Home and School Factors Impacting Parental Involvement in a Title I Elementary School

Before and after the interventions of summer classes for parents and an interactive homework program, parents of children in an inner-city southeastern U.S. elementary school were interviewed and teachers surveyed to determine home and school factors that impacted parental involvement in their children's education. Beliefs about roles and perceptions of life contexts consistently indicated that these mostly high-school-educated, African American parents in a Title I school were involved in the education of their elementary school-age children, at home and school. Self-reported teacher behaviors included an increase in helping parents to establish home environments more conducive to support children, more regular communication, more involvement of parents in decision-making, and more involvement in the community. Results about factors influencing involvement at home were basically the same for these Title I parents as factors more often associated with higher socioeconomic status parents. School practices indicated that teachers need to better understand the lives that Title I parents live, as well as how to help parents improve their efforts to support children's education, at home and school.