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…

Interviews with 113 suburban principals suggest that they are concerned with buffering and bridging between the school organization and their parent clientele as boundary spanners. When buffering, principals mediate between angry parents and their central office superiors. When bridging, principals aim at parental support through promoting public…

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)

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…

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)

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)

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…

Schools of choice are fast becoming part of the national debate on educational reform. This study, part of a larger study of schools and families, examined how the work context of teachers and opportunities for parent involvement differ under different choice arrangements, and investigated aspects of the sociobureaucratic context of teachers' work…