Analysis of the "School distance” of parents: Depth and broadening of the scope of study

Résumé

Through four socio-clinical institutional investigations, we wanted to show that broadening the scope of the research and varying its depth were necessary to objectify the school dynamics, in order to study the supposed distance between the so-called low class parents and school, in comparison with middle and higher class parents. We studied the relationships between parents and primary school teachers, but worked also with popular education associations on an informal basis and made an approach through other professi onals external to the institution on different grounds (support groups, workshop for parents, etc.). We observed that the parents’ distance, in particular fathers’, should be questioned when the cooperation patterns are broadened and take place in an egalitarian framework, and that this apparent lack of contact does not take into consideration the parents’ involvement in their children’s scholarship at home and out of the School.