Parent Advocacy: A Private Role in a Public Institution

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Parental involvement in schools has been contested for decades. Although it is clear that parents have a responsibility to care for and nurture their children, the legislated role of schools to educate children leaves somewhat ambiguous the role of parents. Using Hannah Arendt’s notions of public and private and the emergence of a social sphere this conceptual research examines the complex relationship of parents to schools. This study illustrates how parents can play an important role in the public school education of their children. The struggle for control in education has its roots in the history of public education, legislation, the emergence of unions and the postindustrial global production/consumption market economy. The emerging role of parents as advocates for their children in the schools may restore some balance to the public/private relationship, however, it may also reveal some of the problems of power and control within the system.