Democratic, Educational Practice in Schools for Minority Parents

For over three decades, much of the research literature examining the involvement of ethnic minority parents in their children's school and education has promoted a school-centred approach to parent involvement that has contributed to the reproduction, rather than reduction, of inequalities in schooling for ethnic minority children. Jurgen Habermas' conceptualization of democracy and the theory of communicative action are used to critique efforts to involve ethnic minority parents in their children's schooling. This book describes how the actions of parents are strategically coordinated by many of the teaching staff through their daily practices and adherence to policies; parents and their concerns are systematically absorbed into the norms and structures of schooling. It also suggests that this might be remedied with outbreaks of democracy. The findings have particular implications for administrators, teachers, and support staff as they illustrate the need for school-based educators to combat dominant school-centred practices of parental involvement and challenge the instrumental rationality underpinning the administrative and economic support of parent involvement.