Taken from John Dewey's 1908 work "Education and Democracy"
via The Gutenberg Press, on-line:

The parts of a machine work with a maximum of
cooperativeness for a common result, but they do not form
a community. If, however, they were all cognizant of the
common end and all interested in it so that they regulated
their specific activity in view of it, then they would form
a community. But this would involve communication. Each
would have to know what the other was about and would have
to have some way of keeping the other informed as to his own
purpose and progress. Consensus demands communication.

But what about problems?  Think of Shirley Jacksons's story,
'The Lottery' wherein traditions are continued thoughtlessly,
without critical perspective. The communication has,
in effect, become meaningless.

The following segment from Oprah is a good example:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvljD0toJmU

The crowd is being manipulated; it is fabulous how they all dance
in a form of synchronized movement.  But what about the
individuals who just want to dance to the music?  Are they allowed
to be part of the community of dancers?  Or are they excluded from
participation in the celebration?  It could be argued that children
who stick out in school, who do not or cannot follow the group,
are in a similar position.  Just because it is what the group is
doing does not mean it is right.  In institutional education,
mob rule, maybe the wrong term, dominates the format; of course,
everyone wants their children educated but not necessarily in the
most convenient form for the state or the parents; some people
want their children educated in the best form for the child.