parents and principals as partners in creating a culture of learning

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would be detrimental to the child's social, emotional and cognitive development.
Parental education and school education do not represent two opposing worlds ­
school education activities accord with and build upon the foundations of home
education (Dekker, 1995:55).
Neither the parent nor the principal alone can fulfil the education task completely.
As partners they should collaborate in the closest possible way. The parent as the
primary educator of his child, and the principal as the child's secondary educator,
are in a state of mutual interdependence - a relationship which has to develop, or
even better;evolve. This can therefore be identified as a symbiotic relationship
(Badenhorst (ed.), 1995:109).
Responsible parents consider their children's education important. They want to
be kept informed of their child's progress in school and to be involved in their
child's education. Parents also need and are interested in other kinds of
information, education and involvement. Parent involvement in school activities
is based on the natural right ofparents to educate their children (Badenhorst et at.,
I994b: 15). From various research projects regarding the maintenance and
improvement ofhome-school relations, consistent findings emerge, such as the fact
that parent involvement in schools is significantly related to the following (Dekker
& Lemmer, 1993:154; Lemmer & Squelch, 1993:96; PiIlay, 1995:36).
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improved student academic achievement;
improved student attendance at school;
improved student behaviour at school; and
increased community support for schools, including human, financial and
material resources.