Abstract

NOGUEIRA, Maria Alice  and  COUTINHO, Priscila de Oliveira. Contemporary family-school relationships: new social configurations and the challenges of changing educational contexts. Educ. Rev. [online]. 2025, vol.41, e98626.  Epub Apr 14, 2025. ISSN 1984-0411.  https://doi.org/10.1590/1984-0411.98626.

The unavoidable social bond between school institutions and families has not always been a privileged object of analysis for the sociology of education. It was not until the 1950s that the family was widely considered in the field’s research, which focused on finding the social causes of inequalities in school performance. Subsequent studies in the 1960s and 1970s witnessed a progression in the sociological understanding of the role of family in transmitting social structures, which were determined by class factors and the congruence of these structures with the principles, practices, and attitudes demanded by the school and academic environment. While the relationship between family and school has been a subject of scientific study since the mid-20th century, it has only recently become the focus of specific public policies, particularly in the 1990s. In Brazil, since the early 2000s, the much-vaunted “family-school partnership” has been the focus of various regulatory instruments, government incentives, and private investments. This issue has seen a marked rise in prominence over the past two decades, as evidenced by the intensification of discourse surrounding the functions of the school, particularly in regard to the educational contributions of the family. This dossier presents analytical perspectives and methodological constructs that have not yet been mobilized by research in the field, as well as investigations into topics that have not yet been studied. It offers a series of fruitful reflections for understanding educational inequalities, the dynamism and diversity of family configurations, and the transformations of school markets.

Keywords : Family-School Relationships; Sociology of Education; Family Configurations; School Market.

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