Home-School Relationships: Networking in One District

This article describes parents' and educators' perceptions of home-school relationships that benefited children and their families in one school district. Family involvement literature and social network theory, especially Burt's (2001) structural holes, served as the theoretical framework. In semistructured interviews, 39 participants, including parents, board of education members, principals, district leaders, and teachers, described their experiences with home-school relationships in the context of school activities, volunteering, and decision making. The interview data revealed that parents and educators who were members of well-established social networks had opportunities to influence school policies and practices. Because they had earned the trust of both parents and teachers, they could serve as liaisons between school and community through their membership in multiple networks.