Parent surveillance in schools: A question of social class

Abstract

Because teachers work in relatively closed classroom spaces, they are notoriously difficult for administrators or parents to observe. At the same time, middle-class parents have demonstrated an interest in "opening" the closed classroom door. Findings from this research suggest that surveilling parents provided advantages for their child during the school day. Using their social networks, middle-class and socially connected working-class parents from this study increased levels of informal teacher surveillance by closely monitoring teachers in classrooms. Teachers, in turn, felt watched by surveilling parents. Poor parents and isolated working-class parents with little access to information about their child's classroom relied on teachers for mentorship. In order to isolate class differences, which are easily conflated with race differences, this study investigates a school with all African American families. This study identifies interactional mechanisms dependent on parent social class that facilitate unequal levels of everyday teacher surveillance in classrooms, securing school advantages for middle-class children. © 2009 by The University of Chicago. All rights reserved.