Schools still believe that students have a mother and father who are together, who are completely different parents.

In 1987, Britain’s researcher How the schools were organized “The nuclear family around the notion is ideal.” Families who did not fit this model, were “either ignored (cleverly) or classified as unusual.”

Since then many generations have passed through schools. And as we know, it is very common for parents to be separate or divorced. In Australia, about 28% of children under the age of 14 There are parents who have separated.

But in Our new researchIn the last 40 years, the interview report in schools interaction with different parents has surprisingly reduced.

They say that schools still consider the nuclear family as a default and believe that students have a mam and father who are together.

Schools are busy with ‘primary parents’

We interviewed 11 different parents about our experiences with our children’s schools. These parents were a subgroup From our previous studyIn which it was found that more than half of different parents were conducted, their children had negative experiences with teachers, principals and school administrators.

Our interviewers repeatedly talked about how the school information system (whether they are for private or public schools) needed families to identify “primary parents”.

It was the parent, whom the school had approached if the child was unwell or discussed the issue related to the school. This parents also get all school-related communications: newspapers, excursions notes, medical updates, report cards and challans for school fees.

It seems that there was no way to accommodate diverse families for school systems, for which it was more complicated to identify “primary parents”.

Many different parents said that they need to “combat” the school to get updates and information as the nominated primary parents. The contact details of a father were to be recorded in the system’s allergic advice section, as he should be contacted if his child becomes unwell.

Another father told us that his child’s school emphasized the “need to be a mother” to the primary parents, even if they were majority care.

Parents can be kept in darkness

The type, amount and time of non-primary parent’s information depends primarily on their relationship with their pre-partner. For the cordially different parents, the situation was difficult but working. As Amanda told us:

“(One of the biggest challenges) is trying to work ‘Do you get this email?” ‘Did you find that one?’ ‘What has happened to this note?’ And then how to work among themselves how the best manage is if only one of us is getting information.

But in high-struggle conditions, parents sometimes closed themselves themselves by other parents or school.

Even though there were no court orders, Michael said that the mother of her children removed her from school communication and withdrew information, making it impossible for her to actively involve her children’s schooling.

“When I approached the school and said, you know that I was either not getting any information or that all notices were not suddenly coming to me, he said, ‘Oh, we are not going to join it. Are.’ And so, I was completely abandoned by it.

Conditions can be manipulated

Parents also told that primary parents can manipulate school conversations. In high-struggle relationships, school information can be used to increase a parent in power.

Then, Michael explained how his children gave important information about school fees and homework. His former-partner’s legal team to use his fee and lack of signature in a homework book to display Michael’s lack of engagement in his child’s schooling and show his negligence as parents. Used lack of his non-paying.

This is an extreme example. However, Michael’s status talks to the complex politics of parents -school engagement.

While some parents found teachers open and receptive to involve both parents, others reported some teachers about “taking the parties” and for the requests of the parents for the basic school-related information. Can be universal.

What about stepmother parents?

Some parents became step parents after participating in our study again. These parents explained that they were heavily involved in their step-child’s day-to-day life, but the school did not recognize them as parents’ figures.

Charan-Mata-father did not have access to basic information about parents-teacher interviews and school reports, or even school activities. Accepting the primacy of the biological parents, the stepmother wonder why the school could not include all the parents figures in the education of a child.

As Mitchell explained: “I think it takes a little time to be fully identified as parents or carefuls (…) (…) It’s just that it would have been good if it would have been good if from school A conscious effort would have been slightly higher. “

Atomic family is still seen as ‘normal’

Working with different parents is not a new event for schools, it is an area in which schools have made very little progress.

Our research shows that schools require more effective policies and procedures to include and include all parents. Schools also require better support and education for employees to manage high-struggle co-rearing relations.

Finally, school systems, including data infrastructure and software, should be able to adjust and accept diverse families properly.

As mentioned in the 1987 study: “Teachers, parents and students have no option but to maintain imagination until each school defines the family’s philosophy in a realistic way. Is that nuclear family is normal. “

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