Conference 2000Greece
Parental Participation in Education -
Greece
1.1.
School Family Collaboration as an Educational Issue
Education
takes place within a world context of interactions
and between several social groups, such as family,
community, nation, culture and the education system
in each country. Family as the initial and basic
human group in which the child is born has been
traditionally thought to be the most influential and
most important factor for children’s upbringing
and education mostly during infancy and childhood.
From
antiquity (ancient Greece and Rome) the family had a
central place for children’s development
(biological, psychological, social and moral) and
this is more true for the Byzantine (East) and Middle
Ages (West) historical period under the influence of
Christianity (Kroustakis, 1995, p 78 - 79). Socrates
was the first who criticised sharply the parents who
looked to acquire wealth but did not care to find
teachers who will train their sons how to deal with
it and who neglect both their own and their
children’s moral education (Plato, Kletofon
407A-408C).
Recently
parental involvement in education has become
increasingly a central issue for discussion. Schools
are no longer believed to be the only factor that can
provide the whole of children’s education or can
compensate for disadvantageous backgrounds on their
own and unaided by the families. Parents are thought
to be an integral part of the education process and a
school could only realistically seek educational
objectives in partnership with them. As has been
pointed out most of a child’s education happens
outside school. About 85% of his waking life from
birth to 16 years is spent out of school and much
out-of-school learning (especially in the early
years) is in-home learning, often deliberate and
reinforced by emotional ties of the family and
examples set by other members of it (Macbeth, 1988,
page 72).
Most
countries place legal responsibility for the
education of the individual child on his/her parents,
providing prescription of their duties and rights. As
a result a variety of models of links between home
and school have been suggested based on the concept
of education that is thought to include
home-learning, school-learning and
community-learning.
One of
the models explaining the family and school
interaction is that which draws a distinction between
the family-social sphere and the scholastic sphere of
education. Each has natural factors (human relations)
and technical factors (formal teaching and learning).
Thus teaching is recognised as something which
happens in the home as well as in the school. This
model goes on to assert that each sphere has aspects
which are exclusive to parents and exclusive to
teachers.
Macbeth
(1988) summarises ideas for research about parental
participation in education and still open for
discussion are: to what extent are parents aware
about their responsibility for their children’s
education; what is the best model of communication
and co-operation between parents and teachers, and
what are the roles of parent associations and
parent-teacher associations?
2.1
Relevant Studies
The
concept of family/school partnership has received
support from European associations of parents,
teachers and pupils. One example is the declaration
jointly signed in Copenhagen on 24 November 1996 by
the European Parents Association and the European
Syndicate Committee of Education, which emphasised
that collaboration between parents, teachers and
administrative staff is a factor in developing good
quality education and training. Another confirmation
of the value of parental involvement came from the
"Parents and Partners" conference organised
under the British Presidency of EU in Edinburgh on
26-27 February 1998. This included presentation of
various strategies and methods that have been
developed to encourage the participation of parents
and to make the most of their contribution to raising
school standards. "The Role of Parents in the
Education System of the European Union",
published recently by Eurydice shows that parents
throughout Europe find themselves increasingly
involved in the management of education, at an
advisory, or sometimes even decision-making level.
All
European countries have developed policies in favour
of the involvement of parents collectively within
their education systems. This is mainly illustrated
by the creation of different representative bodies at
school level. At central, regional or local level,
councils with parent participation are mainly of an
advisory nature. Parents’ representatives have
the right to be informed and give their opinion. The
kinds of decisions taken by most participatory bodies
in schools throughout Europe refer to matters of
internal and day-to-day management, such as
expenditure or maintaining good parent-teacher
relations. For some other types decision making
however, (such as those linked to the allocation of
the school’s budget, the number of teachers to
be employed and their recruitment, as well as
establishing the curriculum and teaching methods),
parent participation is not widespread. Only half of
the European Countries (including Greece) have
entrusted these decisions, at least in part, to
school councils with parent representation (Delhaxe,
1998).
Some
empirical studies in Greece have indicated that
mutual understanding and collaboration between
parents and teachers on some educational matters can
be very effective. In one study 75 nursery school
teachers, 566 primary school teachers and 566 parents
were asked to estimate (on a scale 0-3) 13
differences between home and primary school and 16
differences between nursery school and primary school
as to the degree each difference causes difficulties
to the children in their adjustment to the first
grade. The subjects were also asked to estimate
(using the same scale) 13 pedagogical strategies for
smoothing transfer to the primary school in terms of
the degree each may contribute positively to the
transition procedure. A significant degree of
concordance was found in the perspectives of the
three groups of subjects concerning the differences
between home and school and nursery and primary
school as well as in the strategies of smoothing
transfer and adjustment to primary school
(Kakavoulis, 1994).
