This paper is based on the experiences of two community based initiatives which set out to provide an educational focus for an African Caribbean community and an Asian community. The children of these communities have been underachieving at school. Schools complain that parents do not take an interest in their children's schooling. Parents feel disempowered at their children's schools. This paper presents the policy related dilemmas of various stake holders- the children, their parents and local governments attempts to meet local needs. It will focus on unresolved issues as well as on the ingredients which turned into a successful project of parental empowerment. LONGER ABSTRACT The connection between home and school in terms of enhancing children's learning is well-established. For those children who find a continuity between home and school, the transition is less taxing, than for those children and young people who experience a disjuncture. This paper is about this disjuncture and the subsequent coping mechanisms adopted by young people and their families. The different cultural and educational contexts provided by home and school place an additional constraint on the children whose cultural capital is at variance from that prevalent at school. Children experience this challenge twice, once as individuals in their own right, and then again as members of a family unit. Looking at the school's description of the 'problem', this paper problematises the issue of 'under-achievement' and looks at the coping strategies families adopt to assist their children in their 'education'. Six African Caribbean - mostly West Indian and six Asian (3 Pakistani and 3 Bangladeshi) families' experiences inform this paper which looks at parental perception of the role of the education system in helping their children cope. The data was collected through in-depth interviews and observation of teachers, parents and their children. Parents' mistrust of their children's schools and teachers' misunderstandings about parents' expectations surface repeatedly. Parents find community based, self- help groups more helpful than those which schools try to initiate. This research is both similar to and different from previous community based research concerning supplementary schools. Although the data was collected in Britain, the findings have implications for other communities in European cities. Key words: under-achievement, home-school links, community development.