interest of the children while in school, likewise when dealing with members
of the community. Ensuring a strong alliance between the school and the community is guaranteed to
foster sound academic practices in the school, as well as civic-mindedness and public accountability in
the community. They concluded by saying that a favorable partnership between the school and the
community will yield a bountiful harvest by way of establishing a conducive environment in the school
and an orderly and civic-minded citizenry in the community.
In relation, Prieto et al. (2019) stated that school and community partnership means the
working together of school heads, teachers, learners, non-teaching personnel and parents of learners
with civic and religious leaders, alumni, other parents, non-government organizations, and government
organizations for the good of children.
Knowing this relationship, what now is the role of the teachers in the community? Can they be
considered as change agents? Can they establish relevant and responsive learning environments inside
and outside the school?
Tozer et al. (2009) mentioned that teachers need to know the background information about
school-community relationships to help them contextualize classroom events and thereby, enable them
better to understand and adjust their teaching practices.
As Pawilen et al. (2019) emphasized, the school curriculum and all educational programs need
to evolve with the different changes and challenges happening in the society.
Since the teachers are the frontliners in the implementation of the curriculum, they are tasked to
prepare their students for the transitions brought about by the changing conditions in the community
and society. This covers adjustments in content, teaching strategies and evaluation procedures. The
teachers are then challenged to establish relevant and responsive learning environments inside and
outside the school.

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As a salient feature of the K to 12 Program, the curriculum should be made relevant to the
learners. This can be done through contextualization and localization (www. deped.gov. ph). According
to Tinong (2018), contextualization is the process of presenting lesson in meaningful and relevant
context based on previous experiences and real-life situations. On the other hand, localization is the
process of adapting and relating the content of the curriculum and the process of teaching and learning
to local condition, environment, and resources. Both adhere in making the lesson flexible, fit, creative,
relevant, meaningful, and adaptive to students’ level of understanding and instructional needs. The
concept of localization and contextualization falls on the idea that students learned best when
experiences in the classroom have meanings and relevance in their lives. If students were put in an
actual learning environment, letting them to manipulate, relate, and adapt to various learning
opportunities and resources available within the locality or community, profound learning will be
assured and realized. It helps teachers and students comprehend concepts by relating and presenting
lesson on the context of prevailing local environment, culture, and resources. Hence, lessons are
becoming more real-life, customized, and appropriate. Through the use of contextualization and
localization, the teachers can establish relevant and responsive learning environments where their
students can maximize their learning in the classrooms and can apply these learnings in situations
outside of the school.
PART 2: HOW CAN SCHOOLS RESPOND TO THE DEMANDS OF SOCIETY?

Since society is dynamic, change is therefore inevitable (Serrano & Cajigal, 2020). Schools
should prepare their students to adapt and adjust to these changes in society or what is simply called
as social change. According to Pawilen et al. (2019), social change happens as society develops and
evolves in a unique way as influenced by various social factors and events. They enumerated the six (6)
megatrends that the Financial Institutions 2025 Risk Index identified as shaping and influencing the
society: (a) digitalization and technological advances, (b) demographic and behavioral changes, (c)
global talent and skills race, (d) business operating model pressures, (e) regulatory changes and
complexity, and (f) changes in investment, capital sources, and returns.
These changes turn today’s society into a V.U.C.A. world, a world of volatility, uncertainty,
complexity, and ambiguity. Kraaijenbrink (2018) gave the following discussion:
1. Volatility refers to the speed of change in an industry, market or the world in general. It is
associated with fluctuations in demand, turbulence and short time to markets and it is
well-documented in the literature on industry dynamism. The more volatile the world is, the more and
faster things change.
2. Uncertainty refers to the extent to which we can confidently predict the future. Part of
uncertainty is perceived and associated with people’s inability to understand what is going on.
Uncertainty, though, is also a more objective characteristic of an environment. Truly uncertain
environments are those that don’t allow any prediction, also not on a statistical basis. The more
uncertain the world is, the harder it is to predict.
3. Complexity refers to the number of factors that we need to take into account, their variety and
the relationships between them. The more factors, the greater their variety and the more they are
interconnected, the more complex an environment is. Under high complexity, it is impossible to fully
analyze the environment and come to rational conclusions. The more complex the world is, the harder it
is to analyze.
4. Ambiguity refers to a lack of clarity about how to interpret something. A situation is
ambiguous, for example, when information is incomplete, contradicting or too inaccurate to draw clear
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conclusions. More generally, it refers to fuzziness and vagueness in ideas and terminology. The more
ambiguous the world is, the harder it is to interpret.
In relation, BENNETH AND LEMOINE (2014) explained these concepts as follows:
COMPLEXITY
Characteristics: The situation has many interconnected parts and variables. Some information is
available or can be predicted, but the volume or nature of it can be overwhelming to process.
Example: You are doing business in many countries, all with unique regulatory environments, tariffs,
and cultural values.
Approach: Restructure, bring on or develop specialists, and build up resources adequate to address the
complexity.
VOLATILITY
Characteristics: The challenge is unexpected or unstable and may be of unknown duration, but it's not
necessarily hard to understand; knowledge about it is often available.
Example: Prices fluctuate after a natural disaster takes a supplier off-line.
Approach: Build in slack and devote resources to preparedness-for instance, stockpile inventory or
overbuy talent. These steps are typically expensive; your investment should match the risk.
AMBIGUITY
Characteristics: Causal relationships are completely unclear. No precedents exist; you face "unknown
unknowns."
Example: You decide to move into immature or emerging markets or to launch products outside your
core competencies.
Approach: Experiment. Understanding cause and effect requires generating hypotheses and testing
them. Design your experiments so that lessons learned can be broadly applied.
UNCERTAINTY
Characteristics: Despite a lack of other information, the event's basic cause and effect are known.
Change is possible but not a given.
Example: A competitor's pending product launch muddies the future of the business and the market.
Approach: Invest in information-collect, interpret, and share it. This works best in conjunction with
structural changes, such as adding information analysis networks, that can reduce ongoing uncertainty.
These challenges that are present in today’s society can be related to the Fourth Industrial Revolution or
Industry 4.0 which has begun adding more fire to the already volatile, uncertain, complex and
ambiguous world and impacting our lives, our relationships, as well as the future of our job (Vyas,
2021).
This necessitates a change in the way education is delivered. Vyas (2021) added that lectures and
memorization (Education 1.0), internet-enabled learning (Education 2.0), and knowledge-based
education (Education 3.0) are not enough. It’s time to focus on innovation- based education or
Education 4.0 which is relevant to Industry 4.0 and can transform the future of education by using
advanced technology and automation. James (2019) added that Education 4.0 is a desired approach to
learning that aligns itself with the emerging fourth industrial revolution which focuses on smart
technology, artificial intelligence, and robotics, all of which now impact our everyday lives.

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In order for the schools to respond to the demands of society brought about by Industry 4.0, Vyas
(2021) stated that the curriculum and learning outcomes should focus on complex 21st century skills
as follows: (a) problem-solving, (b) critical thinking, (c) creativity, (d) people management, (e) teamwork
and collaboration, (f) emotional intelligence, (g) judgment and decision-making, (h) service orientation,
(i) negotiation, and (j) cognitive flexibility. This means building a technology-rich curriculum and
transforming the learning approach to better the student experience.
Schools should also be mindful of these six (6) drivers of change

The 6 Drivers of Change
All of the 10 skills will tie back into these disruptive shifts on the horizon:
1. Extreme Longevity
● People are living longer
○ By 2025 the number of Americans over 60 will increase by 70%
2. The rise of smart machines and systems
● Tech can augment and extend our own capabilities
○ Workplace automation is killing repetitive jobs
3. Computational world
● Increases in sensors and processing makes the world a programmable system
○ Data will give us the ability to see things on a scale that has never been possible
4. New media ecology
● New communication tools require media literacy beyond text
○ Visual communication media is becoming a new vernacular
5. Superstructed organizations
● Social technologies drive new forms of production and value creation
○ Social tools are allowing organizations to work at extreme scales
6. Globally connected world
● Diversity and adaptability is at the center of operations
○ The United States and Europe no longer hold a monopoly on job creation, innovation, and
political power
Future Work Skills of 2020:

Sense making
● Ability to determine the deeper meaning or significance of what is being expressed
■ The Drivers: Rise of smart machines and systems
Social intelligence
● Ability to connect to others in a deep and direct way, to sense and stimulate reactions and
desired interactions
■ The Drivers: Rise of smart machines and systems, Globally connected world
Novel and adaptive thinking
● Proficiency at thinking and coming up with solutions and responses beyond that which is rote
or rule-based
■ The Drivers: Rise of smart machines and systems, Globally connected world
Cross cultural competency
● Ability to operate in different cultural settings
■ The Drivers: Superstructed organizations, Globally connected world
Computational thinking

