Developing a sense of community in secondary schools

Secondary administrators and teachers have long understood the advantages of positive relationships between educators and students. Trust, respect, mutual obligation, and concern for others' welfare can have powerful effects on educators' and learners' interpersonal relationships as well as learners' academic achievement and overall school progress. Educators at Roosevelt Roads (Naval Station) High School in Ceiba, Puerto Rico, decided to work toward a sense of community by implementing several practices commonly used in middle level schools.

Defining a Sense of Community

Westheimer and Kahne (1993) define community "as a process marked by interaction and deliberation among individuals who share common interests and commitment to common goals" (p. 325).

Graves (1992) defines community as "an inherently cooperative, cohesive, and self-reflective group entity whose members work on a regular face-to-face basis toward common goals while respecting a variety of perspectives, values, and life styles" (p. 64).

Sergiovanni (1994b) defines "a sense of community" as collective moral awareness, mutual obligation, and involvement in collectivity. Such involvement includes duty, attachment, and self-determination. For example, in a community:

1. People feel a duty to others--they have self-discipline to work toward the welfare of the community.

2. People feel an attachment, a sense of membership, to the community that includes commitment and identity.

3. People feel a sense of self-determination that involves knowledge, understanding, and a rational sense of awareness regarding their duty and attachment to the community.

Community is the way people relate to one another and their attitudes and values. More than just a slogan or a message sent home to parents, community is the "glue that holds the school together" (Boyer, 1995, p. 2). In fact, "building a true community of learning is the first and most essential ingredient of an effective school" (Boyer, 1995, p. 1).

A secondary school community or sense of community may be defined as a continuing evolving process whereby learns and educators interact and work collaboratively in an atmosphere of trust, belongingness, and respect toward shared common interests and commitment to common educational goals.

Characteristics of School Communities

Characteristics that describe community or a sense of community include:

1. Communities organize around social relationships and interdependencies that nurture the relationships.

2. Communities promote empowerment of learners and educators and focus on commitments, obligations, and...