Parents and Mathematics Education Reform: Voicing the Authority of Assessment

In this article, we explore the meaning that parents bring to and make out of their interactions with the school through assessment. Based on a qualitative study of mathematics reform, we examine interviews with 18 parents of middle school students. Through a Bakhtinian analysis, we find that parent...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Urban education (Beverly Hills, Calif.) Calif.), 1996-01, Vol.30 (4), p.395-421
Main Authors: Graue, M. Elizabeth, Smith, Stephanie Z.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Competence
Educational Change
Educational Research
Elementary Secondary Education
Mathematics Education
Middle Schools
Parent Attitudes
Parent Participation
Public Schools
Student Evaluation
Urban Areas
Urban Schools
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Summary:In this article, we explore the meaning that parents bring to and make out of their interactions with the school through assessment. Based on a qualitative study of mathematics reform, we examine interviews with 18 parents of middle school students. Through a Bakhtinian analysis, we find that parents' perspectives on assessment are framed by their past experiences with schools. Their reaction is situated historically, politically, and socially; the evidence that many of them used to evaluate new forms of schooling was assessment. We argue that assessment can be seen as a voice of authority in the discourse of teaching and learning and that it speaks loudly to frame students and their parents in particular ways.
ISSN:0042-0859
1552-8340
DOI:10.1177/0042085996030004003