In
another study it was found that teachers welcome
co-operation with parents, but sometimes parents are
indifferent or want to intervene in teachers’
duties and roles (Frederikou and Folerou-Tserouli,
1991.
Other
empirical studies have shown that, in practice,
participation of parents in educational procedures
improves the students’ achievement (Henderson,
1981). In a study of the effects of parents’
involvement in early childhood education it was found
that children seeing their parents to be actively
engaged in nursery school activities increased their
own willingness to participate. Children understand
that in this way their parents show appreciation and
value of their school and education and provide
reinforcement (Morrison, 1988). Similar effects were
found in a Greek study. (Apostolopoulou and
Kordistou, 1998). It must be pointed out however that
the success of parental involvement in education
depends to a great extent on how well the school
organises their participation (Morrison, 1978).
3.1
Current legislation
Until
recently the only legal provision was the
responsibility of parents to guarantee the enrolment
and attendance of their children at school during the
age of compulsory education 6-15 years. In 1985 for
first time a legal system of parental participation
in education was established by the educational law
1566/1985. The following councils and committees were
set up in which representatives of parents’
associations participated as members (article 52).
(a)
National Council of Education
This is
a body of representatives of some ministries
(Education, Financial, Culture, Social Welfare, Work,
Industry) of all political parties, of the Church, of
Municipalities of several Associations including a
representative of the Greek General Confederation
of Parents. The N.C.E. makes recommendations to
the Government on issues of educational policy for
all levels of schooling, culture, lifelong education
and adult education.
(b)
Prefectural Council of Education
In each
Prefecture a council of education is established
including the prefect (as president), school
councillors, the administrative directors of Primary
and Secondary Education and the representatives of
some other associations including the Local
Federation of Parents. This council makes
recommendations to the prefect issues on matters
covering local education, such as school libraries,
seminars for parents, establishing or closing schools
and others.
(c)
Municipal Committee of Education
In each
municipality or community a committee of education is
established in which the president is the Mayor and
members include a headmaster of a primary school, a
headmaster of a secondary school and representatives
of some other bodies including the Parents Union.
This committee makes recommendations to the Mayor on
issues of local education, such as ways of better
organising and functioning of schools etc.
(d)
School Council
In each
state school a council is established and consists of
all members of the teaching staff, all members of
the Board of Parents Association of the School
and representatives of the students. The School
Council provides for the good function of the school,
the establishment of ways of mutual communication
between teachers and parents and the sanitary
conditions of both the school and the pupils.
(e)
School Committee
In each
state school a committee is established and consists
of the head teacher, a representative of the
Municipality, a representative of the Parents
Association of the School and a representative of
the pupils. The school committee manages the
financial expenses and provisions of the school and
provides for its good function.
4.1
Parent Organisation
A
pre-requisite for the participation of parents in the
above councils and committees is the formation and
function of the parents associations as official
legal bodies. According to the same law (article 53)
the parents of the pupils of each state school
compose one parents association. The selection
of the representatives of the parents to the above
councils and committees takes place in a general
meeting of the members of the association of each
school. The administrative board of the parent
association is elected by secret vote.
The
parent associations of the schools of a Municipality
will form themselves into a Parents Union, in
which each parent association is represented by at
least one member. The parent associations of a
Prefecture form themselves into a Federation of
Parents, in which each Parents Union is represented
by at least one member. The Federations of parents of
the whole country form themselves into one
Confederation of Parents, in which each Federation of
Parents is represented by at least one member. Such
provisions are applied only to the parents of the
pupils of state schools. In each private school the
teaching staff and the administrative board of the
parents association form the school council.
5.1 Links
between the Family and the School
Family
and school are thought to be the main factors of the
socialisation of the child and for this reason they
are expected to co-operate very closely. According to
law parents are responsible for the education of
their children. They have to enrol their children in
the school of the district they live in when they
reach the age of primary school entrance (51/2-61/2
years) and they have to ensure their regular
attendance at school until they complete at least the
9 years compulsory education or their 16th year of
age. Parents are expected to develop a scheme of
close co-operation with teachers in order to
contribute more positively to the education of their
children.
