Abstract

Historically, schools serving impoverished families trapped in America’s urban “ghettos ” have been resistant to community participation. Enhanced participation is critically needed, however, if long-term urban school-reform projects and efforts to develop more empowering, community-supporting forms of pedagogy are to succeed. This article examines the most influential and/or promising efforts to foster more authentic engagement between schools and inner-city communities. The author finds that while efforts to develop school-based models have largely failed, a range of community-based efforts remain promising. If educators, scholars, and policymakers are truly inter-ested in improving school–community relations, then they will need to become more deeply informed about community forces and structures and more directly involved in efforts to strengthen community organizations.