The Formation of the Concept of Right to Education and the Changes of the Teacher-Parent Relationship

This study sought to understand the depth of the teacher-parent relationship, which has recently been in a state of extreme conflict. Since the ideology of public education spread, the reality of public education has been the government’s domination of education. However, with the emergence of the ‘right to people’s education’and the rise of ‘new public managementism’, the trends of ‘customerism’ were accepted in school education as well. As a result, the state’s power to schools was weakened, and the public education came to be explained under the concept of a ‘contract’ between parents and schools. A series of events that occurred after the democratization of Korean society, such as the launch of the teachers’ union, institutionalization of the school management committee and introduction of the teacher performance-based pay system can be seen as events that brought about significant changes in the decline of teachers’ authority and the shift of center of gravity from the state(schools and teachers) to individuals(parents). The recent phenomenon of deepening tension and conflict between teachers and parents shows that the elements are changing at a fundamental level. Now is the time that a new role of public education and a new relationship between teachers and parents are needed.