This Article Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: 0042085907305037v1 0042085907305037v2 43/3/394    most recent References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Addi-Raccah, A. Articles by Arviv-Elyashiv, R. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                   What's this?

Parent Empowerment and Teacher Professionalism

Teachers' Perspective

Tel Aviv University, Israel

Rinate Arviv-Elyashiv

Tel Aviv University, Israel

School decentralization, which has reshaped power relations in the educational system, has empowered teachers and parents. Taking Abbott's approach to professions, the authors examine teachers' perceptions of the implications of parents' empowerment for teacher—parent relations. In-depth interviews with homeroom teachers in affluent urban elementary schools revealed that teachers favored parents' involvement but also felt vulnerable to the increasing influence of parents, who scrutinized their work and encroached on their professional domain. To counter this, teachers employed political means: open communication and transparency to boost parents' confidence and trust in their teaching skills or diplomacy to avoid conflicts. This study suggests that, at times of school reform, teachers should develop political tasks to preserve their control over their profession.

Key Words: teacher empowerment • parental involvement • professionalism • school decentralization

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?