The Study
In this essay in the Politics of Education Association Yearbook, David Plank, professor in the Department of Educational Administration, takes on the issue of community "as an essential source of support for schools and as guarantor of accountability in the educational system."

The Findings
In discussing community, Plank points out that there is a consensus that closer ties to communities are a good thing for educational systems "as long as the term remains undefined. This apparent consensus quickly breaks down, however, in the face of inevitable disagreements about the character and size of the relevant community in particular contexts." Part of the issue is the multifarious meanings ascribed to community. Dozens of qualifiers can be applied, such as African-American, academic, Hispanic, working class, school, and so on. Indeed, Plank cites one scholar1s conclusion that community has "so many meanings as to be meaningless." Yet the term1s resilience and frequency of use in education policy remains unabated, and educators are continually "enjoined from all sides to work in closer harmony with the community in order to fit their practice to local needsSý." Plank describes four types of communities that are especially relevant to educators seeking to build connections with institutions outside their schools. All of them have unique characteristics that in one case, for instance, maintains exclusionary tendencies while another is epitomized by mobility and still another by common interest and mutual concern. Both conservatives and progressives agree, Plank writes, that stronger communities are central to addressing myriad social ills, including poor performing schools. However, they disagree about the type of community to be strengthened. Conservatives argue that the effort should be to restore the fabric of communities in the fashion of a bygone era. Progressives prefer what they consider a less oppressive and more equitable vision of community. Plank cites the reform of Chicago schools as one instance of educational policy relying heavily on the availability of communities as a political resource. However, the reform experience has produced decidedly mixed - if not poor -- results. In the end, Plank concludes by saying that restoring the connection between schools and the communities they serve is vital. "Shifting power and resources to communities without careful consideration of what is at stake may have damaging consequences, howeverSý Finding ways to engage citizens more deeply in the governance of their schools without succumbing to these centrifugal forces is bound to be a profoundly difficult challenge."

What It Means to You
To what degree are your "communities" involved in your schools? Have you developed ways in which residents can "engage more deeply" in your schools?

More Information
Plank, D.N. (1996). Dreams of community. Politics of Education Association Yearbook. Washington, D.C.: Falmer Press, pp. 13-20.

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