Thinking Like a Fish: The Implications of the Image of School Community for Connections between Parents and Schools

The concept of the school community has implications for the way in which researchers, practitioners, and policymakers think about parents and schools. After a call for the development of a holistic perspective of school organizations, I review some recent work that embodies a communal vision of schools. Finally, I discuss the implications of this vision of community for the ways in which we think about parental engagement in the school and the contributions parents can make to their children’s education.