Forms and Patterns of Parent Participation at a Jewish and Catholic School

Given that all schools solicit parent participation, an important question is whether and how this varies by school. I draw on observation and interviews with parents, teachers, and administrators at a Jewish day school and Catholic school to identify forms and patterns of participation. I found that communicating and volunteering were similar at each, but parents at the Jewish school were involved in decision making and governance whereas parents at the Catholic school were not. This variation may be explained by the history and culture of each as well as trade-offs that parents make in choosing a particular school.