Learning to Leave: The Irony of Schooling in a Coastal Community

The relationship between rural communities and contemporary education is analyzed in this innovative case study of the town of Digby Neck, Nova Scotia. Rather than supporting place-based curriculums and establishing social, economic, and cultural networks within suburban populations, the modern school has typically stood in opposition to local life. Contemporary classes also incorrectly teach rural children that their communities and traditional lifestyles have nothing of value to offer. This report explains that if education is to be democratic and serve the purpose of social and cultural elevation, then it must adapt to the specificity of its locale.