The relationship between schools and parents is coming under increasing pressure. Solutions are primarily sought in improving individual behaviour and interpersonal conduct. The Council calls on the Minister of Education, Culture and Science to also keep an eye on how laws and regulations affect the relationship between parents and schools. According to the Council, policy has a key leverage point here to improve parent-school relations. In addition, the Council draws attention to strengthening collective parent participation within the school community.
Beeld: © Onderwijsraad
Disputes between parents and schools have a profound impact on schools, teachers, parents and students. Teachers and school leaders report workload stress resulting from interactions with parents. Furthermore, the number of cases brought before national disputes committees is steadily rising. At the request of the Minister, the Council reflects on opportunities for the government to strengthen cooperation and trust between parents and schools.
Chair Louise Elffers: “In primary and secondary education, a good relationship between parents and schools is essential, built on mutual trust and cooperation. The Council notes that partly as a result of laws and regulations, the relationship between schools and parents is increasingly taking on the character of service providers and consumers, placing parents and schools in opposition to one another. The Council calls on the Minister to take more targeted account of how policy and legislation affect the dynamic between parents and schools.”
Pay attention to the institutional relationship between parents and school
In educational practice, there is significant focus on improving the relationship between parents and schools. This focus is mainly directed at the individual behaviour of teachers and school leaders, and the interactions between parents, teachers and school leaders. The Council calls on the Minister to take a broader view and to be mindful of the impact of policy on the relationship between parents and schools - for instance, during policy proposals and policy evaluations.
Influenced in part by developments in policy, laws and regulations over recent decades, schools and parents have been positioned differently toward one another. Sometimes this is the explicit goal of policy, but often it is an unintended side effect. Among other things, policies regarding tailored education have increasingly positioned parents and schools as consumers and service providers. Ambiguity over who can claim what, and what can reasonably be expected from a school, turns a student's support needs into a potential source of conflict. Encouraging parents to compare schools based on performance indicators also fosters the positioning of parents as consumers of a public service.
Strengthen collective parent participation
The Council also points out that it has become harder for parents to exert influence on school boards through formal participation councils. Scale enlargement and administrative professionalisation over recent decades have increased the distance between parents and school boards. Strengthening the collective role that parents play within the school can contribute to the functioning of the school as a community, reinforcing mutual cooperation and trust between parents and schools.