Introduction

Working through the literature on the history of home-school relations can sometimes seem a little like dipping into The Odyssey. The pages are full of myths of epic proportions: working-class children underachieve because their parents do not talk to them enough or prepare them properly for school; only middleclass parents are interested in their children's schooling; teachers are the only people equipped to deal with the core curriculum. There are also some epic confrontations: parent groups requiring greater accountability from schools; teachers involving parents from all backgrounds in the teaching of reading and other activities which have traditionally been the preserve of 'professionals', in spite of opposition from teachers' unions and more conservative colleagues.