Historically, magnet schools have served predominantly Black and Anglo populations. Consequently, little research exists on Latino parent's engagement in school choice and their patterns of participation. Magnet schools are increasingly part of the landscape for improving school achievement for all students. Yet Latino enrollment rates in magnet…

School choice survey data from the Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools, a large county-wide school district, is analysed to examine the characteristics of parents who consider choosing private schools for their children and those who do not. We examine differences in background, including race, educational attainment and socioeconomic status, as…

Presents an interactive electronic conversation among a group of scholars. Participants examined the nature of relationships between professionals and school communities and debated the degree to which conflict was either inevitable or useful in sustaining this connection. They tried to imagine the organizational structures and policies needed to…

Uses findings from previous studies of teacher work context to hypothesize that some features of the school workplace may contribute to greater parent involvement in urban high schools, especially home-school communication and parent volunteering. Discusses the roles of communal school organization and a context of caring. (SLD)

Explores how the relationships among principals, parents, and administrative superiors affect the degree of parental involvement in educational policymaking at the school-site level, using a stratified random sample of Israeli elementary school principals. The nature of relationships differs for principals of high- and low-socioeconomic status…

Magnet schools remain the most widespread form of school choice. This paper explores the relationship between parents' reasons for choice and their level of satisfaction and involvement with their chosen magnet school. The study involved 18 elementary magnet schools in 2 large urban school districts. A survey was sent to all parents with…

Explores the dynamics of purposeful leadership and parental involvement, two central components of effective schools. Presents results of four case studies considering the ways in which principals work with parents in schools possessing a shared, consistent mission. Principal-parent interactions result from unique processes in each school and are…

A sampling of Israeli elementary school principals in high, low, and heterogeneous socioeconomic settings reveals that principals in high SES schools seek to involve parents mainly for the schools' economic benefit, but those in low SES schools solicit the help of parents as teachers. (DM)

Questionnaire responses from 337 parents in Israel examine the nature of interrelationships between parent satisfaction with public schools of choice and parent empowerment, parent involvement, and the congruence of parental expectation with school programs. Findings indicate the importance of socioeconomic status as a factor in these…

Study of five Catholic, four single-focus public, and four multifocus public magnet urban high schools show varying patterns of parental involvement and differing degrees of shared decision making among parents and teachers. Partnership was more evident in the Catholic schools and least apparent in the single-focus schools. (SLD)

This paper presents findings from a study that examined the relationship between school responsiveness under different choice arrangements and the processes by which families make choices about schools. The study is part of a larger, ongoing project being conducted in 16 metropolitan high schools of choice in Chicago, Illinois; Washington, D.C.;…

Data from a study of 113 elementary school principals in the Chicago metropolitan area support the proposition that non-socioeconomic characteristics of the parental community (assertiveness, responsiveness, homogeneity, and eagerness to participate) account for variations in principals' perceptions of parents. Makes recommendations for effective…

Investigates the effect of a school district's use of formal control mechanisms and the socioeconomic status of the district on principal-parent relations. Results indicate an interaction effect between socioeconomic status and formal control mechanisms with regard to positive sentiments toward parents. Implications are discussed. (Author/JS)

The relationship between parent involvement and school choice was studied with 575 parents in urban Catholic, single-focus, and multiple-focus magnet schools. Religion, income, and ethnicity were important in understanding parents' reasons for school choice, and school type was a major factor in parent choice. (SLD)

Examines literature on empowerment, and participation of parents and teachers in school decision making in the context of school governance. Discusses changing roles of parents and teachers under conditions of restructuring and examines how the changing organizational context in schools influences the nature and quality of relationships between…