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● Ability to translate vast amounts of data into abstract concepts and to understand data based
reasoning
■ The Drivers: New media ecology, Computational world
New Media Literacy
● Ability to critically assess and develop content that uses new media forms, and to leverage
these media for persuasive communication
■ The Drivers: Extreme longevity, New media ecology, Superstructed organizations
Transdisciplinary
● Literacy in and ability to understand concepts across multiple disciplines
■ The Drivers: Extreme longevity, Computational world
Design Mindset
● Ability to represent and develop tasks and work processes for desired outcomes
■ The Drivers: Superstructed organizations, Computational world
Cognitive load management
● Ability to discriminate and filter information for importance, and to understand how to
maximize cognitive functions
■ The Drivers: Superstructed organizations, Computational world, New media ecology
Virtual collaboration
● Ability to work productively, drive engagement, and demonstrate presence as a member of a
virtual team
■ The Drivers: Superstructed organizations, Globally connected world
In our country, the government has made several attempts to continuously respond to the
demands of the society through the educational system. It has assigned committees to do evaluation
studies, introduce reform packages, and implement development projects. This was done by the
government to improve the educational system and make education relevant and responsive to the
people’s needs and situations. In this way, it can accelerate social progress, and promote total human
liberation and development (Art. II, Sec 17, 1987 Philippine Constitution).
The following are some of these attempts of the government:

1. Monroe Survey (1925)
2. Economic Survey (1929)
3. Prosser Survey (1930)
4. Commonwealth Survey (1936)
5. UNESCO Mission Survey (1949)
6. Swanson Survey (1960)
7. Review of the Swanson Survey (1967)
8. Presidential Commission to Study Philippine Education (PCSPE) (1970)
9. Continuous Progression Scheme (CPS) (1971)
10. Ten-year National Development Program (1972)
11. Instructional Management by Parents, Community and Teachers (IMPACT) (1973)/ enhanced
IMPACT (e-IMPACT) (2006)
12. Survey of Outcomes of Elementary Education (SOUTELE) (1976)
13. Experimental Elementary Education Program (EEEP) (1978) 14. Program for Comprehensive
Elementary Education (PROCEED) (1980-1990)
15. Program for Decentralized Education (PRODED) (1982-1989)

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16. Household and School Matching Survey (HSMS) (1982)

17. Secondary Education Development Program (SEDP) (1988-1995)
18. Philippines-Australia Science and Mathematics Education Project (PASMEP) (1989-1992)
19. Second Elementary Education Project (1990-1996)
20. Education for All Philippine Plan of Action (EFA1) (1991-1999)
21. Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM) (1991)
22. National Evaluation and Impact Study of PRODED (1991)
23. Philippine Non-formal Education Project (1994-2002)
24. Third Elementary Education Project (1996)
25. Project in Basic Education (PROBE) (1996-2001)
26. Philippine Education Sector Study (PESS) (1998)
27. Third Elementary Education Project (TEEP) (1998-2006)
28. Presidential Commission on Education Reforms (PCER) (2000)
29. Philippine Human Development Report (PHDR) (2000)
30. Philippine EFA Assessment (2000)
31. Secondary Education Development and Improvement Project (SEDIP) (2000-2006)
32. Alternative Learning System (ALS) 2001
33. Basic Education Assistance for Mindanao (BEAM) (2002-2007)
34. Strengthening Implementation of Visayas Education (STRIVE) (2005)
35. Modified In-School-Off-School Approach (MISOSA) (2005)
36. Sixth Country Program for Children (2006-2010)
37. Philippine Education for All 2015 National Action Plan (2006)
38. Basic Education Sector Reform Agenda (BESRA) (2006)

39. Open High School Program (OHSP) 2006
40. Presidential Task Force on Education (2008)
* Note: There may be certain discrepancies in the years mentioned here as presented in different sources.
Through the following reforms, changes were made in the structure of the education agencies,
increase was made in the budget for education, teachers were professionalized, teacher salaries were
improved, school buildings were constructed, learning materials were printed, several education laws
and policies were enacted, and many others.
However, despite the efforts of the government to bring about positive changes in our school system,
the question of educational quality still remains.
• How do our students perform in national and international examinations?
• Why is there a mismatch between the graduates produced in schools and the manpower
needs of the country?
• Are we producing graduates who are at par with their counterparts around the globe?
• What is the employment, underemployment and unemployment rate in the country?
• Why does the poverty rate in the country remain very high?
• Why do we still remain as a third world country in spite of our high literacy rate?
• Why is there an inverse relationship between our literacy rate and our economic growth?
These are the questions that have to be answered whenever the education sector initiates a reform.
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Good reading material for this is the discussion paper presented by Bautista et al. (2009) to the
Human Development Network entitled ‘When Reforms Don’t Transform: Reflections on institutional
reforms in the Department of Education.’
As future teachers, the reforms that you need to understand well are the curricular innovations
in basic education embodied in two Republic Acts.
A. Kindergarten Education Act (Republic Act 10157)

Republic Act 10157 or “The Kindergarten Education Law” made Kindergarten the compulsory
and mandatory entry stage to basic education.
Section 2. Declaration of Policy
In consonance with the Millennium Development Goals on achieving Education for All (EFA) by
the year 2015, it is hereby declared the policy of the State to provide equal opportunities for all children
to avail of accessible mandatory and compulsory kindergarten education that effectively promotes
physical, social, intellectual, emotional and skills stimulation and values formation to sufficiently
prepare them for formal elementary schooling. This Act shall apply to elementary school system being
the first stage of compulsory and mandatory formal education. Thus, kindergarten will now be an
integral part of the basic education system of the country.
Kindergarten education is vital to the academic and technical development of the Filipino child
for it is the period when the young mind’s absorptive capacity for learning is at its sharpest. It is also
the policy of the State to make education learner-oriented and responsive to the needs, cognitive
and cultural capacity, the circumstances and diversity of learners, schools and communities through
the appropriate languages of teaching and learning.
Section 3. Definition of Terms
a. Kindergarten education shall be understood in this Act to mean one (1) year of preparatory
education for children at least five (5) years old as a prerequisite for Grade 1.
b. Mother tongue refers to the language first learned by a child.
Section 4. Institutionalization of Kindergarten Education Kindergarten

education is hereby institutionalized as part of basic education and for SY 2011-2012 shall be
implemented partially, and thereafter, it shall be made mandatory and compulsory for entrance to Grade
1.
Section 5. Medium of Instruction

The State shall hereby adopt the mother tongue-based multilingual education (MTB-MLE) method. The
mother tongue of the learner shall be the primary medium of instruction for teaching and learning in the
kindergarten level. However, exceptions shall be made to the following cases: a. When the pupils in the
kindergarten classroom have a different mother tongue or when some of them speak another mother
tongue; b. When the teacher does not speak the mother tongue of the learners; c. When resources, in
line with the use of the mother tongue, are not yet available; and d. When teachers are not yet trained on
how to implement the MTB-MLE program.
Section. 7. Duties, Powers and Functions

The DepEd, through the Bureau of Elementary Education, shall exercise the following powers
and functions:
a. Oversee and supervise the organization, operation and implementation of the kindergarten
education program;
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b. Develop and periodically review developmentally appropriate curriculum for kindergarten

education consistent with the universally accepted norms and standards, including values
formation, and use of Mother Tongue as a medium of instruction;
c. Develop teaching strategies using the unique features of the MTB-MLE which shall include, but
shall not be limited to, the following:
The two-track method (storytelling and reading, listening story, oral communication activities);
➔ - Interactive strategies;
➔ - Use of manipulative games; and
➔ - Experiential, small group discussions and Total Physical Response (TPR) among others.
The learning development materials shall consist of the following at the minimum:
➔ Listening story. A story written by the teacher, in relation to the theme, that is read aloud
for story appreciation and understanding; -
➔ Small books. Story books which provide opportunities for an individual child to look at
pictures, browse, and read independently, which are the crucial steps in a child’s journey
to early and lifelong literacy;
➔ Big books. Story books intended for group or shared reading with the teacher for
teaching children to focus or pay attention and enhance their listening and
comprehension skills while in a group;
➔ Experience story. A story written by the teacher based on the experiences of the children;
➔ Primer lessons. Structured and frequency-based lessons using the mother tongue’s
orthography; and
➔ Lesson exemplars. Sample lessons in the mother tongue using the two-track method.
d. Conceive, develop and extend a continuing professional development program for kindergarten
teachers to ensure constant updating of their knowledge in current trends, pedagogy,
methodologies and concepts on kindergarten education;
e. Prescribe the necessary qualifications for the hiring and accreditation of teachers who will
handle the kindergarten classes;
f. Exercise authority over the operation of private kindergarten institutions;
g. Supervise the establishment of various venues for early childhood education specifically
kindergarten which may be institution-based, home-based, hospital-based or community-based,
and which shall be duly accredited by the DepEd; and
h. Introduce innovative programs in kindergarten that shall include educational technologies,
whenever applicable.
DepEd Order 32, s. 2012 contains the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of RA10157
and DepEd Order 47, s. 2016 is the Omnibus Policy on Kindergarten Education.
B. The Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013

