Two basic questions are examined: (1) why is parental involvement in schools valuable? and (2) if it is, how may it be achieved? (FF)

The issue of community control concerns the future role of parents in a changing school environment. It is vital that parental involvement be channeled toward positive and realistic goals such as defining the needs of children and determining how to meet these needs. To give parents access to decisionmakers, school boards should consider holding…

Four goals of increasing community involvement which may be shared by communities and administrators are given. Four paths through which involvement may affect achievement are identified. Focus is on consequences of involving persons in decision-making. (Author/AM)

A community controlled district in Harlem showed many positive features over a non-community controlled district; but today it no longer exists. Although quickly subverted by the larger organization, such unsanctioned social experiments provide significant new data for urban public organizations. (DM)

Some problems have been encountered in large school districts where decentralization has taken the form of community control. The idea of community schools, whereby the schools serve as key institutions in providing services and resources for all its residents, is discussed. (CJ)

The movement for community control of schools allowed for the participation of parents in educational policy with regard to their local schools. This movement was aimed at increasing the participation of inner city parents in the schools. This movement has currently slowed down. In large metropolitan areas, the size of the educational system has…

In this special issue of "Inequality in Education", ESEA Title I and parent participation are the central themes. The leading article describes Title I actions in Calais, Maine, and Providence, Rhode Island. The problems in both these towns appear to be quite different from those in large, industrial cities. The community which would…

Sheds light on a growing conflict that has surfaced between urban communities and teachers' unions: the conflict over the sharing of power in school decision making. Discusses the actions of the Philadelphia Parents Union. (Author/IRT)

Many parents and community members throughout the nation, dissatisfied with the education their children are receiving, are demanding a voice in the educational process. This demand is expressed in the movements for community involvement in the schools, community schools, and community control of schools. Twelve documents investigate the concept,…

Discusses changes in education of Indian children in Alberta and Canada resulting from mobilization of Indian parents against integration of Indian children into public school systems. Changes include Indian control of local schools and parent involvement in school policies. Points out benefits of parent participation to schools, parents, and…

The relationship between research and educational policy in the areas of school system decentralization and community control is analyzed in this dissertation. The literature on decentraliztion and community control is reviewed. It is contended that existing empirical research on these subjects has not systematically tested the assumptions…

This document reviews the consequences of urban community involvement in school decision making. Areas concerning educational decisions, shared as goals by lay communities and school people, are considered to be: institutional responsiveness, affective and material community support to schools, educational achievement, and the democratic principle…

A review of the literature on school reform and successful restructuring efforts, with a focus on the decentralization of the Chicago public school system, is the purpose of this paper. Under new legislation, the Chicago Board of Education will be disbanded to encourage citizen control of schools, and will be replaced by a system of individual…