Periodic Reporting for period 1 - PARENT_CITIZENS (Schools of Citizenship: Parent Councils at Public Schools in Italy, Spain, and France)
Reporting period: 2022-09-01 to 2024-08-31
PARENT CITIZNES examines the role of parent councils in public schools as potential sites for civic integration of immigrant parents in Italy, Spain, and France. The research addresses a gap in current civic education initiatives, which primarily target school children rather than parents. Given that schools are a primary public institution where immigrants interact with others and participate civically, parent councils offer a unique opportunity for civic education and integration. The research objectives include:
1. Mapping the institutional development and membership of parent councils (S01)
2. Analyzing how parent councils use online platforms to promote or challenge civic integration narratives (S02)
3. Exploring immigrant parents' lived experiences and perceptions of parent councils (S03)
4. Identifying best practices for civic integration through parent council activities (S04)
The study employs a mixed-method approach, combining archival analysis, semi-structured interviews, and qualitative surveys to gather comprehensive data. This interdisciplinary project bridges education, sociology, and political science to provide insights for national educational policies and local NGOs regarding immigrant populations' needs and institutional arrangements for parents in public schools.
1. Mapping the institutional development and membership of parent councils (S01)
2. Analyzing how parent councils use online platforms to promote or challenge civic integration narratives (S02)
3. Exploring immigrant parents' lived experiences and perceptions of parent councils (S03)
4. Identifying best practices for civic integration through parent council activities (S04)
The study employs a mixed-method approach, combining archival analysis, semi-structured interviews, and qualitative surveys to gather comprehensive data. This interdisciplinary project bridges education, sociology, and political science to provide insights for national educational policies and local NGOs regarding immigrant populations' needs and institutional arrangements for parents in public schools.
PARENT CITIZENS has successfully met its objectives concerning the participation of immigrant parents in public schools across Italy, Spain, and France, with minimal deviations. The study aimed to explore how immigrant parents integrate into their communities through school participation, while also examining the dynamics of native-born parents' involvement. A key focus was on the variations in parent participation within school decision-making councils across the three countries.
The first phase of the investigation utilized four primary data sources: academic literature, legal codes, newspaper periodicals, and web content. Findings indicated that national laws establishing parent councils were enacted at distinct historical junctures in each country, influenced by broader educational reforms. For instance, Italy's councils were formalized in 1974 under significant educational reforms, while Spain and France saw similar developments in 1985.To contextualize the legal frameworks, a collection of approximately 50 newspaper articles per country was conducted, focusing on the periods leading up to and following the legislative changes. This analysis showed a consistent media pattern of anticipation and subsequent reflection on the laws, enhancing understanding of the socio-political climate at the time. The specific objectives included mapping the institutional development of parent councils (SO1) and examining their online engagement (SO2). SO1 resulted in a peer-reviewed article currently under review entitled "Participatory Remiss: School Democratization in Italy, Spain, and Beyond.” This article highlights how the reforms in parent councils correlate with participatory democracy movements, showcasing the inclusion of ordinary citizens in educational governance—a perspective often overlooked in existing democratic theory literature. In addressing the use of media, it became evident that online platforms like social media were not extensively utilized by parent councils for communication. Consequently, additional data sources were identified, such as school planning documents on school websites and WhatsApp groups.The planning documents provide insights into how schools program and characterize immigrant populations, while WhatsApp groups serve as informal communication platforms for parents, enhancing community interaction and directly influencing immigrant parent integration.
In the second phase, the project aimed to understand the experiences of immigrant parents on parent councils by focusing on their modes of experiential learning (S03, S04). The research utilized qualitative methods, gathering data through participant observations, semi-structured interviews, and a survey across six case schools—four primary schools in Genova, Florence, Barcelona, and Paris, as well as two high schools in Italy. Initially, the project was designed to include two case schools per country, but it evolved to incorporate two high schools and two primary schools in Italy. This allowed for a richer comparison between educational levels. The qualitative data collection began with participant observations, which proved essential for understanding the institutional dynamics of schools and to build rapport with parents and teachers. Fifty-one semi-structured interviews were conducted with parents and teachers. These interviews produced a significant qualitative dataset in Italian, Spanish, and French, totaling approximately 500,000 words. The interviews explored ten key themes, such as school selection, interactions with school staff, experiences on councils, and participation in digital platforms like WhatsApp. This multi-lingual dataset aims to shed light on the complex social interactions within the school environment. Additionally, a survey with 61 school parents in Italy complemented the semi-structured interviews. The survey focused on key inquiries relevant to the project's objectives, particularly concerning inclusive and exclusive communication patterns. The survey gathered insights on institutional participation and best practices for integrating immigrant parents.
