Stock of Social Capital

In the article, it provides a definition for the word 'social capital': it is the emphasis on social networks, reciprocity, and community outreach.

There are nine solutions for innovation and all of them are associated with youth education. Just like Solution 9 writes: "the adults [our] experiences are different enough from the students' [theirs] that adults [we] don't dare guess their answers." I also believe that youth is the our future hope because they have potentials to become the stock of social capital. It is the youth's ideas that will be leading the society to move forward. In order to let kids are so important, the school itself is responsible for their education because school is where the kids are getting most of the knowledge from.

I would like to make comments about the following solutions based on my past experiences in Taiwanese local schools and Hsinchu International School:

Solution 1 - Spur greater parental participation:
I think parental participation is very important because parents are able to provide suggestions for the school to make improvements. In local schools, there are always a Parent Committee for each classes. Parents that are involved the committee usually divide jobs among themselves. Some are in charge of the money, some are responsible for the educational matters, and etc. The school also held PTA regularly to exchange information with the student body, the school, and the parents themselves. The participation of parents can provide fairer opinions and make fairer decisions.

Solution 2 - Make school smaller:
I’ve been to Taiwanese local schools with more than three thousand students. I felt the students in local schools are only test-taking machines because of the traditional Taiwanese educational system. And there are very few opportunities for everyone to participate equally in different activities. The teachers hardly have chances to get to know each student and try find out their strengths and weaknesses. The school is too big that there is no sense of collaboration and trust.
However, two potential disadvantages about small schools is that students will not be able to develop a more complete social skills in a school that is too small either; and schools might not be able to provide enough learning resources or tools for students in a smaller school. Nevertheless, smaller schools like HIS do have its advantage on developing student's individual strengths.

Solution 6 - Model high schools on a community:
I strongly agree that students are the key members of a school and the school should trust students more on what they can do. I think that it is important for the teachers to trust and listen to students more because students are the ones that can really tell what can be improved and what should be kept. Reciprocity is another key factor--- I agree that 'student-to-student' teaching method should be practiced in schools. Students who are older can share experiences with younger students because younger students look up to older students as a model. Sometimes, it might be more effective for a student to teach a student rather than a teacher teaching a student because of the age difference.
HIS seems to value 'trust' and 'reciprocity' a lot and I appreciate the opportunities the school provide the students; but still, there are room for improvements.

Solution 7 & 8:
Although the textbook is important, I think 'lived-experience' is also important. Contributions to the community helps raises awareness of what is going on. Actual experiences also help students to prepare for college and even when they enter the work field.
I will use HIS's internship program as my personal example: I felt that I learned a lot at my internship with my mentors. I felt that these experiences are important for my future, especially for entering a college community. I also felt that I've become more independent since I started my internship last year in October.
Therefore, I think schools should definitely come up with more ways to create a meaningful education for the students.

The other solutions that I did not mention because I think civic education, extracurricular activities, and community service are the basics that every school should practice.
A school based on trust and reciprocity will create stronger bond between the teachers, students, and even parents. Communication between those three is the key to a successful education!