Abstracts
Abstract
Over the last three decades many countries made efforts to improve their education systems by increasing students’ academic achievement. A new appreciation of inequality in education among policymakers provided impetus to focus on equity. Parental involvement and engagement in education are vital for students’ academic achievement. If in the context of educational policy, excellence and equity go together, what is the role assigned to parents? A critical policy analysis of seven policy documents from Ontario and Scotland showed that policies acknowledge the crucial role of parents in achieving educational excellence and mention barriers marginalized parents face in engaging with their children’s education. The role of White middle-class nonimmigrant parents in pursuing excellence for their children at the expense of equity for all is neglected. Marginalized parents are seen through the deficit lens. Implications for policy include making parents from dominant groups visible and adopting an asset-based approach to marginalized parents.
Keywords:
- parental engagement,
- excellence,
- equity,
- critical policy analysis
Résumé
Depuis les trois dernières décennies, de nombreux pays sont à pied d’oeuvre pour améliorer leurs systèmes éducatifs en amplifiant les résultats scolaires des étudiants. Une nouvelle appréciation de l’inégalité dans l’éducation par les décideurs politiques les a incité à se concentrer sur l’équité. L’implication et l’engagement des parents dans l’éducation sont essentiels à la réussite scolaire des élèves. Si, dans le contexte de la politique éducative, l’excellence et l’équité vont de pair, quel est le rôle assigné aux parents? Une analyse critique de sept documents de politique en provenance de l’Ontario et de l’Écosse a démontré que les politiques reconnaissent le rôle crucial des parents dans la réalisation de l’excellence éducative et mentionnent les obstacles auxquels les parents marginalisés sont confrontés lorsqu’ils s’impliquent dans l’éducation de leurs enfants. Le rôle que jouent les parents de race blanche non-immigrés de classe moyenne dans la poursuite de l’excellence de leurs enfants au détriment de l’équité pour tous est négligé. Les parents marginalisés sont perçus sous l’angle du déficit. Les implications pour l’élaboration de politique sont de rendre visibles les parents des groupes dominants et d’adopter une approche basée sur les atouts pour les parents marginalisés.
Mots-clés :
- engagement parental,
- excellence,
- équité,
- analyse critique des politiques
Appendices
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