ABSTRACT
Parents are adults who possess a variety of educational backgrounds, experiences, personalities, values, and beliefs, all of which influence their ways and means for parenting and consequently their interactions with schools. Teachers and other school personnel, however, are expected to work collaboratively with all parents of children in school settings, regardless of individual attributes parents may possess. Furthermore, school personnel will likely develop more harmonious relationships with parents possessing attributes that align with the norms of school cultures and the process of schooling in the United States. Tension arises when parental approaches to child rearing conflict with school policy, practices, and expectations of children and youth. Disagreement between schools and the home could conceivably exist around appropriate adult–child communication, discipline practices, importance of school attendance, or even the level of difficulty of academic work to which the child should be exposed.
