When the Whole Is Less Than the Sum of Its Parts: Structural Coupling in Education

We analyse how changes in the structural coupling between the family and the school reshape education as a social system. Education ‘naturally’ seems to belong in the family, but organized schooling has increasingly gained social legitimacy and status. Families and schools are both seen as the primary agents of socialization and education, but the value of family education is now increasingly measured in terms of the children's school achievements. We analyse—both theoretically and historically—how the increased expectations vis‐à‐vis the family have become normalized as a consequence of changes in its structural coupling with the school. We thereby direct attention to ensuing structural constraints and limitations. We argue that, in the case of education, the whole is less than the sum of its parts.