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Publication . Lima, Jorge Manuel Ávila

Networks constitute a critical dimension of human life in contemporary societies. These entities have recently attracted the interest of a growing number of scholars from many distinct academic fields. In education, networks are increasingly being promoted as a solution for some of the most persistent and difficult-to-solve problems that educators face. Practitioners and policy makers have developed increasingly elaborate rationales for justifying the importance of teachers’ and schools’ involvement in networking processes. This paper critically reviews the literature and research that has been conducted on networks in education and elsewhere, with a particular focus on school networks. The critical appraisal that is performed in the paper emphasizes that, despite their clear potential for educational improvement and change, current thinking about school networks is fraught with myth and simplistic assumptions, including the idea that these networks are naturally educational communities. The paper makes a case for the need to conduct more in-depth research on these phenomena, focusing both on action issues and key structural features of school networks.

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