A social structural theory of social class differences as reflected in the nature of parent's work, is used to explore class-differentiated family background influences on school and achievement related outcomes of adolescents. Father's high or low job complexity is thought to be related to parental values for either self-direction or conformity, respectively. A conceptual model of possible relations model of possible relations among social origins, parental values, cognitive complexity, and schooling processes was developed and model variables were operationalized. Data obtained from 460 twelfth grade students and their mothers through school records, interviews with mothers, and school-administered questionnaires were factor analyzed with data from seven independent populations. The analysis strongly supports the presence of a self-direction/conformity dimension in parental desires for appropriate conduct in their children. Data from the 12th grade students and their mothers reveal father's occupation to be the primary determinant of parental valuation of self-direction/conformity within racial groups. Black mothers valued conformity more than did white mothers. No sex effect on maternal valuation was found. Measured intelligence was found to be consistently more important in mediating the effects of social origins than are parental self-direction/conformity values. Findings on the whole do not provide strong support for the hypothesized link between parental social position, parental values and the adolescent schooling experience. (Author/RH)