Elite Integration Through Volunteerism: The Case of a New York City Parent-Teacher Association

Abstract

In this chapter, I examine the case of elite integration through parental involvement in a paradigmatic civil society organisation, namely the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) of a New York City Public Elementary School. On the one hand, PTAs are seen as a classic example of US civic engagement and community-building. On the other hand, research suggests that volunteerism can be a source of social inequality. These two different views demonstrate the issues associated with the integration of civil society elites via PTAs. Through the case of a New York City PTA and its parent volunteers, I show that elite integration through the PTA is enabled by the increased influence of the organisation resulting from policy decisions and economic realities that make PTAs central to school funding and status. These developments centralise the power and influence of parents from the economic and cultural elite and supplant the PTAs’ stated democratic civic goals.