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This monograph describes a study of teacher-family communication in state primary schools in Cyprus which drew on the notions of Bourdieu´s cultural capital´ and Coleman´s social capital´. The research strategy followed was an ethnographic multiple case study. Findings indicate distinctive patterns of perspectives with regards to school-family relationships across different families. The nature and extent of school-family relationships seemed highly dependent on teachers´ personal perceptions and preferences. Teachers appeared to determine and dominate their communication with parents, while some families seemed unable to interpret or effectively make use of the information they received in order to support their children´s schooling, thus indicating a further widening of the stratification between pupils from privileged and underprivileged backgrounds.

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Loizos Symeou is Assistant Professor in Sociology of Education at the Department of Education Sciences of the European University Cyprus. His areas of interest are in the sociological investigation of school-family relations. His recent work includes a study on homework and a study on the education of Roma.

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