Summary

This study aimed to report on how some schools undertook initiatives to improve their relations with communities and, thereby, improve the learning of their students and the wellbeing and satisfaction of students and staff. The study involved classroom observation in nine schools, interviews with teachers, school leaders, students, parents and community members and monitoring the effects of practical interventions aimed at improving school-community relations. The study found that the research interventions, while small-scaled, were mostly successful and had some abiding effects on local school practice and policy. The authors concluded that research and development initiatives that aim to clarify and build more authentic and realistic relations between schools and their communities have a central part to play in the building and maintenance of fairer and more cohesive societies.