The
planning and the application of educational policy is
a responsibility of the state which decides on such
issues as the aims of education, the teaching
subjects, the curricula, the training of the
teachers, the duties and the rights of the teachers,
the assessment procedures, the relations between
school and society, the public expenses for education
and others. The policy of education however and the
school practice and function are influenced by the
presence of some other social factors such as
syndicates of teachers, parent associations, pupil
communities and political parties. The relations
between the two factors are implemented by both legal
participation of the parents in the associations
described and the informal communication and
co-operation between parents and teachers over
matters concerning the individual children.
Apart
from their main teaching and administrative duties
teachers have to organise meetings for parents to
discuss with them particular educational matters and
the way in which each can contribute to a better
result in children’s education. These create a
positive climate for co-operation about the
child’s attendance, behaviour and achievement at
school as well as his/her behaviour or difficulties
at home.
The
school staff may also have joint meetings with
parents’ and pupils’ representatives to
discuss more general issues. The School Advisors,
apart from their main duties, may organise meetings
with parents to discuss with them ways to deal with
matters such as education, learning and co-operation
between school and family.
6.1
Rights and Duties of Parents
Parents
do not have the right to choose the school for their
children. They have to enrol them in the school of
the district of their permanent address. The
enrolment in a school of another district is allowed
only in exceptional cases. This restriction is not
applied to private schools or state experimental
schools.
Parents
bring to school the qualifications for his/her
children’s enrolment in the first grade of
primary school (beginning of compulsory schooling).
At the end of each semester (three month period) the
school issues the progress report for each child and
hands it to the parents to be informed about his/her
achievement and behaviour at school. The head teacher
may take special measures to create good relations
between school and family and may invite the parents
to a special meeting to discuss with them matters of
attendance, behaviour and achievement and exchange
ideas on the school work, homework and other
problems.
For
secondary education the parent of each pupil has to
visit the head teacher of the school each year,
before the beginning of classes, and hands in an
official statement that he/she is the legal patron.
The parent has to visit the school to be informed
about his/her child’s attendance and
achievement. If the parent does not visit the school,
then the report is sent to him at home. The teaching
staff, the Head Teacher and the School Advisors may
also invite the parents to special meetings to
discuss problems of attendance, achievement and
behaviour.
7.1 The
Real Situation
Apart
from these legal provisions the real situation
concerning the links between the family and the
school appears to take several forms according to the
initiatives coming from the parents or, the school,
or both. The parents of the primary school pupils
have more frequent contact with the teachers,
compared with the parents of the gymnasium (12 - 15
years) or the lyceum (15 - 18 years) pupils. This is
due to the fact that young children need more
protection and care from the family. The younger the
children the more frequently the parents visit the
school. The most significant visit of parents is when
they attend different celebrations (religious,
national, social) in which their children have a part
to perform and when they are invited to be informed
about their children’s achievement and receive
their progress report.
Each
parent can visit his/her child’s teacher for any
reason, when he/she asks for and sometimes without
any appointment. Many schools have fixed days for the
reception of parents, mostly twice or once a month.
In some schools the teaching staff take the
initiative to organise meetings with parents to
discuss special educational problems, while, in some
others, the parents’ association takes the
initiative to organise meetings with the teachers.
At the
secondary schools the contacts between school and
family are less frequent. In most cases a parent is
called to visit the school to be informed about some
problems of attendance, conduct or achievement of the
child. This is the case mostly in lyceums
(Papazoglou, 1984).
The
parents associations are important social influences
upon the education system as a whole. Their power has
been increased recently as they have become larger
and have developed activities in co-operation with
the teachers. They fight also for better links
between school and society and the protection of
children from the dangers and negative influences
such as drugs, sexual abuse, criminality. After the
legal status they obtained in 1985 they are
recognised officially as an important partner in
education.
8.1
Conclusion
Parental
participation in the educational process seems to
become increasingly a central issue of discussion
nowadays. Traditionally close contact and
co-operation between home and school was thought to
be a sine qua non pre-requisite for achieving the
educational objectives for the individual child. Most
countries place responsibility for the education of
all children to their parents and some have
established a legal system of parental participation
in decision-making of educational policy.
Recent
studies have shown that mutual understanding and
collaboration on educational matters on the level of
the school are both possible and effective and that
participation of parents in school activities
improves the students’ achievement and
willingness to participate actively to school
learning activities.
In
Greece since 1985 a legal system of parental
participation in education is operating and parent
associations are exerting a powerful influence in
education policy and school functioning. They
participate with representatives to educational
councils and committees in all levels, and promote
close links with the school and the teachers of their
children. Although these are important developments
it remains a long way off until parental
participation in education works as a well organised
system in which all are involved, contributing
positively to create close links and co-operation
between the school and the family.
Alexandros
K Kakavoulis
References
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407A-408C.
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