Chapter 2: The School Community:Working Together for Student Success

Strong school communities engender strong students. The school community’s purpose is to ensure that each student acquires the knowledge, skills, habits, and attitudes necessary for success in school and in life. Community begins with a focus on the success of each individual student. That requires many people working together. The work includes that done by the student and that done by teachers, administrators, staff, families, and volunteers in support of the student.

Academic, personal, social, and emotional learning are all part of this mix of essential attributes, inclinations, and abilities necessary for success in school and in life (Patrikakou, Weissberg, Redding, & Walberg, 2005; Zins, Weissberg, Wang, & Walberg, 2004). The school directly impacts the student's learning, but it is most successful when it functions as a community.