developing partnership-based exchanges between schools and families in order to ensure the success of school pathways is strongly advocated and frequently questioned. While research shows the positive effect of collaboration between teachers and parents, it also highlights the importance of educational expectations and symbolic disqualification affecting the most vulnerable families. This thematic file School and families in precarious situations: a fragile link to be strengthened led by Lise Gremion (HEP Vaud, Lausanne), François Gremion (HEP-BEJUNE, Bienne) and Catherine Dumoulin (University of Quebec in Shanghai outimi) asked about the hotspots to be considered for a school that was more attentive to the diversity of family and social contexts, and fairer for pupils and their parents.