ABSTRACT
This chapter identifies the role of family and community in the education of China's students, and describes the way in which each interacts with the primary source of educational direction in China–the teacher in the classroom. The participation of parents in their children's education should not be underestimated, however, since it does occur in various fashions and to various degrees. Yet another form of regularized communication between parents and teachers occurs through the medium of the student workbook or a special notebook in which messages are sent from the teacher to the student' s family. More specifically, students are expected to inform their parents of their perception of their own progress and to undertake a self-evaluation of their academic work, political attitude, and general behavior. Thus the phrases "errant behavior" and "slow learner" have no solid operational meaning in the context of Chinese education.
