During 1986 and 1987 a series of unstructured interviews were conducted among 35 Nunga Aboriginal parents living in the city of Adelaide to discover their perceptions regarding the education of their children in state schools. Nungas moved to Adelaide from country areas in the mid 1950's following the collapse of rural employment. City life has been characterised by marginality and poverty, in response to which strong kin based networks have developed. Children from these families have generally not had successful experiences in schools and there has been a history of non- communication between schools and Nunga parents. The voluntary participants represented as closely as possible a sample profile of the Nunga population with the exception that the professional group was over-represented. The participants had high aspirations for their children and strongly believed in the importance of education. Many demonstrated this belief through active involvement in local schools. However, there was concern among the majority of parents over the effects of school attendance on their children. Parents desired their children to develop a strong sense of cultural identity. They believed that their children suffered a high level of personal trauma as a result of the schools' failure to recognise their cultural and emotional needs, and through the effects of prejudice experienced from both staff and students.