Family Involvement in Schools: A Local Perspective

Abstract

Parent involvement in children’s education has a long history in the United States. Over the last several decades, research has demonstrated the positive effects of parent involvement on student outcomes. Consequently, parent involvement strategies have been written into education law in the United States and abroad. An intrinsic case study was employed in a Colorado school district (named Pine Grove School District (PGSD) in this study) to investigate and analyze parent involvement in a high-performing school district. A variety of stakeholders were interviewed, including parents, teachers, and administrators, to determine the ways in which PGSD involves parents in the school district community, the barriers parents experience to being involved, and any benefits that parents, students, PGSD, and the schools experience because of that parent involvement. All stakeholders believed there are multiple avenues for parents to be involved in PGSD, and that many parents are involved in their children’s education in a multitude of ways. The participants were aligned in their experiences of how communication from the schools and teachers occurs, how that communication engenders trusting relationships between the schools and parents, and the impact that parent involvement has on student outcomes. There are also opportunities for more directed, two-way communication between schools and parents to encourage and enhance that involvement.