“In villages, towns and big cities throughout the industrialized world, a whole host of initiatives are helping to rebuild local economies, reconnecting people with each other and the earth. The importance of this fledgling movement should not be underestimated: while the Occupy activists are asking fundamental questions about the nature of our economic system, these locally-based projects are beginning to demonstrate a tangible alternative: localization.
“Localization doesn’t mean ending trade or producing everything we need at the village level; it simply means meeting as many of our needs as close to home as possible. This not only reduces energy use and greenhouse gas emissions; it also fosters well being. The smaller scale of local production means less pollution, and a healthier living environment. Localization also builds a foundation for psychological wellness by providing a sense of belonging to place and community.
I think the same can be done in Education. We must stop looking for ways to scale up education transformation and look to localize it. That does not mean that students, teachers or communities are limited to learning locally, but it means that school are seen as places of local learning, that support the local community, not just the a global market-based idea of education, that see students as $ signs, that see them as producers of capital or workers for a national economy. Schools shouldn't just be preparing student for future economy, for future service, or future GDP. They could be engaging students in the community, in their well-being and the well-being of their community, in the present not just in the future.
