This paper from 2001 has achieved some standing in the community as a guide to the development of learning communities in small schools. It's a good discussion of small schools generally, first identifying numerous tpes of small schools and then listing the results of well-run small learning communities (interesting that the list goes well beyond learning): achievement, equity, affiliation or belonging, safety and order, persistence (that is, lower truancy and dropout rates), preparation for later learning, community participation, parent and teacher satisfaction, quality learning and low cost. Arguing that "small is not enough" the authors identify five major characteristics (of the school or community) that should be embodied in order to support learning: self-determination, identity, personalization, support for teaching, and accountability. I'm looking at this article from the perspective of whether it can help define learning communities more generally.
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