Understanding Barriers to Parent Involvement Through a Postcolonial lens: A Case Study of Bahamian Schools

Abstract

We used the emerging postcolonial frame of plantation pedagogy to understand parent involvement within urban Bahamian schools. We report on survey (parents, n = 377; teachers, n = 96), interviews (n = 33), and forum (n = 17) data to identify barriers and solutions to involvement. Findings demonstrate pervasive plantation ideologies and practices that shape interactions between parents and schools. We discuss our findings in relation to social and economic issues within Bahamian society, school and ministerial bureaucracy, and the metaphor of the inner planation. We make recommendations to teacher education programs.