Invisible parenting? Middle class choice within school in Denmark

When given choice between or within schools, middle class parents are known to use a variety of strategies that increase segregation. This is also the case in Nordic contexts despite a belief in equality and a tradition for ‘invisible pedagogy’. This paper analyses interviews with children from two tracks at a Danish comprehensive school, where children are told to choose track themselves from what they like. We analyze the children’s narratives about their parents’ engagement and involvement in the choice. At first sight, the children mirror the school’s assertion that the choice is theirs and tell they made the decision themselves. Careful analyses of the middle class children’s statements reveal nuances to this picture varying from rather ‘invisible parenting’ to a visible, ambitious kind of parenting. In the light of the found nuances in parenting in relation to choice, we discuss the question: Is Danish parenting moving towards ‘concerted cultivation’.