Relationship between school and parents: A comparative analysis of the legislative framework in five different countries

The benefits of cooperation between school and parents for students’ well-being, learning, and academic development are widely acknowledged. However, schools often face challenges in establishing cooperative relations with parents, and teachers sometimes perceive interactions with parents as burdensome. Despite its assumed relevance in shaping parent-teacher relationships, the legal framework has received little attention in the previous literature. This article addresses this gap by conducting a comparative analysis of the legislative framework in five countries: Germany, Israel, Italy, the Netherlands, and Switzerland. The analysis focuses on how parental role is defined in the legislation, the terminology used to describe the parent-school relationship, and the extent to which cooperation and shared responsibilities are legally emphasized. The findings reveal that all countries examined include references to the cooperative nature of parent-school relationships in their current legislation, though the scope and specificity of individual and collective rights vary. The article concludes with a discussion on why legal frameworks are necessary but not sufficient for establishing effective cooperation between schools and parents.