ABSTRACT
Research has illustrated the importance of school social organization in general and, more specifically, the importance of communal school organization (Bryk and Driscoll 1988; D. Gottfredson 2001; G. Gottfredson, Gottfredson, Payne, and Gottfredson 2005; Payne et al. 2003; Welsh 2000). Communal school organization refers to the organization of a school as a community, as indicated by supportive relationships between and among teachers, administrators, and students; a common set of goals and norms; and a sense of collaboration and involvement. A communally organized school emphasizes informal social relations, common norms and experiences, and collaboration and participation (Lee, Bryk, and Smith 1992; Rowan 1990). The idea of the communal school organization is similar to Sampson's concept of neighborhood collective efficacy (Morenoff, Sampson, and Raudenbush 2001; Sampson, Morenoff, and Earls 1999; Sampson, Raudenbush, and Earls 1997), which "highlights shared expectations and mutual engagement by residents in local social control" (Morenoff et al. 2001 :520). Neighborhoods with higher collective efficacy will have higher levels of informal social control, which, in turn, lead to lower levels of crime and delinquency (Morenoff et al. 2001; Sampson et al. 1997; Sampson et al. 1999).
