As privilege-dependent organizations, U.S. public schools have an interest in catering to higher-SES White families. But, what happens when privileged families’ interests conflict with schools’ stated goals? Focusing on the case of homework, and drawing insights from organizational theory, cultural capital theory, and research on parent involvement in schools, I examine how schools’ dependence on higher-SES White families influences their enforcement of rules. Using a longitudinal, ethnographic study of one socioeconomically diverse public elementary school, I find that teachers wanted to enforce homework rules, but they worried doing so would lead to conflict with the higher-SES White “helicopter” parents, on whom they relied most for support. Thus, teachers selectively enforced rules, using evidence of “helicopter” parenting to determine which students “deserved” leeway and lenience. Those decisions, in turn, contributed to inequalities in teachers’ punishment and evaluation of students. Broadly, these findings suggest privilege-dependence leads schools to appease privileged families, even when those actions contradict the school’s stated goals. These findings also challenge standard policy assumptions about parent involvement and homework, and they suggest policies aimed at reducing the power of privilege are necessary for lessening inequalities in school.

中文翻译：

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避免我们与他们：学校对特权“直升机”父母的依赖如何影响规则的执行

作为依赖特权的组织，美国公立学校有兴趣迎合社会经济地位较高的白人家庭。但是，当特权家庭的利益与学校既定目标发生冲突时会发生什么？以家庭作业为例，从组织理论、文化资本理论和家长参与学校的研究中汲取见解，我研究了学校对高社会经济地位白人家庭的依赖如何影响他们对规则的执行。通过对一所社会经济多元化的公立小学进行纵向民族志研究，我发现教师想要执行家庭作业规则，但他们担心这样做会导致与更高 SES 的白人“直升机”父母发生冲突，他们最依赖他们支持。因此，教师有选择地执行规则，使用“直升机”养育的证据来确定哪些学生“值得”留有余地和宽大处理。反过来，这些决定又导致了教师对学生的惩罚和评价的不平等。从广义上讲，这些发现表明，特权依赖导致学校安抚特权家庭，即使这些行为与学校既定的目标相矛盾。这些发现也挑战了关于家长参与和家庭作业的标准政策假设，他们认为旨在减少特权权力的政策对于减少学校不平等是必要的。即使这些行为与学校既定的目标相矛盾。这些发现也挑战了关于家长参与和家庭作业的标准政策假设，他们认为旨在减少特权权力的政策对于减少学校不平等是必要的。即使这些行为与学校既定的目标相矛盾。这些发现也挑战了关于家长参与和家庭作业的标准政策假设，他们认为旨在减少特权权力的政策对于减少学校不平等是必要的。