Professionals and parents: personal adversaries or public allies?

Teachers in many countries experience more anxiety about their relationships and interactions with parents than about almost any other aspect of their work (Hargreaves & Fullan, 1998). While the rhetoric that teachers should treat parents as partners in their children's education is widespread (Epstein, 1995; Vincent, 1996a; Webb & Vulliamy, 1993; Sanders & Epstein, 1998), and while more than a few positive partnerships exist in practice, the more pervasive reality is often very different.