School Seen from Outside: what do the families say?

Abstract: The article aims at analyzing the view expressed in families' discourse regarding their children's school. Open answers from questionnaires filled in four municipal schools from Campinas, São Paulo state, elected by contrast criteria (higher or lower social-economic level) are analyzed. For this analysis, the topics of Education Quality; School-Community Relationship; School Organization; Reasons for School Appreciation; Extra-class Activities; and Security were considered. It is possible to observe a differential view towards school related to social class and that listening to the families allows for knowing the place occupied by the school in their lives, elucidating aspects which are not always clear to professionals that, when considered, can contribute to the students' school life.