A Phenomenological Qualitative Study of Sense of Community in an Inner-City Parochial School: Expanding the Seats at the Table.

St. Angela’s School is an elementary school in the Austin area of Chicago. This phenomenological qualitative study examined Sense of Community (SOC) at St. Angela’s, operationalized as “The feeling that St. Angela School is welcoming, psychologically and physically safe, that I matter, I am respected, and that I belong.” As an inner-city, parochial school, St. Angela’s has seen extensive changes in the neighborhood and the student population, both in ethnicity and enrollment. The last two principals requested a study of its SOC to identify solutions as diminished enrollment and teacher turnover have threatened its continued existence. Thirty-three individuals were interviewed who were interested in the school's success and represented a wide breadth of experience and attachments to the school: administration, parents, teachers, students, support staff, volunteers, alumni, neighbors, and civic authorities. The results were illuminating with an exciting array of solutions offered by those “invited to the table.”