ABSTRACT
There is a long history of sociological writing which sees the educational system as being central to the question of the distribution of advantage and disadvantage within society (see for example, Jackson and Marsden, 1962; Willis, 1977; Halsey et al, 1980; Connell et al, 1982; Gewirtz et al., 1995). However, few studies of cultural reproduction have attempted a ‘gendered’ analysis of parental involvement in such a process; in other words, examined the differences between men and women in the way they relate to school in their dealings with it as parent. Even fewer have included ‘race’ within their discussion. This chapter attempts both through a focus on the home-school relationship as a key element to cultural reproduction.
