School Community and Disorder: Communal Schools, Student Bonding, Delinquency and Victimization

Payne focuses on the impact of social organization on school disorder. Communal school organization includes supportive relationships among school members, collaboration and participation of these members, and common norms and goals held by the members. This school organization influences student attachment and commitment to the school which, in turn, affects the level of disorder in the school. In addition, she explores the interaction between communal school organization and the size and racial composition of a school finding that communal school organization matters more for schools which are more racially diverse. Her conclusions include the work’s implications for the prevention of delinquency.