Thus, parents are part of school development and contribute to creating a
favourable learning environment for the students.
In Niigata, parents and local community representatives are involved in
planning annual school activities and participating in various school events.
In Akita, local enterprises and shops regularly support student internships and
work experience programmes. They also participate in students’ discussions,
in which students describe their work experience. Students are treated as
members of the community, naturally teaching them to respect senior
members and others.
The special activities, mentioned above, require careful and close collaboration
with the local community. In both prefectures, formal and informal activities
by students in the community mean that children are educated not only in
schools, but also in the community. Such community involvement, managed
by liaison teachers, creates a strong bond between groups of parents,
community representatives and schools (MEXT, 2008b). Such activities also
promote closer communication among stakeholders who support schools,
as well as collaboration among schools within the community.
Curricula and plans that enable students to interact with people in their
community provide community members with opportunities to understand
how younger generations think and learn, and cultivate public awareness
and interest in education. Acknowledging this synergy effect, the Japanese
government encourages community involvement and special activities that
actively employ local resources for primary education.
Assessment
Skills and competencies required in the twenty-first century include
creativity, cooperation and a long-term perspective. Assessments of skills and
competencies need to monitor how learners’ develop such skills.
A study by the National Institute of Education Policy Research identified
several possible assessment methods: 1) formative assessment with clear
goal-setting and monitoring of learning achievement; 2) assessment using
multiple sources of information and data in addition to paper examinations;
and 3) the standard assessment method to increase objective aspects of the
assessment (NIER, 2013).