Roscoe Elementary School: Cultivating a Caring Community in an Urban Elementary School
Titel:
Roscoe Elementary School: Cultivating a Caring Community in an Urban Elementary School
Auteur:
Kratzer, Cindy C.
Verschenen in:
Journal of education for students placed at risk
Paginering:
Jaargang 2 (1997) nr. 4 pagina's 345-375
Jaar:
1997-10-01
Inhoud:
The cultivation of a caring community within an urban neighborhood public elementary school is viewed by some educators as an impossibility, by others as being in conflict with academic effectiveness, and by still others as unnecessary for the successful achievement of students. Nevertheless, a significant group of educators advocates schools as caring communities, particularly in meeting the needs of low-income urban students of color. The research reported in this article is grounded in the assumption that there is a relationship between school culture and student achievement. An ethnographic case study of one urban public elementary school that exhibited both a strong caring community and a push toward academic excellence resulted in an analysis of the underlying characteristics that existed in the school. The findings suggest that a climate of mutual trust and respect, fluid boundaries centered around an ethic of caring, and a schoolwide sense of ownership and responsibility for students were central to the cultivation of the school' s caring community. Adapted school structures also fostered an ethos of community and ownership. In addition, the school expanded the definition of effectiveness beyond standardized test scores by focusing broadly on student learning, the link between the success of the individual and the success of the group, and the role of affect in promoting student achievement.
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