Educating families. Mother and father associations. Characteristics, objectives and difficulties

Abstract

A historical analysis is made of the process of constructing the associative network of families on the basis of the education laws that have been issued since 1970.
The changes have promoted new opportunities that are revealed along with the challenges for the participation of families in the education process. The main objectives being proposed include the greater implication of families in the education process, participation in the centre and fostering the possibility for families to form associations.
It reveals how Confederations and Federations have emerged and the objectives they have set as well as their implementation in different territories.
It also reveals the difficulties for participating in Pupil’s Mothers and Fathers Associations (PMFA) and those that are emerging in relationships between families and schools and also how socio-cultural variables have affected this dynamic.