ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book aims to contribute the research literature, and is unique in its treatment of parental involvement as a feature of European education systems. It provides an in-depth examination of the European perspective on parental involvement in 11 countries, in a common broad analytical framework, with contributions from reputable academics working in this area in Cyprus, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. The book seeks to communicate the richness of and variation in national experiences, largely adopting a uniform template in order to tell the story. It presents critical insights into parental involvement across a range of European countries, as well as identify the challenges in disciplinary field. While both commonalities and differences exist with regard to parental involvement across European educational systems, there is a dearth of comparative and critical examination of the issue.
