ABSTRACT Parent involvement in their child’s schooling is routinely celebrated and emphasised in government education policy in many countries. We take a critical lens to examining parent involvement by investigating voluntary parent fees in public secondary schools, and how these fees are patterned by school socioeconomic status (SES). In Australia, where this study is located, public schools may request ‘voluntary’ fees from parents to enhance education programmes and facilities. As public schools are increasingly situated in a competitive market, this has arguably augmented pressure for schools and their communities to generate funds. Our findings show large inequalities between public schools, with high-SES schools enjoying more than four times parent-generated income than low-SES schools. Parent financial contributions are a form of structural inequality that benefits socially advantaged students and schools, potentially serving as both a cause and consequence of socially segregated schooling. We conclude with recommendations for policy.

中文翻译：

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公立学校私人资助的不平等：家长的财政贡献和学校的社会经济地位

摘要 许多国家的政府教育政策都经常庆祝和强调家长参与孩子的学校教育。我们通过调查公立中学的自愿家长费用，以及这些费用是如何根据学校社会经济地位 (SES) 来确定模式的，我们从批判的角度来审视家长的参与。在本研究所在的澳大利亚，公立学校可能会要求家长“自愿”付费，以加强教育计划和设施。随着公立学校越来越多地处于竞争激烈的市场中，这无疑增加了学校及其社区筹集资金的压力。我们的研究结果表明，公立学校之间存在巨大的不平等，高社会经济地位学校的家长收入是低社会经济地位学校的四倍多。家长的财政贡献是一种结构性不平等形式，它有利于社会优势学生和学校，可能是社会隔离教育的原因和结果。我们最后提出政策建议。