The first phase of the investigation utilized four primary data sources: academic literature, legal codes, newspaper periodicals, and web content. Findings indicated that national laws establishing parent councils were enacted at distinct historical junctures in each country, influenced by broader educational reforms. For instance, Italy's councils were formalized in 1974 under significant educational reforms, while Spain and France saw similar developments in 1985.To contextualize the legal frameworks, a collection of approximately 50 newspaper articles per country was conducted, focusing on the periods leading up to and following the legislative changes. This analysis showed a consistent media pattern of anticipation and subsequent reflection on the laws, enhancing understanding of the socio-political climate at the time. The specific objectives included mapping the institutional development of parent councils (SO1) and examining their online engagement (SO2). SO1 resulted in a peer-reviewed article currently under review entitled "Participatory Remiss: School Democratization in Italy, Spain, and Beyond.” This article highlights how the reforms in parent councils correlate with participatory democracy movements, showcasing the inclusion of ordinary citizens in educational governance—a perspective often overlooked in existing democratic theory literature. In addressing the use of media, it became evident that online platforms like social media were not extensively utilized by parent councils for communication. Consequently, additional data sources were identified, such as school planning documents on school websites and WhatsApp groups.The planning documents provide insights into how schools program and characterize immigrant populations, while WhatsApp groups serve as informal communication platforms for parents, enhancing community interaction and directly influencing immigrant parent integration.
In the second phase, the project aimed to understand the experiences of immigrant parents on parent councils by focusing on their modes of experiential learning (S03, S04). The research utilized qualitative methods, gathering data through participant observations, semi-structured interviews, and a survey across six case schools—four primary schools in Genova, Florence, Barcelona, and Paris, as well as two high schools in Italy. Initially, the project was designed to include two case schools per country, but it evolved to incorporate two high schools and two primary schools in Italy. This allowed for a richer comparison between educational levels. The qualitative data collection began with participant observations, which proved essential for understanding the institutional dynamics of schools and to build rapport with parents and teachers. Fifty-one semi-structured interviews were conducted with parents and teachers. These interviews produced a significant qualitative dataset in Italian, Spanish, and French, totaling approximately 500,000 words. The interviews explored ten key themes, such as school selection, interactions with school staff, experiences on councils, and participation in digital platforms like WhatsApp. This multi-lingual dataset aims to shed light on the complex social interactions within the school environment. Additionally, a survey with 61 school parents in Italy complemented the semi-structured interviews. The survey focused on key inquiries relevant to the project's objectives, particularly concerning inclusive and exclusive communication patterns. The survey gathered insights on institutional participation and best practices for integrating immigrant parents.
The research is situated within the context of recent European initiatives promoting migrant civic education, such as the Council of Europe's Competences for Democratic Culture project. However, these initiatives have largely overlooked the role of migrant parents in civic education, focusing primarily on students and young people. PARENT CITIZENS builds on recent research showing that immigrant parents often participate in schools as much as native-born parents and that such participation contributes to civic integration. Aligned with the Horizon 2020 Societal Challenges project, particularly MIGRATION-04-2020, the study aims to develop inclusive and innovative practices for integrating recently arrived migrants into local communities. The study's focus on immigrant parents' experiences and the institutional development of parent councils across three countries provide valuable insights into the role of schools in fostering shared values of tolerance, respect, and citizenship among diverse populations.
There are two ways in which the work impacts the policy objectives of the European Union. First, immigrant integration is one of the primary political issues facing EU countries and the findings from this project demonstrate productive institutional means to integrate adult citizens via public schools and activities therein. Second, the project demonstrates that parent participation in schools is a sustainable institutional innovation and that policies that increase parent participation give genuine democratic opportunities to ordinary citizens where they are lacking in other institutions. The implications of understanding and disseminating democratic institutional learnings from public schools can impact city and regional policy making in participatory efforts such as participatory budgeting, voting, etc.. with citizens.
There are two ways in which the work impacts the policy objectives of the European Union. First, immigrant integration is one of the primary political issues facing EU countries and the findings from this project demonstrate productive institutional means to integrate adult citizens via public schools and activities therein. Second, the project demonstrates that parent participation in schools is a sustainable institutional innovation and that policies that increase parent participation give genuine democratic opportunities to ordinary citizens where they are lacking in other institutions. The implications of understanding and disseminating democratic institutional learnings from public schools can impact city and regional policy making in participatory efforts such as participatory budgeting, voting, etc.. with citizens.