In classrooms that operate as learning communities, the social and learning purposes advance together through all participants being involved and engaged in building knowledge. This book demonstrates a new way of seeing and managing classrooms through: (1) an integration of what is best in learning and what is best in the social life of classrooms; (2) a vision of the role of the teacher that is more creative and more related to the commitments of teachers; (3) a more connected view of schools in contrast to the mechanistic view that currently dominates; and (4) an answer to the short-term performance pressures of politicians - better performance. The practice and vision of classrooms that operate as learning communities is presented clearly and encourages teachers to take steps towards building a more effective classroom with the aspects of learning communities they choose. The book contains ten chapters as follows: (1) Introduction; (2) Classrooms, Change, Learning, Teaching, Community; (3) Community; (4) Classrooms as Learning Communities Practices in Classrooms; (5) Goals in a Learning Community; (6) Tasks in a Learning Community; (7) Social Structure in a Learning Community; (8) Resources in a Learning Community; (9) Roles in a Learning Community Observing Classrooms as Learning Communities; and (10) Schools as Learning Communities. (Contains 13 figures and 9 tables.)