(The K to 12 Basic Education Curriculum, Republic Act 10533)
Section 2. Declaration of Policy
The State shall create a functional basic education system that will develop productive and
responsible citizens equipped with the essential competencies, skills and values for both life-long
learning and employment. In order to achieve this, the State shall:
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(a) Give every student an opportunity to receive quality education that is globally competitive
based on a pedagogically sound curriculum that is at par with international standards;
(b) Broaden the goals of high school education for college preparation, vocational and technical
career opportunities as well as creative arts, sports and entrepreneurial employment in a rapidly
changing and increasingly globalized environment; and
(c) Make education learner- oriented and responsive to the needs, cognitive and cultural capacity,
the circumstances and diversity of learners, schools and communities through the appropriate
languages of teaching and learning, including mother tongue as a learning resource.
Section 3. Basic Education
Basic education is intended to meet basic learning needs which provides the foundation on
which subsequent learning can be based. It encompasses kindergarten, elementary and secondary
education as well as alternative learning systems for out-of-school learners and those with special
needs.
Section 4. Enhanced Basic Education Program
The enhanced basic education program encompasses at least one (1) year of kindergarten education,
six (6) years of elementary education, and six (6) years of secondary education, in that sequence.
Secondary education includes four (4) years of junior high school and two (2) years of senior high
school education.
Kindergarten education shall mean one (1) year of preparatory education for children at least five (5)
years old as a prerequisite for Grade I.
Elementary education refers to the second stage of compulsory basic education which is composed of
six (6) years. The entrant age to this level is typically six (6) years old.
Secondary education refers to the third stage of compulsory basic education. It consists of four (4)
years of junior high school education and two (2) years of senior high school education. The entrant
age to the junior and senior high school levels are typically 12 and 16 years old, respectively.
Basic education shall be delivered in languages understood by the learners as the language
plays a strategic role in shaping the formative years of learners.
For kindergarten and the first three years of elementary education, instruction, teaching
materials, and assessment shall be in the regional or native language of the learners. The DepEd shall
formulate a mother tongue language transition program from Grade 4 to Grade 6 so that Filipino and
English shall be gradually introduced as languages of instruction until such time when these two
languages can become the primary languages of instruction at the secondary level.
Section 5. Curriculum Development

The DepEd shall formulate the design and details of the enhanced basic education curriculum. It
shall work with the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to craft harmonized basic and tertiary
curricula for the global competitiveness of Filipino graduates. To ensure college readiness and to avoid
remedial and duplication of basic education subjects, the DepEd shall coordinate with CHED and
TESDA.
To achieve an effective enhanced basic education curriculum, the DepEd shall undertake
consultations with other national government agencies and other stakeholders including, but not
limited to, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), the Professional Regulation Commission
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(PRC), the private and public schools associations, the national student organizations, the national
teacher organizations, the parents-teachers associations and the chambers of commerce on matters
affecting the concerned stakeholders.
To achieve an effective enhanced basic education curriculum, the DepEd shall undertake
consultations with other national government agencies and other stakeholders including, but not
limited to, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), the Professional Regulation Commission
(PRC), the private and public schools associations, the national student organizations, the national
teacher organizations, the parents-teachers associations and the chambers of commerce on matters
affecting the concerned stakeholders.
The DepED shall adhere to the following standards and principles in developing the enhanced basic
education curriculum:
(a) The curriculum shall be learner- centered, inclusive and developmentally appropriate;
(b) The curriculum shall be relevant, responsive and research-based;
(c) The curriculum shall be culture-sensitive;
(d) The curriculum shall be contextualized and global;
(e) The curriculum shall use pedagogical approaches that are constructivist, inquiry-based,
reflective, collaborative and integrative;
(f) The curriculum shall adhere to the principles and framework of Mother Tongue-Based
Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) which starts from where the learners are and from what they
already knew proceeding from the known to the unknown; instructional materials and capable
teachers to implement the MTB-MLE curriculum shall be available;
(g) The curriculum shall use the spiral progression approach to ensure mastery of knowledge and
skills after each level; and
(h) The curriculum shall be flexible enough to enable and allow schools to localize, indigenize and
enhance the same based on their respective educational and social contexts. The production
and development of locally produced teaching materials shall be encouraged and approval of
these materials shall devolve to the regional and division education units.
Section 6. Curriculum Consultative Committee
There shall be created a curriculum consultative committee chaired by the DepED Secretary or
his/her duly authorized representative and with members composed of, but not limited to, a
representative each from the CHED, the TESDA, the DOLE, the PRC, the Department of Science and
Technology (DOST), and a representative from the business chambers such as the Information
Technology – Business Process Outsourcing (IT-BPO) industry association. The consultative committee
shall oversee the review and evaluation on the implementation of the basic education curriculum and
may recommend to the DepEd the formulation of necessary refinements in the curriculum.
Section 7. Teacher Education and Training

To ensure that the enhanced basic education program meets the demand for quality teachers
and school leaders, the DepED and the CHED, in collaboration with relevant partners in government,
academe, industry, and nongovernmental organizations, shall conduct teacher education and training
programs, as specified:
a. In-service training on content and pedagogy
b. Training of new teachers
c. Training of school leaders
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Section 8. Hiring of Graduates of Science, Mathematics, Statistics, Engineering and Other Specialists
in Subjects with a Shortage of Qualified Applicants, Technical-Vocational Courses and Higher Education
Institution Faculty
Notwithstanding the provisions of Sections 26, 27 and 28 of Republic Act No. 7836, otherwise known
as the “Philippine Teachers Professionalization Act of 1994”, the DepEd and private education
institutions shall hire, as may be relevant to the particular subject:
(a) Graduates of science, mathematics, statistics, engineering, music and other degree courses
with shortages in qualified Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET) applicants to teach in their
specialized subjects in the elementary and secondary education. Qualified LET applicants shall
also include graduates admitted by foundations duly recognized for their expertise in the
education sector and who satisfactorily complete the requirements set by these organizations:
Provided, that they pass the LET within five (5) years after their date of hiring: Provided, further,
that if such graduates are willing to teach on part-time basis, the provisions of LET shall no
longer be required;
(b) Graduates of technical- vocational courses to teach in their specialized subjects in the
secondary education: Provided, that these graduates possess the necessary certification issued
by the TESDA: Provided, further, that they undergo appropriate in-service training to be
administered by the DepEd or higher education institutions (HEIs) at the expense of DepEd;
(c) Faculty of HEIs be allowed to teach in their general education or subject specialties in the
secondary education: Provided, that the faculty must be a holder of a relevant Bachelor’s degree,
and must have satisfactorily served as a full-time HEI faculty;
(d) The DepEd and private education institutions may hire practitioners, with expertise in the
specialized learning areas offered by the Basic Education Curriculum, to teach in the secondary
level; Provided, that they teach on part- time basis only. For this purpose, the DepEd, in
coordination with the appropriate government agencies, shall determine the necessary
qualification standards in hiring these experts.
Section 9. Career Guidance and Counselling Advocacy
To properly guide the students in choosing the career tracks that they intend to pursue, the
DepED, in coordination with the DOLE, the TESDA and the CHED, shall regularly conduct career
advocacy activities for secondary level students. Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 27 of
Republic Act No. 9258, otherwise known as the “Guidance and Counselling Act of 2004”, career and
employment guidance counsellors, who are not registered and licensed guidance counsellors, shall be
allowed to conduct career advocacy activities to secondary level students of the school where they are
currently employed; Provided, that they undergo a training program to be developed or accredited by the
DepEd.
Section 10. Expansion of E- GASTPE Beneficiaries

The benefits accorded by Republic Act No. 8545, or the “Expanded Government Assistance to
Students and Teachers in Private Education Act”, shall be extended to qualified students enrolled under
the enhanced basic education.
The DepEd shall engage the services of private education institutions and non-DepEd schools offering
senior high school through the programs under Republic Act No. 8545, and other financial
arrangements formulated by the DepEd and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) based
on the principles of public-private partnership.
Section 11. Appropriations
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The Secretary of Education shall include in the Department’s program the operationalization of the
enhanced basic education program, the initial funding of which shall be charged against the current
appropriations of the DepEd. Thereafter, the amount necessary for the continued implementation of the
enhanced basic education program shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act.
Section 12. Transitory Provisions

The DepEd, the CHED and the TESDA shall formulate the appropriate strategies and mechanisms
needed to ensure smooth transition from the existing ten (10) years basic education cycle to the
enhanced basic education (K to 12) cycle. The strategies may cover changes in physical infrastructure,
manpower, organizational and structural concerns, bridging models linking grade 10 competencies and
the entry requirements of new tertiary curricula, and partnerships between the government and other
entities. Modeling for senior high school may be implemented in selected schools to simulate the
transition process and provide concrete data for the transition plan.
To manage the initial implementation of the enhanced basic education program and mitigate
the expected multi-year low enrolment turnout for HEIs and Technical Vocational Institutions (TVIs)
starting School Year 2016-2017, the DepED shall engage in partnerships with HEIs and TVIs for the
utilization of the latter’s human and physical resources. Moreover, the DepED, the CHED, the TESDA,
the TVIs and the HEIs shall coordinate closely with one another to implement strategies that ensure the
academic, physical, financial, and human resource capabilities of HEIs and TVIs to provide
educational and training services for graduates of the enhanced basic education program to ensure
that they are not adversely affected. The faculty of HEIs and TVIs allowed to teach students of
secondary education under Section 8 hereof, shall be given priority in hiring for the duration of the
transition period. For this purpose, the transition period shall be provided for in the implementing rules
and regulations (IRR).
Section 13. Joint Congressional Oversight Committee on the Enhanced Basic Educational Program (K
to 12 Program)
Section 14. Mandatory Evaluation and Review
By the end of School Year 2014-2015, the DepEd shall conduct a mandatory review and submit a
midterm report to Congress as to the status of implementation of the K to 12 program in terms of
closing the following current shortages: (a) teachers; (b) classrooms; (c) textbooks; (d) seats; (e)
toilets; and (f) other shortages that should be addressed.
The DepEd shall include among others, in this midterm report, the following key metrics of
access to and quality of basic education:
(a) participation rate;
(b) retention rate;
(c) National Achievement Test results;
(d) completion rate;
(e) teachers’ welfare and training profiles;
(f) adequacy of funding requirements; and
(g) other learning facilities including, but not limited to, computer and science laboratories,
libraries and library hubs, and sports, music and arts.
DepEd Order 43, s. 2013 provides the IRR of RA10533 and DepEd Order 21, s. 2019 contains the Policy
Guidelines on the K to 12 Basic Education Program.
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The additional information collated from the K to 12 Toolkit 2012 produced by SEAMEO and
INNOTECH, the DepEd website, and other write-ups on K to 12 is presented here:
● Bases of the K to 12 Implementation
- Insufficient mastery of basic competencies due to congested curriculum
- The Philippines remains to be the only country in Asia with a 10-year basic education
curriculum.
- Bologna Accord and Washington Accord affect the practice of the profession of Filipino
professionals abroad since they require 12 years of basic education before university education.
● Outcome Goals of the K to 12 Basic Education Program

