O presente estudo procurou avaliar o grau de envolvimento dos pais, das classes sociais média-alta e alta na educação escolar dos filhos. Para isso, algumas escolas que atendem a esse público foram procuradas com a solicitação da permissão de conversar com algumas das famílias de seus alunos. A seleção das escolas particulares da cidade de São Paulo foi feita a partir dos resultados de seus alunos no exame do ENEM (Exame Nacional do Ensino Médio): escolheu-se uma escola com boa colocação (entre as dez primeiras), uma com colocação média (entre as 60 primeiras) e uma que não obteve bons resultados. O instrumento para a coleta de dados foi a entrevista semi-estruturada com casais de pais ou apenas com a mãe. Foram realizadas 13 entrevistas, totalizando 21 entrevistados. A análise dos resultados revelou que esses pais e mães, contrariando estereótipos e/ou crenças comuns a respeito do envolvimento dos pais na vida escolar dos filhos, mostraram-se muito envolvidos com a escolaridade dos filhos e afirmaram não delegar à escola tarefas como a formação de valores e o estímulo à disciplina. A ideia de diferentes estudiosos de que a família vive uma crise de valores e de autoridade e que delega à escola tarefas que não se sente capaz de realizar não foi corroborada neste estudo. Em face dos resultados, foram sugeridos alguns caminhos para que a escola possa desenvolver uma parceria efetiva com as famílias de seus alunos: estabelecer relações simétricas e de corresponsabilidade com os pais e oferecer a eles espaços de debate e reflexão sobre questões que vivenciam no dia-a-dia com seus filhos. / This study aimed to assess the degree of involvement of both high middle-class and upper class families in their children\'s education. The selection of private schools in São Paulo, SP, was based on students\' performance at ENEM (National High School Standardized Examination). Three kinds of schools were chosen: one ranking among the top ten first, one from the sixty top first, and one whose performance was below average. A semi-structured interview was used as the instrument for the collection of data. Thirteen interviews with couples or with just the mother were carried out, totaling 21 interviewees. The analysis of the results shows that those parents, contradicting stereotypes and widespread beliefs about parent involvement in their children\'s learning process, are in fact deeply involved, and do not delegate the school to teach students such things as moral values and discipline. The idea shared by various scholars that families are at present undergoing both a value and an authority crisis and that they expect their children\'s school to do what they feel unable to do has not been corroborated by this study. In face of the results obtained, some suggestions have been put forward on how the school might develop an effective partnership with students\' families: establishing symmetric and coresponsible relationships with parents and offering them an opportunity to stir up debate and reflection on the issues they experience with their children on an everyday basis.

O presente estudo procurou avaliar o grau de envolvimento dos pais, das classes sociais média-alta e alta na educação escolar dos filhos. Para isso, algumas escolas que atendem a esse público foram procuradas com a solicitação da permissão de conversar com algumas das famílias de seus alunos. A seleção das escolas particulares da cidade de São Paulo foi feita a partir dos resultados de seus alunos no exame do ENEM (Exame Nacional do Ensino Médio): escolheu-se uma escola com boa colocação (entre as dez primeiras), uma com colocação média (entre as 60 primeiras) e uma que não obteve bons resultados. O instrumento para a coleta de dados foi a entrevista semi-estruturada com casais de pais ou apenas com a mãe. Foram realizadas 13 entrevistas, totalizando 21 entrevistados. A análise dos resultados revelou que esses pais e mães, contrariando estereótipos e/ou crenças comuns a respeito do envolvimento dos pais na vida escolar dos filhos, mostraram-se muito envolvidos com a escolaridade dos filhos e afirmaram não delegar à escola tarefas como a formação de valores e o estímulo à disciplina. A ideia de diferentes estudiosos de que a família vive uma crise de valores e de autoridade e que delega à escola tarefas que não se sente capaz de realizar não foi corroborada neste estudo. Em face dos resultados, foram sugeridos alguns caminhos para que a escola possa desenvolver uma parceria efetiva com as famílias de seus alunos: estabelecer relações simétricas e de corresponsabilidade com os pais e oferecer a eles espaços de debate e reflexão sobre questões que vivenciam no dia-a-dia com seus filhos. / This study aimed to assess the degree of involvement of both high middle-class and upper class families in their children\'s education. The selection of private schools in São Paulo, SP, was based on students\' performance at ENEM (National High School Standardized Examination). Three kinds of schools were chosen: one ranking among the top ten first, one from the sixty top first, and one whose performance was below average. A semi-structured interview was used as the instrument for the collection of data. Thirteen interviews with couples or with just the mother were carried out, totaling 21 interviewees. The analysis of the results shows that those parents, contradicting stereotypes and widespread beliefs about parent involvement in their children\'s learning process, are in fact deeply involved, and do not delegate the school to teach students such things as moral values and discipline. The idea shared by various scholars that families are at present undergoing both a value and an authority crisis and that they expect their children\'s school to do what they feel unable to do has not been corroborated by this study. In face of the results obtained, some suggestions have been put forward on how the school might develop an effective partnership with students\' families: establishing symmetric and coresponsible relationships with parents and offering them an opportunity to stir up debate and reflection on the issues they experience with their children on an everyday basis.

