The sense of community in a school-within-a-school

The weak sense of community in many American high schools is a problem because sense of community correlates positively with student achievement. Literature suggests that many schools-within-a-school exhibit a strong sense of community. The researcher wrote a case study, based on interviews with teachers and students, participant observation, and document review, of the sense of community in the Bridge School, a school-within-a-school.;Shared vision, norms, and mission are a central aspect of the sense of community. Bridge teachers share a vision of what teaching, learning, and school climate should look like and norms governing their relationships with students and with one another. The Bridge teachers keenly experience their lack of consensus regarding discipline because they work closely together.;Strong collegial relations constitute a second important aspect of the school's sense of community. Teachers believe that they work more closely with one another than do teachers in other schools. They share teaching ideas and team teach. They jointly engage in developing a vision for the school, curriculum development, program development, and program operation.;A third aspect of the school's sense of community is strong student-teacher relationships. Students and teachers report that student-teacher relationships in the school are relatively personal and open and relatively less hierarchical. Teachers are viewed as more respectful and caring.;The final central aspect of the school's sense of community is strong relationships among students. Teachers and students believe that Bridge students are close to, accepted by, and comfortable with one another. Teachers perceive a sense of community among students.;The experience of the Bridge School suggests that the sense of community in a school-within-a-school may be facilitated by small school size, student and teacher choice, students and teachers spending most or all of their school or work day in a school-within-a-school, and autonomy. Also, encouraging people to view schools in the same building as a continuum of distinctive options, rather than as a hierarchy of unequal options, may facilitate the peaceful coexistence of schools-within-a-school in the same building.