ABSTRACT
Community is surely one of the most frequently used and abused words in educational policy literature. Analysts from all points on the political spectrum affirm the virtue and value of communities as an essential source of support for schools and as the guarantors of accountability in the educational system. Educators are enjoined from all sides to work in closer harmony with the community in order to fit their practice to local needs and better serve their students. Shifting a greater share of responsibility to the community is adduced as the solution to a host of problems, both in the USA and abroad.