a. Philippine education standards to be at par with international standards
b. More emotionally mature graduates equipped with technical and/or vocational skills who are
better prepared for work, middle level skills development and higher education
c. Significantly addressed shortages or gaps in educational inputs (teacher items, school head
items, classrooms, instructional materials)
d. Broadened and strengthened stakeholders’ support in the improvement of basic education
outcomes
e. Improved internal efficiency
f. Improved system of governance in the Department
g. Improved quality of teachers
● Process Goals of the K to 12 Basic Education Program

a. Decongest and reform the basic education curriculum in coordination with CHED, TESDA and
other education stakeholders
b. Develop culture-sensitive, culture-responsive and developmentally appropriate print/non-print
online learning resources for K to 12
c. Conduct in-service training for teachers relative to the implementation of the K to 12 curriculum
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d. Focus on integrated instruction to equip learners with skills for future employment, critical and
creative thinking and life skills
e. Universalize kindergarten by 2012
f. Institutionalize school-based management for school empowerment
g. Institute reform in assessment framework and practice for a learner-centered basic education
h. Address basic input shortages in classrooms, teachers and textbooks
i. Promote good education governance in the entire DepEd
j. Pursue legislation to institutionalize K to 12 Basic Education Program
k. Formulate transition management plan for the K to 12 implementation by including modelling
per region per specialization
l. Identify K to 12 model schools per region and per specialization tracks that will model senior
high school by SY 2012-2013
● Goals of the K to 12 Curriculum

- After going through Kindergarten, the enhanced Elementary and Junior High curriculum, and a
specialized Senior High program, every K to 12 graduate will be ready to go into different paths
– may it be further education, employment, or entrepreneurship.
- Every graduate will be equipped with 21st century skills as follows:
1. Learning and Innovation skills (1.1 Creativity and curiosity 1.2 Critical thinking, problem
solving, and risk-taking 1.3 Adaptability, managing complexity and self-direction 1.4
Higher-order thinking and sound reasoning)
2. Information, media, and technology skills (2.1 Visual and information literacies 2.2
Media literacy 2.3 Basic, scientific, economic, and technological literacies 2.4
Multicultural literacy and global awareness)
3. Effective Communication Skills (3.1 Teaming, collaboration and interpersonal skills 3.2
Personal, social, and civic responsibility 3.3 Interactive communication)
4. Life and Career Skills (4.1 Flexibility and adaptability 4.2 Initiative and self-direction 4.3
Social and cross-cultural skills 4.4 Productivity and accountability 4.5 Leadership and
responsibility)
● Features of the K to 12 Program

A. Strengthening early childhood education (universal kindergarten)
B. Making the curriculum relevant to learners (contextualization and enhancements)
C. Building proficiency (Mother tongue-based multilingual education, MTBMLE)
D. Ensuring integrated and seamless learning (spiral progression)
E. Gearing up for the future
F. Nurturing the holistically developed Filipino (college and livelihood readiness, 21st century
skills)
● Medium of Teaching and Learning:

For Kindergarten and Grades 1, 2 and 3, instruction, teaching materials and assessment shall be
in the regional or native language of the learners (mother tongue) while from Grades 4 onwards,
English and Filipino shall be used.
● Curricular Years
a. Kindergarten education – one year (for 5-year old children, pre-requisite for Grade 1)
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b. Elementary education – 6 years (Grades 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)

c. Junior High School – 4 years (Grades 7, 8, 9, 10)
d. Senior High School – 2 years (Grades 11, 12)
● Curricular Content
○ Kindergarten: Central to the kindergarten curriculum is the child who is envisioned to be
prepared for life. It is anchored on the developmental practices and leading early
childhood education principles and approaches. The subjects are anchored on the six
developmental domains, namely:
■ character/values development – Values Education
■ physical health and motor development – Physical Education and Health
■ social and emotional development – Social Studies
■ cognitive/intellectual development – Science and Mathematics
■ creative/aesthetic development – Music and Arts
■ language literacy and communication – Language
○ Grades 1 to 10: Mother Tongue (Grades 1, 2, 3), Filipino, English, Mathematics, Science,
Araling Panlipunan, Edukasyon sa Pagpapakatao (EsP), Music, Arts, PE and Health
(MAPEH), Edukasyong Pantahanan at Pangkabuhayan (EPP)/ Technology and Livelihood
Education (TLE) (Agro-fishery arts, home economics, information and communication
technology, industrial arts)
○ Senior High School:
■ Core Curriculum subjects – 15 subjects (Oral Communication, Reading and
Writing, Komunikasyon at Pananaliksik sa Wika at Kulturang Filipino, Pagbasa at
Pagsusuri ng Iba’t Ibang Teksto Tungo sa Pananaliksik, 21st Century Literature
from the Philippines and the World, Contemporary Philippine Arts from the
Regions, Media and Information Literacy, General Mathematics, Statistics and
Probability, Earth and Life Sciences/Earth Science for STEM, Physical
Science/Disaster Readiness and Risk Reduction for STEM, Personal
Development, Understanding Society and Culture, Introduction to Philosophy of
the Human Person, PE and Health);
■ Applied Track subjects – 7 subjects (English for Academic and Professional
■ Purposes, Practical Research 1 (Quantitative Research), Practical Research 2
(Qualitative Research), Filipino sa Tanging/Piling Larangan, Empowerment
Technologies, Entrepreneurship, Inquiries/ Investigations/Immersion);
■ Specialized subjects – 9 subjects for the academic track (STRANDS: STEM,
HUMSS, ABM, GAS, Pre-baccalaureate Maritime), sports track, and arts and
design track; and 640 hours for tech-voc track.
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MODULE 2: Perspectives on School-Community Relations Historical,

Philosophical and Sociological Perspectives
PART 1: HISTORY, MERON NA AKO

Part 2: What are the philosophical perspectives on the school-community relations?
Now let us look at some philosophers and their views on school-community relations. Specifically, this
will present a discussion on the belief of these philosophers on what should be taught and how learners
should be taught. The information provided here came from the book of Prieto et al. (2019)
John Locke: The Empiricist Educator

His beliefs
➔ Knowledge about the world can be acquired through the senses – learning by doing and by
interacting with the environment.
➔ Simple ideas become more complex through comparison, reflection, and generalization – the
inductive method.
➔ Knowledge did not come exclusively from literary sources, particularly the Greek and Latin
classics.
➔ Political order should be based upon contract between the people and the government. Civic
education is necessary.
➔ People should be educated to govern themselves intelligently and responsibly.
Implications
➔ Education is not the acquisition of knowledge contained in the Great Books. It is the learner
interacting with concrete experience, comparing and reflecting on the same concrete
experience, then generalizing. The learner is an active, not a passive, agent of his/her learning.
➔ Education is seeing citizens participate actively and intelligently in establishing their
government and in choosing who will govern them from among themselves because they are
convinced that no one person is destine to be the ruler forever.
[Empiricism, in philosophy, is the view that all concepts originate in experience, that all concepts are
about or applicable to things that can be experienced, or that all rationally acceptable beliefs or
propositions are justifiable or knowable only through experience.
(https://www.britannica.com/topic/empiricism)]
Herbert Spencer: The Utilitarian Educator

His beliefs
➔ Social development has taken place according to an evolutionary process by which simple
homogeneous societies had evolved to more complex societal systems characterized with
humanistic and classical education.
➔ Industrialized society require vocational and professional education based on scientific and
practical (utilitarian) objectives rather than on the very general educational goals associated
with humanistic and classical education.
➔ Curriculum should emphasize the practical, utilitarian, and scientific subjects that helped
humankind master the environment.
➔ Schooling must be related to life and to the activities needed to earn a living. Rote learning is not
helpful.
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➔ Curriculum must be arranged according to their contribution to human survival and progress.
➔ Science and other subjects that sustained human life and prosperity should have curricular
priority since they aid in the performance of life activities.
➔ Individual competition leads to social progress. He who is fittest survives.
Implications
➔ To survive in a complex world, we should have specialized education over that of general
education. We are in need of social engineers who can combine harmoniously the findings of
specialized knowledge.
➔ The expert who concentrates on a limited field is useful but he should not lose sight of the
interdependence of things.
➔ Competition should be promoted in schools.
[Utilitarianism is an effort to provide an answer to the practical question “What ought a person to do?”
The answer is that a person ought to act so as to produce the best consequences possible.
(https://www.britannica.com/topic/ utilitarianism-philosophy)]
John Dewey: Learning through Experience

