| Abstract: | Conflicting perspectives on the parent’s role in the infant/toddler classroom can play a significant role in early educational settings. A recent ethnographic study of an Early Head Start program in New York City focused on conflict of this nature and raised the following set of questions: What sort of power and privilege should parents be given in decisions about classroom practice? Who or what should have the final say in these decisions: parents, teachers, administrators, or early childhood research literature? Should teachers unhesitatingly instruct parents as to what constitutes “best practice” or should the parents’ position be given primary consideration? How much weight should culturally based beliefs about child-rearing and early education carry in these decisions? The theoretical framework for this study, following Lubeck (1994) Lubeck, S. 1994. “The politics of developmentally appropriate practice: Exploring issues of culture, class and curriculum”. In Diversity and developmentally appropriate practices: Challenges for early childhood education, Edited by: Mallory, B. and New, R. 17–43. New York, NY: Teachers College Press. Google Scholar], challenges the notion that “disadvantaged” parents should be categorically dismissed as deficient in their thinking about what is educationally best for their children. The corollary notion that “disadvantaged” parents should be forced to defer to the assumptions of educators—most of whom are white and middle class—is similarly questioned. Greenman (1989) Greenman, J. 1989. Living in the real world: Diversity and Conflict. Exchange, 11 Google Scholar] and Greenberg’s (1969 Greenberg, P. 1969. The devil has slippery shoes: A biased biography of the child development group of Mississippi (CDGM): A story of maximum feasible poor parent participation, Washington, DC: Youth Policy Institute. Google Scholar]/1991) assertions that conflicts that arise over teachers’, administrators’ and parents’ differing ideas about children, child-rearing, and early educational practice can be resolved in ways that are acceptable to all parties also inform this theoretical framework. An analysis of teacher interview data, coupled with classroom observational data, revealed four varying “theme perspectives.” |
