A case study was done of Central Park East Elementary School (CPE 1), in New York City, a school with a reputation for extraordinary work with students and their families in a student-centered environment. The study includes an overview of CPE 1 culled from the school's descriptions of itself and other public documents; a descriptive narrative of life in CPE 1 based on observations in classrooms, staff meetings, and school functions as well as focused conversations with school staff, parents, and other interested observers of the school; and an analysis of themes that are essential cultural characteristics of the CPE 1 community. The study concludes that CPE 1 holds a consistent core of common values about the nature of humanity and the nature of knowledge and how it is constructed. These values give rise to a conception of teaching and learning that depends on an environment in which all learners are persistent actors in the dramatic tension between the construction of personal meaning and public standards. This notion of teaching and learning is then translated into individually expressed norms for school and classroom activities and interactions. An appendix offers information on the descriptive review process used at CPE 1. Contains 14 references. (JB)