Family’s Role in Sustaining the Educational Trajectory of Children from Socially and Economically Disadvantaged Communities

Youth participation in education is, at the same time, a right and an obligation. Regarding it from the standpoint of different actors involved in the educational process reveals various perspectives of approaching and analyzing school participation. The family is one of the key actors of school participation with a significant input not only on the material and financial aspects of it, but also at the level of attitudes and practices valued and developed in relation to the child and his/her educational trajectory. Beyond all the determinants of a child’s school participation, regarding, for instance, educational policies, implemented strategies, or financial investments in education, the family has a critical role in his/her educational trajectory and future social and professional inclusion. The following aspects determine this essential role of the family: family’s great influence on the child’s first years within the context of primary socialization; family’s continuous action as a “model” for the child; the cultural capital that the family promotes; the sound understanding that it has regarding the child’s needs; and, finally, the amount of trust that the family invests in the school. The family’s influence on school participation of children from socially and economically underprivileged communities has, oftentimes, negative connotations translated into risks of absenteeism and dropping out of school. Starting from this general hypothesis, the present study aims at identifying and analyzing the family related factors that influence the school trajectory of children coming from socially and economically underprivileged communities.The entire analysis is framed by collaborative approaches that sustain a real and functional partnership between school and family.