Search

This article asks the following questions: What pressures do teachers face from parents and senior administrators? How do the pressures teachers face from parents and senior administrators affect how they teach students? Specifically, how does this affect the methods they engage in to generate 'good' student outcomes? It answers these questions by analysing interviews with 24 high school teachers at an elite international school in Bangalore, a city in southwest India. This article argues that the pressures teachers face from senior administrators and parents to produce high-achieving students result in them engaging in "intensive teaching practices." These practices represent teachers' attempts to produce students capable of earning high grades and entrance into competitive colleges and universities. This article extends our understanding of the factors that shape teachers' pedagogical practices by making explicit connections between affluent parenting practices and the professional roles of teachers at elite schools. As such, this article makes important contributions to the literature on the sociology of education and teaching.

This introduction provides an overview of contemporary debates related to parenting and intergenerational relationships within national and transnational contexts. Its aim is to further the dialogue on contemporary family life in the 21st century. This special sub-section furthers our understanding of contemporary family life by situating the featured articles within debates on social inequality and social mobility; the intersections of globalization, education, and social inequality; racial and ethnic socialization; and the diversity of migrant families' multi-local experiences. As such, this introduction – in conjunction with the featured articles – encourages readers to consider the connections between the broader changes taking place in contemporary social life and their impact on the practical and symbolic aspects of family life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]