The relationship between family and school: a comparative study in rural areas

Abstract

In spite of the fact that the family is the first socializing agency during childhood, at present the family does not play this role alone because other agents, such as the school, share this important function. 
Studies about the relationship between family and school are scarce especially in rural areas. Thus, it was important to carry out a descriptive-comparative study about the topic in two elementary schools in different rural areas. The information was obtained from the application of various interviews to mothers, teachers and students from 1^st to 6^th grade as well as from schools’ documents and complemented with ethnographic observations. 
The results show that families as well as students give great importance to school and have high educational expectations. The teachers‘ perceptions, however, are different. A high percentage of the teachers of one of the schools studied believe families do not perceive school as important and do not participate in school activities.