Interviews with 58 parents (71% working class) and 15 teachers in a British secondary school suggested that working-class parents were committed to children's education but view school as separate from their everyday culture. Parents and teachers viewed their roles as a division of labor, reinforcing parents' view of teachers as professional…

This paper presents findings of a study that examined the effect of British parents' social class on their ability to intervene in their children's schooling and to participate as "active consumers." In this case study of one school in England, data were derived from a questionnaire mailed to 491 parents of pupils in years 7, 9, and 11;…