Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Parentocracy Revisited: Still a Relevant Concept for Understanding Middle Class Educational Advantage?

  • Published:
Interchange Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In this paper, we revisit Brown’s (Br J Soc Educ 14: 65–85, 1990) concept of parentocracy which has been informatively applied in educational research in a number of studies in various countries internationally—but almost none in North America. We provide an expanded conceptualization of parentocracy and suggest that it provides a useful encapsulation of a number of similar, and/or complementary, conceptual approaches to understanding middle class educational advantage. Our expanded conceptualization of parentocracy stems from Brown’s (Br J Soc Educ 14: 65–85, 1990) original use, but encompasses both a socio-political ideology that favors parental sovereignty and market solutions in education, as well as a proactive interventionist parenting style premised on fostering child development (and strategically optimizing life opportunities) through structured, progressive skill-enhancing educational and extra-curricular experiences. We offer a discussion of a number of studies that can be seen to exemplify, either expressly or implicitly, these parentocratic tendencies. Finally, using the examples of Schools of Choice policy and French immersion schools in the Canadian province of Manitoba, we explore the implications of parentocratic practices for educational inequality and social reproduction in the 2010s.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Ball, S. (1993). Education markets, choice and social class: The market as a class strategy in the UK and the US. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 14(1), 3–19.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ball, S. (2006). Education policy and social class: The selected works of Stephen J. Ball. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barton, L. (1995). The politics of education for all. Support for Learning, 10(4), 156–160.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bastiani, J. (1993). Parents as partners: Genuine progress or empty rhetoric? In P. Munn (Ed.), Parents and schools: Customers, mangers or partners (pp. 101–116). London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blackmore, J., & Hutchison, K. (2010). Ambivalent relations: The ‘tricky footwork’ of parental involvement in school communities. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 14(5), 499–515. doi:10.1080/13603110802657685.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bosetti, L. (2005). School choice: Public education at a crossroad. American Journal of Education: School Choice, 111(4), 435–441.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bosetti, L., & Pyryt, M. (2007). Parental motivation in school choice. Journal of School Choice: International Research and Reform, 1(4), 89–108.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bourdieu, P. (1974). School as a conservative force: scholastic and cultural inequalities. In J. Eggleston (Ed.), Contemporary research in the sociology of education (pp. 32–46). London: Methuen.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bourdieu, P. (1997). The forms of capital. (R. Nice, Trans.). In A. Halsey, H. Lauder, P. Brown, & A. Stuart Wells (Eds.), Education: Culture, economy, society (pp. 46–58). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. (Reprinted from Handbook of theory of research for the sociology of education, pp. 241–258, by J. Richardson, Ed., 1986, Westport, CT: Greenword Press).

  • Bourdieu, P., & Passeron, J.-C. (1990). Reproduction in education, society and culture (2nd ed.). Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, P. (1990). The ‘third wave’: Education and the ideology of parentocracy. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 11(1), 65–85.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown, P. (1995). Cultural capital and social exclusion: Some observations on recent trends in education, employment and the labour market. Work, Employment & Society, 9(1), 29–51.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown, P. (2000). The globalisation of positional competition? Sociology, 34(4), 633–653.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Canadian Council on Learning (CCL). (2007). 2007 Survey of Canadian attitudes toward learning: Results for elementary and secondary school learning. Ottawa, ON: Canadian Council on Learning. Retrieved from http://www.ccl-cca.ca/pdfs/SCAL/2007/SCAL_Report_English_final.pdf.

  • Chen, H. (2013). Micro-political analysis of the principal selection in a Taiwanese elementary school. Educational Research and Reviews, 8(21), 2007–2010.

    Google Scholar 

  • Coffey, A. (2001). Education and social change. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Coleman, J. (1997). Social capital in the creation of human capital. In A. Halsey, H. Lauder, P. Brown, & A. Stuart Wells (Eds.), Education: Culture, economy, society (pp. 80–95). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. (Reprinted from American Journal of Sociology, pp. S95–S120, 94, Supplement 1988).

