School Trouble: a mother's burden

The desire for parent involvement in children's schooling is based on the a ssumption that parents play a significant role in children's educational ac hievements. As a policy goal, parent involvement includes the participation of both mothers and fathers. However, in practice, parent involvement refe rs more often to the work of women in support of children's schooling. The coordination and supervision of children's educational activities often dem ands a significant portion of mothers' waking hours, particularly in the ca se of mothers whose children are doing poorly in school. This article draws on interviews with parents of children who struggled academically in schoo l to examine the effects of 'school troubles' on mothers who, among the par ents interviewed for this study, were much more likely to assume the materi al and emotional burdens for school troubles.