Who's Owning Whom and Why Does It Matter? Looking at Learning as Community Development.

Wesley College, a private urban secondary school, established a rural campus in the small town of Clunes, Victoria (Australia), where ninth-grade students could spend a term in a community-based, experientially-derived curriculum to enhance their sense of self and community. A study examined the extent to which Clunes community members regarded Wesley College as having integrated into the community and contributed to it. Surveys were conducted with 50 community members, 44 businesses, and 20 adolescents, and Wesley teachers in Clunes and other key informants were interviewed. Community members felt that the school was making a positive contribution to social life in Clunes and that social mixing between school and community members was occurring. The school was considered to be improving the town's economic situation and business opportunities. The school's contribution to learning opportunities for community members was evidenced by increased use of knowledge, skills, and talents in Clunes. However, the community did not feel that the school's resort-style buildings added to the attractiveness or the heritage environment of Clunes, or that they fit in with the rural setting of the township. Community views were evenly split as to whether the school was helping to link different groups in Clunes as a result of community-based activities of Wesley students. (TD)