Bridging the Gap: A Community-Based, Open-Systems Approach to School and Neighborhood Consultation

Abstract

Abstract In this article, we describe an approach to neighborhood-based consultation that emphasizes collaboration with and advocacy for local citizens. Our primary goal is to facilitate involvement of families and other citizens in collective action. The school, viewed as an open system situated in a neighborhood context, is. seen as an important location for collective action and citizen empowerment by creation of a range of opportunities for meaningful participation. Practice involves assessment of direct interests as defined by participants, development of bridge-building activities between school and citizens, small wins over time, and long-range commitment to creation of organizational structures that connect the culture of the school and the interests of the neighborhood. Practice is based on several principal tenets of community psychology: the value of democratic participation and citizen empowerment, the power of collective action, attention to strengths and resources as well as stakeholder interests, ecological analysis and identification of interdependencies, and system adaptations. We elaborate on how the theoretical underpinnings of this approach suggest roles for psychologists and other professionals as consultants who can help to bridge the gap between schools and economically disadvantaged communities.