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Connection Collection

Annotation from the Connection Collection

You are viewing a record from the Connection Collection, a searchable annotated bibliography database. It links you with research-based information that you can use to connect schools, families, and communities.

Annotation:
The purpose of this study was to explore a variety of school characteristics and their relationship to parent involvement. The study found that much of the variance in parent participation seems to be caused by variables that are beyond the reach of the schools, such as race and family size. However, three types of involvement, specifically, parent contact with the school, parent volunteerism, and PTO participation, were connected to school characteristics. The study found that parent contact and parent volunteerism increase as the school initiates contact with the parents. These results were obtained through an analysis of the family involvement factors from the National Education Longitudinal Study (NELS:88). The NELS:88 data were collected from a nationally representative sample of over 24,500 eighth graders, their teachers, principals, and parents. This study provides information about the characteristics of a school that impact parent involvement. It is important to note parent involvement can be different at different grade levels, and these results may not be generalizable across all grade levels.

Suggested Citation Style:

• Feuerstein, A. (2000). School characteristics and parent involvement: Influences on participation in children's schools. The Journal of Educational Research, 94(1), 29-40. EJ615790.