Analysis of the collaboration between Family and School in the management of disputes between parents and teachers on the assessment of students' abilities

Family-school partnerships have a positive impact on both students and schools, but pose challenges in their creation and management, especially when conflicts arise between parents and teachers. The main objective of this qualitative research was to analyze the perspectives of parents, teachers and students in cases of disagreement regarding the assessment of a student's abilities. The study aimed to extract valuable insights from these meetings to facilitate the development of successful family-school collaborations, even in the presence of conflicts. This objective was pursued through a qualitative investigation based on detailed interviews with students, parents and teachers; following a data analysis conducted using Creswell's1 adaptation of the Stevick-Colaizii-Keendi method, four prevalent items emerged: susceptibility of student attitudes, unresolved conflicts, difficult parents and inadequate teacher preparation. The themes “susceptibility of students' attitudes” and “unresolved conflicts” outline the perceived impact of different opinions of parents and teachers on students' abilities and on the family-school partnership. Meanwhile, the themes “difficult parents” and “inadequate teacher preparation” indicate two obstacles to the progress of partnerships. The research helps contribute to the discussion on implications and recommendations that could help educators improve their efforts to partner with families.