Authoritative parenting is less prevalent among African American, Asian American, or Hispanic American families than among White families, no doubt reflecting the fact that parenting practices are often linked to cultural values and beliefs[…] Research also has indicated that authoritarian parenting is more prevalent among ethnic minority than among White families, even after taking ethnic differences in socioeconomic status into account. (Collins & Steinberg 2008)

Given that students from ethnic minorities over represent in low-income urban schools, I wonder how much the teaching styles at these schools reflect the parenting that these students are subjected to, as described in the quote.  Research from the article suggests that “adolescents from authoritarian homes are typically more dependent, more passive”; While observing underprivileged schools, I’ve noticed that student independence inside and outside of class, doesn’t seem as encouraged as it is at other, seemingly more affluent (less ethnic) schools. Take the usage of the internet to gather information, for example. I would consider internet literacy/fluency to be a key part of becoming a capable, independent person in society as it is currently, with 90% of the American population online at all hours of the day. In all the classes at ICE, middle schoolers are taught and encouraged to use internet searches, independently, to supplement their education. At the schools that I’ve observed with predominantly ethnic minority students, a significant portion of the of the High Schoolers had little ability to use the internet productively. Effectively searching for simple topics and filtering irrelevant content was a serious burden to the majority of these students. I’ve noticed the same phenomenon with the students I taught over the summer, all of whom attended from low-income minority schools and all of whom are connected to the internet 24/7. An emphasis on an authoritative style of teaching could be the root of this.
I wonder if the relationship between authoritative teaching and authoritative family structures is a chicken-and-egg type of situation. Do authoritative homes lead to authoritative schools or vice-versa? Or could they feed off of one another, in a self-perpetuating cycle? What does it mean, concretely, to be authoritative vs authoritarian? How could a conscious reflection on these ideas change our conception of “schooling”, for the better?