The idea that schools should function as communities is popular in education circles. It is also confusing, for the term community means different things to different people. This article argues that efforts to reduce ambiguity by linking the concept to clearly defined indicators may be short-sighted. Multiple meanings linked with the notion of community reflect the richness of this concept, the author contends, and these meanings should be explored and understood—not reduced or eliminated. Analyzing language used by academics and practitioners writing about community in school settings, the author demonstrates that the concept is both complex and reasonably coherent. Recognizing that this is so can only assist scholars who desire to better understand this phenomenon, she argues. Similarly, knowledge of the ways we make sense of being in and out of community can provide guidance to people seeking to create and sustain communal schools.
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