  • Comer, J., & Haynes, N. (1991). Parental involvement in schools: An ecological approach. Elementary School Journal: Special Issue: Educational Partnerships: Home-School Community, 91(3), 271–277.

    Google Scholar 

  • Conway, S. (1997). The reproduction of exclusion and disadvantage: Symbolic violence and social class inequalities in ‘parental choice’ of secondary education. Sociological Research Online, 2(4). Retrieved from http://www.socresonline.org.uk/2/4/4.html.

  • Crozier, G. (1999). Parental involvement: Who wants it? International Studies in Sociology of Education, 9(3), 219–238.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • David, M. (1993). Parents, gender and educational reform. Cambridge: Polity.

    Google Scholar 

  • David, M. (1995). Parental wishes versus parental choice. History of Education, 24(3), 267–276.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • David, M., West, A., & Ribbens, J. (1994). Mother’s intuition? Choosing secondary schools. London, UK: Falmer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Davies, S. (2004). School choice by default? Understanding the demand for private tutoring in Canada. American Journal of Education, 110(3), 233–255.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Davies, S., Aurini, J., & Quirke, L. (2002). New markets for private education in Canada. Education Canada, 42(4), 36–38.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dehli, K. (2009). ‘Race’, ‘parents’, and education policy discourse in Ontario. In C. Levine-Rasky (Ed.), Canadian perspectives on the sociology of education (pp. 323–337). Don Mills, ON: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Demerath, P. (2009). Producing success. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Dom, L., & Verhoeven, J. (2006). Partnership and conflict between parents and schools: How are schools reacting to the new participation law in Flanders (Belgium)? Journal of Education Policy, 21(5), 567–597.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Donahoo, S. (2009). Further deferring the dream: How privileged parents prevent the effectiveness of affirmative action. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the 53rd Annual Conference of the Comparative and International Education Society, Charleston, SC. Retrieved from http://citation.allacademic.com/meta/p297862_index.html.

  • Eckler, R. (2015, April 12). The new tutor dynasty. Maclean’s. Retrieved from http://www.macleans.ca/education/the-new-tutor-dynasty/.

  • Epstein, J. (1983). Longitudinal effects of family–school–person interactions on student outcomes. Research in Sociology of Education and Socialization, 4, 101–127.

    Google Scholar 

  • Epstein, J. (2005). Attainable goals? The spirit and letter of the No Child Left Behind Act on parent involvement. Sociology of Education, 78(2), 179–182.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Evans, M. (2014). Soccer Moms UNITE! Affluent families and the utilization of grassroots strategies for education reform. Interchange, 45(1–2), 85–114.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fine, M. (1997). [Ap]parent involvement: Reflections on parents, power, and urban public schools. In A. Halsey, H. Lauder, P. Brown, & A. Stuart Wells (Eds.), Education: Culture, economy, society (pp. 460–475). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. (Reprinted from Teachers College Record, pp. 682–710, 94, 1993).

  • Fujita, H. (2010). Whither Japanese schooling? Educational reforms and their impact on ability formation and educational opportunity. In J. Gordon (Ed.), Challenges to Japanese education: Economics and human rights (pp. 17–53). New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Government of Canada. (1982). Canadian charter of rights and freedoms. Retrieved from http://publications.gc.ca/collections/Collection/CH37-4-3-2002E.pdf.

  • Hardin, G. (1999). The tragedy of the commons. In Mark J. Smith (Ed.), Thinking through the environment: A reader (pp. 251–259). New York, NY: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Herman, J., & Yeh, J. (1983). Some effects of parent involvement in schools. The Urban Review, 15(1), 11–17.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hess, R., & Holloway, S. (1984). Family and school as educational institutions. In R. Parke (Ed.), Review of child development research (Vol. 7, pp. 179–222)., The family Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hoover-Dempsey, K., & Sandler, H. (1997). Why do parents become involved in their children’s education? Review of Educational Research, 67(3), 3–42. doi:10.3102/00346543067001003.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hutchins, A. (2015). Just say ‘non’: The problem with French immersion. Maclean’s, 128(12), 16–20. Retrieved from http://www.macleans.ca/education/just-say-non-the-problem-with-french-immersion.

