Can schools successfully meet their educational aims without the clear support of their local communities?
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Abstract
This short article explores some of the challenges and complexities of engaging with school communities, particularly in diverse urban contexts. The author argues for a new relationship between schools and communities which is developed by grappling with the concept of community; developing tools to ‘read’ and make sense of the community context; working with communities to redefine the notion of school success; and building trusting relationships. She concludes by suggesting that, in a global context in which many city communities are marginalized or isolated, the notion of developing a reciprocal relationship between schools and communities is not an optional extra. Only by working together will they be able to enrich the lives of young people and increase their sense of self-worth and well-being.
Keywords
Communities Trust Social capital SchoolsNotes
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank my colleagues at the London Centre for Leadership in Learning, for their helpful comments, students who are part of our MA Module, Leading in Diverse Cultures and Communities, and Karen Seashore, University of Minnesota, for her ongoing partnership on the issues discussed here.
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