Home/School Perceptions

Comparison of differences in home/school perceptions between Brazilian and U.S. majority cultures

Brazilian Culture	American Majority Culture
Parents regard teachers and administrators as authority figures and will generally defer to their decisions concerning their child.	Parents are expected to participate in most decisions regarding their child’s education at school. Parents usually have the final say.
Parents will not generally come to school to advocate for their children. This does not mean there is lack of concern or caring.	Parents are expected to come to school for a variety of reasons including parent’s night, volunteer activities and school committee meetings.
Parents will not generally bring an advocate or question a teacher or administrator’s decisions. They may bring an interpreter to translate.	It is not uncommon to bring professional advocates to special education evaluation meetings and to question the school administrators’ decisions.
When speaking in English or through an interpreter, parents will give elaborate background information before getting to the expected response.	Parent-teacher dialogue is generally very direct and conscious of time restraints.