His beliefs
➔ Education is a social process and so, school is intimately related to the society that it serves. o
Education is a social process by which the immature members of the group, especially the
children, are brought to participate in the society.
➔ Children are socially active human beings who want to explore their environment and gain
control over it.
➔ The sole purpose of education is to contribute to the personal and social growth of individuals.
➔ The funds of knowledge of the human race – past ideas, discoveries and inventions – was to be
used as the materials for dealing with problems. The accumulated wisdom of cultural heritage
has to be tested. If it served human purposes, it becomes part of a reconstructed experience.
➔ The school is social in a sense that it introduces children to society and their heritage. The
school as a miniature society is a means of bringing children into social participation.
➔ The school is scientific in a sense that it is a social laboratory in which children and youth could
test their ideas and values. In here, the learner acquires the disposition and procedures
associated with scientific or reflective thinking and acting.
➔ The school is democratic in a sense that the learner is free to test all his ideas, beliefs and
values. Cultural heritage, customs, and institutions are all subject to critical inquiry, investigation
and reconstruction.
➔ Schools should be used by all, it being a democratic institution. No barrier of custom or
prejudice segregate people. People ought to work together to solve common problems.
➔ Education is a social activity and the school is a social agency that helps shape human
character and behavior.
➔ alues are relative but sharing, cooperation, and democracy are significant human values that
should be encouraged by schools.
Implications
➔ The ideal learner is not just one who can learn by doing but one who can connect the past to the
present. The past is a good material for the present.
➔ Schools should welcome everybody regardless of age, ethnicity, and social status.
➔ Learners should be encouraged to participate in the democratic process of decision-making.
➔ Democracy should be practiced and experienced in schools.
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George Counts: Building a New Social Order

His beliefs
➔ Education is not built on eternal truths but is relative to a particular society living at a given time
and place.
➔ By allying themselves with groups that want to change the society, schools should cope with
social change that arises from technology.
➔ There is a cultural lag between material progress and social institutions and ethical values.
➔ Instruction should incorporate a content of a socially useful nature and a problem-solving
methodology. Students are encouraged to work on problems that have social significance.
➔ Schools become instruments for social improvement rather than an agency for preserving the
status quo.
➔ Teachers should lead society rather than follow it. Teachers are agents of change.
➔ Teachers are called on to make important choices in the controversial areas of economics,
politics, and morality because if they failed to do so, others would make the decisions for them.
➔ Schools ought to provide an education that afford equal learning opportunities to all students.
Implications
➔ Schools and teachers should be agents of social change.
➔ Teachers should be able to make right and moral decisions on controversial issues. This will
help solve the ethical problems that are troubling the society.
➔ Problem solving should be the dominant method for instruction.
Theodore Brameld: Social Reconstructionist

His beliefs
➔ Schools should critically examine present culture and resolve inconsistencies, controversies,
and conflicts to build a new society, not just to change it.
➔ Technological era is an era of interdependence and so, education must be international in scope
for global citizenship.
➔ Education is designed to awaken students’ consciousness about social problems and to engage
them actively in problem solving.
➔ Equality and equity should be present in both society and education. Barriers of socio-economic
class and racial discrimination should be eradicated.
➔ The world is interdependent. The quality of life needs to be considered and enhanced on a
global basis.
Implications
➔ Active problem-solving should be the method of teaching and learning. o Education is not a
privilege of a few but a right to be enjoyed by all citizens regardless of race and social status.
[Social-reconstructionist education was based on the theory that society can be reconstructed
through the complete control of education.
(https://www.britannica.com/topic/education/Social-reconstructionist-education)]
Paulo Freire: Critical Pedagogy

His beliefs
➔ Systems must be changed to overcome oppression and improve human conditions.
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➔ Education and literacy are the vehicles for social change. Humans must learn to resist
oppression and not become its victims, nor oppress others. To do so requires dialogue and
critical consciousness, the development of awareness to overcome domination and oppression.
➔ Teaching and learning must be a process of inquiry in which the child must invent and re-invent
the world.
➔ Teachers must not see themselves as the sole possessors of knowledge and their students as
empty receptacles. This banking method of education must not be done.
➔ A democratic relationship between the teacher and the students is necessary in order for the
conscientization process to take place.
➔ His critical pedagogy is problem-posing education.
➔ A central element of this pedagogy is dialogue, which means the presence of equality, mutual
recognition, affirmation of people, a sense of solidarity with people, and remaining open to
questions.
➔ Dialogue is the basis for critical and problem-posing pedagogy, as opposed to banking
education, where there is no discussion, only the imposition of the teacher’s ideas on the
students.
Implications
➔ Critical pedagogy and dialogue should be employed in schools.
➔ There is a need to interact with others and create a ‘community of inquiry’ where a group of
persons is involved in inquiry, investigating more or less the same question or problem, and
developing through their exchanges a better understanding both of the questions as well as the
probable solutions.
➔ A community of inquiry will engage learners in active problem solving.
➔ Learners are not empty receptacles to be filled.
[Critical pedagogy, a system proposed by Freire, has been considered today to be the new path of
pedagogy, one in which the two parties involved are invited to build society from the awareness of
social problems, which they live daily and they directly and indirectly affect the classrooms.
(http://www.radioenciclopedia.cu/cultural-news/exclusive/paulo-freire-and-critical-pedagogy-201705
15/)]
Part 3: What are the sociological perspectives on the school-community

relations?
What sociological perspectives should the teachers consider in relation to school-community relations?
Let us study three theories that may provide an explanation to this. The information here were taken
from the book of Prieto et al. (2019).
Structural-Functional Theory
Herbert Spencer, a proponent of this theory, viewed society as a system of interconnected parts, each
with a unique function. The parts have to work together for stability and balance of society.
● The different but interrelated components of society – family, government, church, school, mass
media, economy – must coordinate and collaborate for society to function well.
● This theory focuses on how education can serve the need of society through the development
of skills encouraging social cohesion.
● The role of the schools is to prepare students for participation in the institutions of society.
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● Education can yield social control through the transmission of core values. It can bring together
people from different backgrounds through its socializing functions. These can bring about
social stability and solidarity which are the focus of the functionalist theory.
● The purposes of schooling are:
○ Intellectual purpose – students’ acquisition of cognitive and inquiry skills
○ Political purpose – educate future citizens; promote patriotism; promote assimilation of
immigrants; ensure order, public civility and conformity to laws
○ Economic purpose – prepare students for later work roles; select and train the labor
force needed by society
○ Social purpose – promote a sense of social and moral responsibility; serve as a site for
the solution or resolution of social problems; supplement the efforts of other institutions
of socialization such as the family and the church
Conflict Theory
According to this theory, there are always two opposing sides in a conflict situation. People take sides
between maintaining the status quo and introducing change then arrive at an agreement.
● Conflict is the way to the establishment of a new society.
● Conflict theorists find potential conflict between groups where inequality exists – racial, gender,
religious, political, economic, etc. This constant competition between groups forms the basis for
the ever-changing nature of society.
● This theory emphasizes that education is not truly a social benefit or opportunity as seen by the
functionalists. It is a powerful means of maintaining power structures and creating a docile
work force for capitalism.
● The purpose of education is to maintain social inequality and to preserve the power of those
who dominate society and teach those in the working class to accept their position as a lower
class worker of society. This becomes the ‘hidden curriculum’ in schools. This ‘hidden
curriculum’ socializes young people into obedience and conformity for them to be developed as
docile workers.
Symbolic Interactionist Theory

➔ It has three tenets:
◆ An individual’s action depends on meaning. People act based on the meaning they give
to symbols. Symbols can be actions, objects, or words. If a student believes that the
teacher trusts in his ability, he will try his best to prove his worth or vice versa.
◆ Different people may give different meanings to the same thing.
◆ Meanings change as individuals interact with one another.
➔ This theory pushes the teachers to teach for meaning, to promote and create opportunities for
genuine interaction with the students.
➔ Teachers should use positive symbols – in the form of gestures, words, actions, and
appearances – to express their trust and belief in their students’ abilities as an affirmation of
their being.
➔ People should consider the symbols and details of everyday life, what these symbols mean, and
how people interact with each other.
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➔ Teachers should teach their students how to send and receive messages correctly (using the
principles of linguistic philosophy), to be able to give the same meaning to the symbol, or run
the risk of misunderstanding.
Let us check this discussion on the sociological perspectives on education provided in

https://saylordotorg.github.io/text_social-problems-continuity-and-change/s14-02-sociological-perspec
tives-on-e.html and relate it to the discussion provided in the book of Prieto et al. (2019). Determine
then after reading the need for school-community relations and the role of the teachers in responding to
the society’s needs.
The major sociological perspectives on education fall nicely into the functional, conflict, and symbolic
interactionist approaches (Ballantine & Hammack, 2012).Ballantine, J. H., & Hammack, F. M. (2012).
The sociology of education: A systematic analysis (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Table
11.1 "Theory Snapshot" summarizes what these approaches say.
Theoretical Major assumptions

perspective
Functionalism Education serves several functions for society. These include (a)
socialization, (b) social integration, (c) social placement, and (d) social
and cultural innovation. Latent functions include child care, the
establishment of peer relationships, and lowering unemployment by
keeping high school students out of the full-time labor force. Problems
in the educational institution harm society because all these functions
cannot be completely fulfilled.
Conflict theory Education promotes social inequality through the use of tracking and
standardized testing and the impact of its “hidden curriculum.” Schools
differ widely in their funding and learning conditions, and this type of
inequality leads to learning disparities that reinforce social inequality.
Symbolic This perspective focuses on social interaction in the classroom, on the

interactionism playground, and in other school venues. Specific research finds that
social interaction in schools affects the development of gender roles
and that teachers’ expectations of pupils’ intellectual abilities affect how
much pupils learn. Certain educational problems have their basis in
social interaction and expectations.
The Functions of Education

