Parents and Schools: Customers, Managers or Partners? (Educational Management) Book

"Parents and Schools" explores the range of roles now being assigned to parents, particularly in the light of recent legislation. It looks at the notion of parents as customers of schools. What assumptions does this notion make about the primacy of the individual over collective community rights and about parents as guardians of their children's best interests? What happens to the rights of those in less popular schools? The authors compare and contrast the role of governing bodies north and south of the border. What kind of powers do they practice? Can they be seen as a victory for the consumer over the producer? They also identify features of good practice in home-school relations and use examples from special education and ethnic minority parents to explore the circumstances of the partnership between teachers and parents. What does a genuine partnership consist of? How do parental choice and the existence of parents as managers affect home-school relations? The authors also consider the implications of greater parental power for Local Education Authorities and for central government, and look at the role ascribed to parents in other countries, particularly the European Community.Read More