ABSTRACT
In Norway, parents’ rights to be part of and influence their children’s schooling are emphasised in governmental education policy documents and stated in law through the Education Act. In theory, therefore, Norwegian parents have a lot of say in their child’s education. This chapter makes clear, however, that there is a tension between ideals and realities when it comes to parents’ actual opportunities to contribute in school. Furthermore, it presents recent research on how parental involvement is included in teacher education in Norway. The research shows a lack of attention on topics related to home–school cooperation in teacher education programmes in Norway. Additionally, when such topics are addressed, the focus is often on teaching the students methods to cope with parents and ways to relate to parents in a professional manner, rather than teaching students how to engage parents as partners in their learning processes.