  • Kachur, J. (1999). Privatizing public choice: The rise of charter schooling in Alberta. In T. Harrison & J. Kachur (Eds.), Contested classrooms: Education, globalization and democracy in Alberta (pp. 107–122). Edmonton, AB: University of Alberta Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lareau, A. (1987). Social class differences in family-school relationships: The importance of cultural capital. Sociology of Education, 60(2), 73–85.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lareau, A. (2000). Home advantage: Social class and parental intervention in elementary education. New York, NY: Rowman & Littlefield.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lareau, A. (2011). Unequal childhoods: Class, race and family life (2nd ed.). Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lareau, A., & Cox, A. (2011). Social class and the transition to adulthood: Differences in parents’ interactions with institutions. In M. Carlson & P. England (Eds.), Social class and changing families in an unequal America (pp. 134–164). Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lareau, A., & McNamara Horvat, E. (1999). Moments of social inclusion and exclusion: Race, class, and cultural capital in family-school relationships. Sociology of Education, 72(1), 37–53.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lareau, A., & Munoz, V. (2012). “You’re not going to call the shots”: Structural conflicts between the principal and the PTO at a suburban public elementary school. Sociology of Education, 85(3), 201–218. doi:10.1177/0038040711435855.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lareau, A., & Shumar, W. (1996). The problem of individualism in family-school policies. Sociology of Education: Extra Issue: Special Issue on Sociology and Educational Policy: Bringing Scholarship and Practice Together, 69, 24–39.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lareau, A., & Weininger, E. (2008). Class and the transition to adulthood. In A. Lareau & D. Conley (Eds.), Social class: How does it work? (pp. 118–151). New York, NY: Russell Sage Foundation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Madzanire, D., & Mashava, R. (2012). Dangerous schools and the rise of parentocracy. Journal of Sociological Research, 3(2), 414–427.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Makropoulos, J. (2009). Gaining access to late French-immersion programs: Class-based perspectives of Canadian students in an Ottawa high school. Bilingual Research Journal: The Journal of the National Association for Bilingual Education, 32(3), 317–330. doi:10.1090/152358809003378941.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Manitoba Education. (2014). Schools in Manitoba: Schools of choice. Retrieved from http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/schools/choice/.

  • Martin, N. (2014, November 17). WSD chairman spurns idea of school swap: French program running our of program space. Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved from http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/wsd-chairman-spurns-idea-of-school-swap-282901881.html.

  • Martin, N. (2015, June 29). French-language education needs prompt action: St. James-Assiniboia eyes more changes. Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved from http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/french-language-education-needs-prompt-action-310589491.html.

  • Mattingly, D., Prislin, R., McKenzie, T., Rodriguez, J., & Kayzar, B. (2002). Evaluating evaluations: The case of parent involvement in programs. Review of Educational Research, 72(4), 549–576.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McNamara Horvat, E., Weininger, E., & Lareau, A. (2003). From social ties to social capital: Class differences in the relations between schools and parent networks. American Educational Research Journal, 40(2), 319–351.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Okuma-Nyström, M. K. (2005). Limited freedom of choice: Cases of high schools in Stockholm and Tokyo. Education and Society, 28(1), 57–73.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ong, A. (2014, Mar. 30). Beware growing ‘parentocracy’: NIE don. The Sunday Times. Retrieved from http://4i14i2el2014.wiki.hci.edu.sg/file/view/20140330-st-beware-growing-parentocracy.pdf.