Functional theory stresses the functions that education serves in fulfilling a society’s various
needs. Perhaps the most important function of education is socialization. If children are to learn the
norms, values, and skills they need to function in society, then education is a primary vehicle for such
learning. Schools teach the three Rs (reading, ’riting, ’rithmetic), as we all know, but they also teach
many of the society’s norms and values. In the United States, these norms and values include respect
for authority, patriotism (remember the Pledge of Allegiance?), punctuality, and competition (for grades
and sports victories).
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A second function of education is social integration. For a society to work, functionalists say,
people must subscribe to a common set of beliefs and values. As we saw, the development of such
common views was a goal of the system of free, compulsory education that developed in the
nineteenth century. Thousands of immigrant children in the United States today are learning English, US
history, and other subjects that help prepare them for the workforce and integrate them into American
life.
A third function of education is social placement. Beginning in grade school, students are
identified by teachers and other school officials either as bright and motivated or as less bright and
even educationally challenged. Depending on how they are identified, children are taught at the level
that is thought to suit them best. In this way, they are presumably prepared for their later station in life.
Whether this process works as well as it should is an important issue, and we explore it further when
we discuss school tracking later in this chapter.
Social and cultural innovation is a fourth function of education. Our scientists cannot make
important scientific discoveries and our artists and thinkers cannot come up with great works of art,
poetry, and prose unless they have first been educated in the many subjects they need to know for their
chosen path.
Education also involves several latent functions, functions that are by-products of going to school and
receiving an education rather than a direct effect of the education itself. One of these is child care:
Once a child starts kindergarten and then first grade, for several hours a day the child is taken care of
for free. The establishment of peer relationships is another latent function of schooling. Most of us met
many of our friends while we were in school at whatever grade level, and some of those friendships
endure the rest of our lives. A final latent function of education is that it keeps millions of high school
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students out of the full-time labor force. This fact keeps the unemployment rate lower than it would be
if they were in the labor force.
Because education serves so many manifest and latent functions for society, problems in schooling
ultimately harm society. For education to serve its many functions, various kinds of reforms are needed
to make our schools and the process of education as effective as possible.
Education and Inequality

Conflict theory does not dispute the functions just described. However, it does give some of them a
different slant by emphasizing how education also perpetuates social inequality (Ballantine &
Hammack, 2012).Ballantine, J. H., & Hammack, F. M. (2012). The sociology of education: A systematic
analysis (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. One example of this process involves the
function of social placement. When most schools begin tracking their students in grade school, the
students thought by their teachers to be bright are placed in the faster tracks (especially in reading and
arithmetic), while the slower students are placed in the slower tracks; in high school, three common
tracks are the college track, vocational track, and general track.
Such tracking does have its advantages; it helps ensure that bright students learn as much as their
abilities allow them, and it helps ensure that slower students are not taught over their heads. But
conflict theorists say that tracking also helps perpetuate social inequality by locking students into
faster and lower tracks. Worse yet, several studies show that students’ social class and race and
ethnicity affect the track into which they are placed, even though their intellectual abilities and potential
should be the only things that matter: White, middle-class students are more likely to be tracked “up,”
while poorer students and students of color are more likely to be tracked “down.” Once they are tracked,
students learn more if they are tracked up and less if they are tracked down. The latter tend to lose
self-esteem and begin to think they have little academic ability and thus do worse in school because
they were tracked down. In this way, tracking is thought to be good for those tracked up and bad for
those tracked down. Conflict theorists thus say that tracking perpetuates social inequality based on
social class and race and ethnicity (Ansalone, 2010).Ansalone, G. (2010). Tracking: Educational
differentiation or defective strategy. Educational Research Quarterly, 34(2), 3–17.
Conflict theorists add that standardized tests are culturally biased and thus also help perpetuate social
inequality (Grodsky, Warren, & Felts, 2008).Grodsky, E., Warren, J. R., & Felts, E. (2008). Testing and
social stratification in American education. Annual Review of Sociology, 34(1), 385–404. According to
this criticism, these tests favor white, middle-class students whose socioeconomic status and other
aspects of their backgrounds have afforded them various experiences that help them answer questions
on the tests.
A third critique of conflict theory involves the quality of schools. As we will see later in this chapter, US
schools differ mightily in their resources, learning conditions, and other aspects, all of which affect how
much students can learn in them. Simply put, schools are unequal, and their very inequality helps
perpetuate inequality in the larger society. Children going to the worst schools in urban areas face many
more obstacles to their learning than those going to well-funded schools in suburban areas. Their lack
of learning helps ensure they remain trapped in poverty and its related problems.
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In a fourth critique, conflict theorists say that schooling teaches a hidden curriculum, by which they
mean a set of values and beliefs that support the status quo, including the existing social hierarchy
(Booher-Jennings, 2008).Booher-Jennings, J. (2008). Learning to label: Socialisation, gender, and the
hidden curriculum of high-stakes testing. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 29, 149–160.
Although no one plots this behind closed doors, our schoolchildren learn patriotic values and respect
for authority from the books they read and from various classroom activities.
A final critique is historical and concerns the rise of free, compulsory education during the nineteenth
century (Cole, 2008).Cole, M. (2008). Marxism and educational theory: Origins and issues. New York,
NY: Routledge. Because compulsory schooling began in part to prevent immigrants’ values from
corrupting “American” values, conflict theorists see its origins as smacking of ethnocentrism (the belief
that one’s own group is superior to another group). They also criticize its intention to teach workers the
skills they needed for the new industrial economy. Because most workers were very poor in this
economy, these critics say, compulsory education served the interests of the upper/capitalist class
much more than it served the interests of workers.
Symbolic Interactionism and School Behavior

Symbolic interactionist studies of education examine social interaction in the classroom, on the
playground, and in other school venues. These studies help us understand what happens in the schools
themselves, but they also help us understand how what occurs in school is relevant for the larger
society. Some studies, for example, show how children’s playground activities reinforce gender-role
socialization. Girls tend to play more cooperative games, while boys play more competitive sports
(Thorne, 1993)Thorne, B. (1993). Gender play: Girls and boys in school. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers
University Press. (see Chapter 4 "Gender Inequality").
Another body of research shows that teachers’ views about students can affect how much the students
learn. When teachers think students are smart, they tend to spend more time with these students, to
call on them, and to praise them when they give the right answer. Not surprisingly, these students learn
more because of their teachers’ behavior. But when teachers think students are less bright, they tend to
spend less time with these students and to act in a way that leads them to learn less. Robert Rosenthal
and Lenore Jacobson (1968)Rosenthal, R., & Jacobson, L. (1968). Pygmalion in the classroom. New
York, NY: Holt. conducted a classic study of this phenomenon. They tested a group of students at the
beginning of the school year and told their teachers which students were bright and which were not.
They then tested the students again at the end of the school year. Not surprisingly, the bright students
had learned more during the year than the less bright ones. But it turned out that the researchers had
randomly decided which students would be designated bright and less bright. Because the “bright”
students learned more during the school year without actually being brighter at the beginning, their
teachers’ behavior must have been the reason. In fact, their teachers did spend more time with them
and praised them more often than was true for the “less bright” students. This process helps us
understand why tracking is bad for the students tracked down.
Other research in the symbolic interactionist tradition focuses on how teachers treat girls and boys.
Many studies find that teachers call on and praise boys more often (Jones & Dindia, 2004).Jones, S. M.,
& Dindia, K. (2004). A meta-analystic perspective on sex equity in the classroom. Review of Educational
Research, 74, 443–471. Teachers do not do this consciously, but their behavior nonetheless sends an
implicit message to girls that math and science are not for them and that they are not suited to do well
in these subjects. This body of research has stimulated efforts to educate teachers about the ways in
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which they may unwittingly send these messages and about strategies they could use to promote
greater interest and achievement by girls in math and science (Battey, Kafai, Nixon, & Kao, 2007).Battey,
D., Kafai, Y., Nixon, A. S., & Kao, L. L. (2007). Professional development for teachers on gender equity in
the sciences: Initiating the conversation. Teachers College Record, 109(1), 221–243.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
● According to the functional perspective, education helps socialize children and prepare them for
their eventual entrance into the larger society as adults.
● The conflict perspective emphasizes that education reinforces inequality in the larger society.
● The symbolic interactionist perspective focuses on social interaction in the classroom, on
school playgrounds, and at other school-related venues. Social interaction contributes to
gender-role socialization, and teachers’ expectations may affect their students’ performance.
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MODULE 3: The School as a Social System
Part 1: What are the components of the school as a social system?
Let us check if we can consider the school as a social system by examining this information from the
book of Hoy et al. (2013).
The idea of a social system can be applied to social organizations that are carefully and
deliberately planned or to those that emerge spontaneously. The school is a system of social
interaction; it is an organized whole comprising interacting personalities bound together in an organic
relationship. As a social system, the school is characterized by an interdependence of parts, a clearly
defined population, differentiation from its environment, a complex network of social relationships, and
its own unique culture.
Characteristics of the social system

