* How do parents and professionals experience their involvement with locally-based education groups?

* Who joins local groups and who gets involved in campaigns?

* What do their experiences of 'including' themselves tell us about public participation and citizenship today?

Carol Vincent focuses upon the neglected topic of lay activity in relation to education. She describes the experiences and motivations of parents involved in a variety of grass-roots groups, organizing around educational issues, and examines their problems and successes. She explores how parents' relationships with educational institutions cast light on the broader issues of public participation and how citizenship is experienced today by different social class and ethnic groups.