  • Paquette, J. (2005). Public funding for “private” education: The equity challenge of enhanced choice. American Journal of Education: School choice, 111(4), 568–595.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Poikolainen, J. (2012). A case study of parents’ school choice strategies in a Finnish urban context. European Educational Research Journal, 11(1), 127–144.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Power, S., & Whitty, G. (2006). Education and the middle class: A complex but crucial case for the sociology of education. In H. Lauder, P. Brown, J. Dillabough, & A. Halsey (Eds.), Education, globalization and social change (pp. 446–453). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smala, S., Paz, J., & Lingard, B. (2013). Languages, cultural capital and school choice: Distinction and second-language immersion programmes. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 34(3), 373–391.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Swedberg, R. (2001). Sociology and game theory: Contemporary and historical perspectives. Theory and Society, 30(3), 301–335.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tett, L., & Crowther, J. (1998). Families at a disadvantage: Class, culture and literacies. British Educational Research Journal, 24(4), 449–460.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Troman, G. (2000). Teacher stress in the low-trust society. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 21(3), 331–353. doi:10.1080/713655357.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Turner, R. (1960). Sponsored and contest ability and the school system. American Sociological Review, 25(6), 855–867.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • van Zanten, A. (2005). New modes of reproducing social inequality in education: the changing roles of parents, teachers, schools and educational policies. European Educational Research Journal, 4(3), 155–169.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • van Zanten, A., & Darchy-Koechlin, B. (2005). Parentocracie et marché contre méritocratie. Le Monde de l’éducation, 340, 18–19.

    Google Scholar 

  • Warrington, M. (2005). Mirage in the desert? Access to educational opportunities in an area of social exclusion. Antipode, 37(4), 796–816.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weber, M. (1978). Economy and society: An outline of interpretive sociology. G. Roth & C. Wittich (Eds.). Los Angeles, CA: University of California Press (Original work published in 1956).

  • Weininger, E., & Lareau, A. (2003). Translating Bourdieu into the American context: the question of social class and family-school relations. Poetics, 31(5–6), 375–402. doi:10.1016/S0304-422X(03)00034-2.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weis, L., & Cipollone, A. (2013). ‘Class work’: Producing privilege and social mobility in elite US secondary schools. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 34(5–6), 701–722. doi:10.1080/01425692.2013.816037.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • West, A., David, M., Hailes, J., & Ribbens, J. (1995). Parents and the process for choosing secondary schools: Implications for schools. Educational Management, Administration and Leadership, 23(1), 28–38. doi:10.1177/174114329502300104.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Windle, J. (2009). The limits of school choice: some implications for accountability of selective practices and positional competition in Australian education. Critical Studies in Education, 50(3), 231–246. doi:10.1080/17508480903009566.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wrigley, J. (2000). Foreword. In A. Lareau (Ed.), Home advantage: Social class and parental intervention in elementary education (pp. viii–xvi). New York, NY: Rowman & Littlefield.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yamashita, J. & Ohmori, A. (2009). Assessing the evidence of school choice: A case study of Japan using a statistical model. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the 53rd Annual Conference of the Comparative and International Education Society, Charleston, SC. Retrieved from http://citation.allacademic.com/meta/p302778_index.html.

Download references

Funding

The authors declare that they received no funding for the present article.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculté d’éducation, Université de Saint-Boniface, 200 avenue de la Cathédrale, Winnipeg, MB, R2H 0H7, Canada

    Corinne E. Barrett DeWiele

  2. Department of Sociology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, R3T 2N2, Canada

    Jason D. Edgerton

Authors
  1. Corinne E. Barrett DeWiele
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jason D. Edgerton
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Corinne E. Barrett DeWiele.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Barrett DeWiele, C.E., Edgerton, J.D. Parentocracy Revisited: Still a Relevant Concept for Understanding Middle Class Educational Advantage?. Interchange 47, 189–210 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10780-015-9261-7

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10780-015-9261-7

Keywords

Search

Navigation