This qualitative study investigated parents’ and principals’ expectations of their roles in the parent-school relationship and how they defined, encouraged, and realized parental involvement within an urban Catholic high school setting. Through pattern analysis and axial coding of the data collected from parents and principal interviews, documents, and observations at parent-school meetings and events, four patterns emerged: (a) the underlying child-centered mission, (b) the parents’ role in supporting the student, (c) the parent-school relationship created to support the student, and (d) the principals’ role in creating a trusting environment that promotes parental involvement. Further analysis was guided by the parental involvement frameworks of Epstein (2001) and Barton, Drake, Perez, St. Louis, and George (2004) and the Catholic school mission. The findings revealed that the child-centered goal guided the parents’ and principals’ expectations of shared responsibilities, although the parents varied in how they defined parental involvement activities. Parents expressed the importance of the school’s role in creating a caring and respectful environment that encouraged a strong parent-school relationship. The principals addressed the Catholic school mission and how they developed the school culture, climate, and environment to support that mission. This study author concluded that Catholic schools have the opportunity to create strong parent-school relationships that encourage differentiated parental involvement. In addition, she concluded that the role of all schools is to provide a relationship built on trust and the knowledge that parental involvement requires consideration of the varied types of involvement and ways in which parents choose to mediate the types of parental involvement.

This study is an historical study of parent participation in school level decision making, particularly in curriculum issues, in relation to the Victorian Government policies of Devolution through the 1980s. It was conducted as a case study of one rural secondary school, examining how the role of parents in the school�s curriculum development and associated decision making structures may have changed during the decade from the early 1980s to the early 1990s. Three conceptual models were established, which served as analytical frameworks for the field data: a Theory model of how school level participation could operate, a Policies model deriving from the expectations of the major Government policies of the time, and an Historical model based on research and analyses of practice in Australia and overseas. The findings indicate that little effective parent participation developed or took place in the school over the period under study. Major contributing factors identified are the lack of policy direction and official mechanisms, especially in implementation of change, the definition of appropriate participant roles, the culture of traditional authorities in education (teacher in the classroom, principal in school processes and bureaucracy in administration), and the local factors of community attitudes and demographic profile. While the local factors are significant, it is concluded that the policies did not provide sufficient direction or mechanism to overcome the entrenched culture of traditional authorities in schooling. Changes in practice were directed more by the influence of specific personalities in single situations than any development of general attitude or institutional structure.

This study is an historical study of parent participation in school level decision making, particularly in curriculum issues, in relation to the Victorian Government policies of Devolution through the 1980s. It was conducted as a case study of one rural secondary school, examining how the role of parents in the school�s curriculum development and associated decision making structures may have changed during the decade from the early 1980s to the early 1990s. Three conceptual models were established, which served as analytical frameworks for the field data: a Theory model of how school level participation could operate, a Policies model deriving from the expectations of the major Government policies of the time, and an Historical model based on research and analyses of practice in Australia and overseas. The findings indicate that little effective parent participation developed or took place in the school over the period under study. Major contributing factors identified are the lack of policy direction and official mechanisms, especially in implementation of change, the definition of appropriate participant roles, the culture of traditional authorities in education (teacher in the classroom, principal in school processes and bureaucracy in administration), and the local factors of community attitudes and demographic profile. While the local factors are significant, it is concluded that the policies did not provide sufficient direction or mechanism to overcome the entrenched culture of traditional authorities in schooling. Changes in practice were directed more by the influence of specific personalities in single situations than any development of general attitude or institutional structure.