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Schools as Communities: Four Metaphors, Three Models, and a Dilemma or Two
Author(s) -
Strike Kenneth A.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
journal of philosophy of education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.501
H-Index - 41
eISSN - 1467-9752
pISSN - 0309-8249
DOI - 10.1111/1467-9752.00198
Subject(s) - polity , dilemma , pluralism (philosophy) , interpretation (philosophy) , sociology , democracy , epistemology , cultural pluralism , social science , political science , pedagogy , law , politics , philosophy , computer science , programming language
This paper examines two questions. The first is what it would mean for schools to be communities. This question is pursued by examining four metaphors for community: families, congregations, guilds, and democratic polities. Three models of school communities are then sketched. The second question is whether schools that are communities are inherently illiberal. The paper distinguishes between a liberal interpretation of schools as communities, where schools are viewed as limited‐purpose free associations, and a communitarian interpretation where community and polity are not adequately distinguished. I argue that, within a framework of liberal pluralism, schools can be communities without being illiberal.