➔ Social systems are open systems: Schools are affected by state mandates, by politics, by
history, and a host of other environmental forces.
➔ Social systems consist of interdependent parts, characteristics, and activities that contribute
to and receive from the whole: When the principal is confronted by parental demands for new
courses, not only is the principal affected directly but also the teachers and students are
affected.
➔ Social systems are peopled: Teachers act on the basis of their needs, beliefs, and goals
(motivations) as well as their roles.
➔ Social systems are goal oriented: Student learning and control are just two of many school
goals, but the central goal of any school system is the preparation of its students for adult roles.
➔ Social systems are structural: School systems have division of labor (e.g., math and science
teachers), specialization (e.g., teachers, guidance counselors, and administrators), and hierarchy
(superintendent, principals, assistant principals, and teachers).
➔ Social systems are normative: Schools have formal rules and regulations as well as informal
norms that prescribe appropriate behavior.
➔ Social systems are sanction bearing: Schools have formal mechanisms such as expulsion,
suspension, termination, tenure, and promotion as well as informal sanctions that include the
use of sarcasm, ostracism, and ridicule.
➔ Social systems are political: Schools have power relations that inevitably affect administrator
and teacher activities.
➔ Social systems have distinctive cultures: Schools have a dominant set of shared values that
influence behavior.
➔ Social systems are conceptual and relative: For one purpose, a classroom can be considered a
social
➔ system, but for other purposes, the school or school system may be viewed as a social system.
Since the school has all of these characteristics, then it can be considered as a social system.
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This figure presents the major elements, or subsystems, of a social system. Behavior in formal
organizations is influenced not only by structural and individual elements but also by cultural and
political elements as well as the technical core, which is the teaching and learning system.
● Structure is defined in terms of formal bureaucratic expectations, which are designed and
organized to fulfill the goals of the organization.
● The individual is viewed in terms of the needs, goals, beliefs, and cognitive understandings of
work roles; the individual provides the energy and capacity to achieve the organization’s goals.
● Culture is the shared work orientations of participants; it gives the organization special identity.
● Politics is the system of informal power relations that emerge to resist other systems of control.
● The technical core of the school is the teaching-learning system.
● Further, all the elements and interactions within the system are constrained by important forces
from both the technical core and the environment; the system is open. Finally, formal
organizations as social systems must solve the basic problems of adaptation, goal
achievement, integration, and latency if they are to survive and prosper.
What are now the elements of the school as a social system?

KEY ELEMENTS OF THE SCHOOL AS A SOCIAL SYSTEM
Schools are social systems with the following key parts:
Structure: roles are expectations of positions that are arranged in a hierarchy

Individual: the individual is a key unit in any social system; regardless of position. people bring with
them individual needs, beliefs, and a cognitive understandings of the job
Culture: represents the unwritten feeling part of the organizations: its shared value
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Politics: informal power relations that develop spontaneously

Core: the teaching-learning process is the technical core of schools
Environment: everything outside the organization; source of inputs
Outputs: the products of the organizations, e. g. educated students.
Feedback:communication that monitors behavior (internal and external)
Effectiveness: the congruence between expected and actual outcomes.
W. K. Hoy © 2003, 2008, 2011, 2013
Let us look at DLSU-D. What are its key elements as a social system? How do these elements affect the
overall impact of the university to its stakeholders?
We can say that indeed, a school like DLSU-D is a social system. As such, the systems model
can be used to evaluate the school. It is composed of input, process, and output. Under input, we
normally consider the vision-mission, goals, objectives and philosophy (VMGOP) of the school and the
kind of resources that it has – human (administrators, teachers, non-teaching staff, students), material
(school physical plant and facilities, equipment, furniture and all learning resources), and financial
(budget). Under process, we can consider the kind of teaching-learning process that happens in the
school, the strategies and methods used by the teachers in delivering the lesson and the kind of
learning experiences provided to the students. Under output, we generally look at the kind of graduates
the school produces and also consider the following data: students’ dropout and graduation rates and
achievements, teachers’ performance ratings, achievements, and turn-over rates, accreditation and
certifications received by the school from external agencies, feedbacks of the external stakeholders
(industry partners) on the on-the-job performance of the students, and the overall impact of the school
to the community. After considering all these things, the discrepancy between what is desired
(expected performance) and what is achieved (actual performance) is determined to serve as guide in
the improvement and /or revision of school practices and policies.
Part 1: Can the school be considered as a community and an organization?

In Module 1, we defined the school as an organization that provides instruction such as an
institution for the teaching of children (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/school). It is also
considered not just a place for learning but a community of people committed to develop human
potentials with a goal of attaining positive social transformation (Pawilen, et al., 2019). From these
definitions, then we can consider the school as both a community and an organization.
In today’s time, we commonly hear people associating the school with the terms learning
community, community of practice, learning action cells, and professional learning communities.
To further understand how we should consider the school, let us look at this discussion included
in the book of Pawilen et al. (2019):
The school is a community. It is composed of teachers, administrators, students, non-teaching

staff and other stakeholders united in one purpose and guided by common values and culture. As a
community, the school is guided by the following essential elements:
● Vision (a sense of direction of what the school hopes to accomplish for itself, for the people,
and for the society)
● Values (provides a framework for organizational culture and behavior of the entire school)
● Leadership (provides administrative and management support for the day-to-day activities and
functions of the school)
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● Culture (pertains to shared values and behaviors of students, teachers, administration, and
non-teaching staff)
The school is an organization. It has its own system of governance influenced by a fixed
organizational structure or bureaucracy. In basic education, the Department of Education (DepEd)
determines the bureaucratic structure of schools from national, regional, division, district, and local
school levels, with the DepEd Secretary acting as the head of the whole bureaucracy supported by
Undersecretaries and Assistant Secretaries. The regional office is headed by the Regional Director
supported by different education supervisors. The division office is headed by the Schools Division
Superintendent and also supported by different education supervisors. The district level is headed by
the District Supervisor and supported by different education supervisors. The school level is headed by
a principal who serves as the chief administrative and academic officer of the school. Master teachers
and classroom teachers support the principal in accomplishing various tasks.
The school is a learning organization. Its main function is to help the students to learn and
develop knowledge, skills and values essential for every individual. Its main function is to implement
the curriculum prescribed by DepEd. Guided by the different principles and theories of teaching and
learning, the school carries this function to help mold the minds and character of students.
The school is a social organization. It aims to respond to the different changes and challenges
in the society brought by different social and natural forces. It plays an important role in shaping the
future of the society where it belongs. The school’s working mechanism has a strong effect not only on
the delivery of quality education but also on the development of human resources needed by the
society.
As a social organization, the school should serve as a model by being learner-centered. It

means that it should make an effort to serve all types of students by providing a good physical and
socio-emotional environment for all. It should provide instructional support system to help students
learn effectively and to develop curricular program to further enrich the knowledge and skills of the
students. It should respect the ethnic and linguistic differences among students.
To model being a dynamic social organization, the school should aim to develop the following
characteristics:
- The school climate must be professional and friendly to all.
- There must be positive relationships among students, teachers, non-teaching staff,
administrators, and stakeholders.
- The classroom atmosphere must be mentally and emotionally engaging for learning.
- The teachers and the non-teaching staff receive support for professional and personal growth.
- The school must be efficient in managing its resources.
- There must be an efficient communication system among teachers, students, administrators,
non-teaching staff, parents, and other stakeholders.
- The school has a system to recognize good works and other achievements.
- There must be a strong school and home relationship.
- All members of the school community must be treated with respect.
-
The discussion of Pawilen et al. (2019) pointed to the fact that the school can be considered a
learning community, being a community itself and a learning organization. Being a learning community,
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the school has the role of providing learning opportunities primarily to the students and then to the
other stakeholders of the school. Through the different trainings provided to the teachers,
administrators, and non-teaching staff, learning and professional growth become possible. Learning
sessions with the parents and the community people, like those related to literacy and livelihood, may
also be provided by the school.
The school is also associated with the term community of practice. But what is a community of
practice (CoP)? According to Edmonton Regional Learning Consortium (ERLC)
(https://www.communityofpractice.ca/background/what-is-a-community-of-practice/):
★ A community of practice (CoP) is a group of people who share a common concern, a set of
problems, or an interest in a topic and who come together to fulfill both individual and group
goals.
★ Communities of practice often focus on sharing best practices and creating new knowledge to
advance a domain of professional practice. Interaction on an ongoing basis is an important part
of this.
★ Many communities of practice rely on face-to-face meetings as well as web-based collaborative
environments to communicate, connect and conduct community activities.
In the same material, ERLC presented the characteristics of a CoP:

1. Domain: Community members have a shared domain of interest, competence and commitment
that distinguishes them from others. This shared domain creates common ground, inspires
members to participate, guides their learning, and gives meaning to their actions.
2. Community: Members pursue this interest through joint activities, discussions, problem-solving
opportunities, information sharing and relationship building. The notion of a community creates
the social fabric for enabling collective learning. A strong community fosters interaction and
encourages a willingness to share ideas.
3. Practice: Community members are actual practitioners in this domain of interest, and build a
shared repertoire of resources and ideas that they take back to their practice. While the domain
provides the general area of interest for the community, the practice is the specific focus around
which the community develops, shares and maintains its core of collective knowledge.
ERLC shared this image:
ERLC also listed down the four basic types

of CoP:
a. Helping Communities (provide a
forum for community members to help each
other with everyday work needs)
b. Best Practice Communities (develop
and disseminate best practices, guidelines,
and strategies for their members’ use)
c. Knowledge Stewarding
Communities (organize, manage, and
steward a body of knowledge from which
community members can draw)
d. Innovation Communities (create breakthrough ideas, new knowledge, and new practices)
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Balderas (2019) mentioned that motivations for convening a community of practice are many,
but at the most fundamental level, a group of people come together driven by a shared learning need.
By engaging each other over time in collective learning, they develop a bond that in turn fuels the
production of resources to influence their own practices. The combination of a shared field/area of
expertise, community, and practice lie at the heart of a community of practice. She shared some
helpful steps towards creating a community of practice:
1) Articulate a clear, shared-learning need
2) Identify other people working towards a similar mission
3) Gather with one another, in person or virtually
4) Collectively create a shared vision, definition and set of norms for your community of practice
5) Be open to continuous improvement and evolving to meet the needs of your community
Another term associated with schools is learning action cell. This is commonly referred to in the
public schools as LAC or SLAC (school LAC) and is provided for in DepEd Order No. 35, s. 2016.
According to this Order, the LAC is a K to 12 Basic Education Program school-based continuing
professional development strategy for the improvement of teaching and learning. It is a manifestation
of DepEd’s commitment to invest in the development of human potential, hence it fully supports the
continuing professional development of its teaching personnel based on the principle of lifelong
learning and the view of the teaching profession as one that “requires teachers’ expert knowledge and
specialized skills, acquired and maintained through rigorous and continuing study” (UNESCO, 1966).
Likewise, DepEd also recognizes that the quality of learning is greatly influenced by the quality
of teaching. Therefore, it is imperative for DepEd to hire good teachers and to support their
development in the teaching profession. Organizing professional learning communities will aid
teachers in the construction of new knowledge about instruction as well as in revising traditional beliefs
and assumptions about education, community, teaching, and learning (Little 2003) to suit the present
needs of learners.
Though there are professional development activities provided to the teachers, these are mostly
top-down processes wherein expert knowledge is shared or transferred. Examples of these are lectures
or workshops during cascaded or echoed teacher training and short-term courses. Other top-down
training programs are done over time such as scholarships, and distance learning programs. There are
fewer instances of bottom-up teacher professional development programs where colleagues study
content and pedagogies together, plan lessons collaboratively, and conduct action research as a group.
Examples of these are school-based learning action cells, teaching circles, communities of practice,
and lesson study.
As defined by DepEd, a Learning Action Cell (LAC) is a group of teachers who engage in
collaborative learning sessions to solve shared challenges encountered in the school facilitated by the
school head or a designated LAC Leader. LACs will become the school-based communities of practice
that are positive, caring, and safe spaces.
Key aspects of the process are ongoing collaborative learning or problem solving within a
shared domain of professional interest, self-directed learning, reflective practice leading to action and
self- evaluation, and collective competence.
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The following are the objectives of this policy:

1) to improve the teaching-learning process that will lead to improved learning among the
students;
2) to nurture successful teachers;
3) enable teachers to support each other to continuously improve their content and pedagogical
knowledge, practice, skills, and attitudes; and
4) to foster a professional collaborative spirit among school heads, teachers, and the community
as a whole.
LACs are the most cost-effective CPD process but may entail some expenses for meetings and
handouts. Funds for the LACs may be sourced from the school’s Maintenance and Other Operating
Expenses (MOOE), subject to its utilization guidelines. Other resources may be generated by the school
or schools divisions to support LACs as these endeavor to upgrade the quality of teaching and learning
in their respective schools.
DepED Order No. 35, s. 2016 provides that

the content of LAC sessions may be
determined by the teachers themselves
under the general guidance of the school
head or LAC leader. This may be done
through needs assessment, the results of
which should assist the LAC in listing their
priority areas of learning. However, special
emphasis must be made on some key
features of the K to 12 Basic Education
Program. It is important that the
teacher-identified topics are consistent with
the following broad areas of discussion that
enliven the features of the K to 12 Basic Education Program as articulated in Republic Act (R.A.)
No.10533, the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013 and in various policies of the DepEd:
1. Learner Diversity and Student Inclusion
2. Content and Pedagogy of the K to 12 Basic Education Program
3. Assessment and Reporting in the K to 12 Basic Education Program
4. 21st Century Skills and ICT Integration in Instruction and Assessment
5. Curriculum Contextualization, Localization, and Indigenization
In addition to the topics that the LAC members have identified and those enumerated above,
teachers should also find time to discuss how their community linkages can support the curriculum and
how the LAC sessions promote their own professional growth. Furthermore, emerging and urgent
issues or concerns affecting teaching and learning must be discussed during LAC sessions. These may
include school data such as school participation, attendance, completion and assessment, child-finding
activities, programs to be offered so as to include more learners in schools, results-based practices,
and technologies, and school successes. LAC sessions also cover DepEd thrusts and policies relevant
to the above-mentioned priority needs.
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lOMoARcPSD|20323219
Please read DepEd Order No. 35. s. 2016 for the details on the LAC implementation.
Another term that is associated with schools and the teachers is professional learning
communities. Miller (2020) stated that professional learning communities (PLCs), which harness “an
ongoing process in which educators work collaboratively in recurring cycles of collective inquiry and
action research to achieve better results for the students they serve” are a common and proven practice
to promote teacher collaboration that increases student achievement. Further, he said that as a
learning team, PLCs should constantly engage in a cycle of learning: analyzing data, setting goals, and
learning individually and collaboratively, as well as implementing and adjusting practices to meet the
needs of all learners. This process allows teachers to try new teaching practices and discover what’s
working and what isn’t. PLCs should, therefore (a) determine common learning and assessments, (b)
make space for innovation, and (c) ensure that teams work effectively. He concluded that PLCs are the
lifeblood of innovation and risk taking in school. When structured well, they can be teams that
constantly learn together and work to discover what is best for students.
To Victoria State Government (n.d.), professional learning communities (PLCs) are an approach
to school improvement where groups of teachers work collaboratively at the school level to improve
student outcomes. PLC schools start from a simple idea: students learn more when their teachers work
together. Building a PLC is a proven way for schools to increase student learning by creating a culture
that is: (a) focused on continuous improvement by linking the learning needs of students with the
professional learning and practice of teachers, (b) committed to professionalism, and (c) fueled by
collaborative expertise
(https://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/management/improvement/plc/Pages/default.asp
x).
The same source also gave these 10 principles of effective PLCs:

1. Student learning focus: School improvement starts with an unwavering focus on student learning.
2. Collective responsibility: For every child to achieve, every adult must take responsibility for their
learning.
3. Instructional leadership: Effective school leaders focus on teaching and learning.
4. Collective efficacy: Teachers make better instructional decisions together.
5. Adult learning: Teachers learn best with others, on the job.
6. Privileged time: Effective schools provide time and forums for teacher conversations about student
learning.
7. Continuous improvement: Effective teams improve through recurring cycles of diagnosing student
learning needs, and planning, implementing and evaluating teaching responses to them.
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lOMoARcPSD|20323219
8. Evidence driven: Effective professional learning and practice is evidence based and data driven.
9. System focus: The most effective school leaders contribute to the success of other schools.
10. Integrated regional support: Schools in improving systems are supported by teams of experts who
know the communities they work in.
Serviss (2021) described a PLC as a team of educators who share ideas to enhance their
teaching practice and create a learning environment where all students can reach their fullest potential.
Most PLCs operate within a school building or across a district. They can be organized by grade level,
content area or an entire teaching staff. She enumerated the following as the benefits of an active PLC:
1. PLCs allow educators opportunities to directly improve teaching and learning.
2. PLCs build stronger relationships between team members.
3. PLCs help teachers stay on top of new research and emerging technology tools for the
classroom.
4. PLCs help teachers reflect on ideas.
5.
If we want the PLC to really function well, we should be guided by these three crucial questions
that should drive the work of those within a PLC (DuFour (2004):
1. What do we want each student to learn?
2. How will we know when each student has learned it?
3. How will we respond when a student experiences difficulty in learning?
38

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The Teacher and The Community 123

Education (Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila)

Studocu is not sponsored or endorsed by any college or university

MODULE 1: Basic Concepts

Part 1: What is the nature of society, community, school, and education?

Community, on the other hand, may refer to the following:

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● Society refers to a system or network of relationships. However, community refers to a group of

A school is deﬁned as:

Education, on the other hand, may refer to:

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The ﬁgure tells us that a society can be

Let us read the following literature that

According to Tulio (2010), education

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PART 2: HOW CAN SCHOOLS RESPOND TO THE DEMANDS OF SOCIETY?

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In relation, BENNETH AND LEMOINE (2014) explained these concepts as follows:

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Schools should also be mindful of these six (6) drivers of change

Future Work Skills of 2020:

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The following are some of these attempts of the government:

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16. Household and School Matching Survey (HSMS) (1982)

38. Basic Education Sector Reform Agenda (BESRA) (2006)

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A. Kindergarten Education Act (Republic Act 10157)

Section 4. Institutionalization of Kindergarten Education Kindergarten

Section 5. Medium of Instruction

Section. 7. Duties, Powers and Functions

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b. Develop and periodically review developmentally appropriate curriculum for kindergarten

B. The Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013

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Section 5. Curriculum Development

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Section 7. Teacher Education and Training

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Section 10. Expansion of E- GASTPE Beneﬁciaries

Section 11. Appropriations

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Section 12. Transitory Provisions

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● Outcome Goals of the K to 12 Basic Education Program

● Process Goals of the K to 12 Basic Education Program

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● Goals of the K to 12 Curriculum

● Features of the K to 12 Program

● Medium of Teaching and Learning:

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b. Elementary education – 6 years (Grades 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)

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MODULE 2: Perspectives on School-Community Relations Historical,