The relationships between families and the school are those of two institutions with asymmetry of power and based on a social and political context which places them in the debate between public and private interests. Although they should not be considered juxtaposed places, what is often perceived is the separation, distance and even conflict between them. This also means that the territory occupied by the school and the family are watched over and controlled against the threat of invasion or intrusion. This article analyses the participation of immigrant-origin parents in school in Spain. After a brief reference to current legislation, it focuses on the confederal, federal and associative organizational situation, using as a source of information the data obtained from five discussion groups organized on the different organizational levels. Then, the paper concentrates on the situation in Parents' Associations (through a survey carried out with 594 presidents of these associations).Apart from verifying the low general participation, which is more evident among immigrant origin families and lower among certain origins than others, the need to work in order to incorporate them into parents' associations is shown, a fact that is also considered essential for their development.

Participation school Information and communication Parents and teachers training Immigrant origin families Parents' associations

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