Amidst the backdrop of lackluster student achievement and a need for parents to understand how their children are doing in school, this paper presents data on the frequency of technology-enabled parent practices in the post-pandemic educational era. Using three years of randomly sampled parent survey data collected for a larger community broadband…

This Data Point uses data from the 2019 Parent and Family Involvement Survey of the National Household Education Surveys Program (PFI-NHES). The 2019 PFI collected data about students in kindergarten through grade 12. The survey explored many aspects of families' experiences with schooling, including how parents reported choosing schools for their…

On March 15, 2024, the Civil Rights Division (the Division) of the U.S. Department of Justice issued a resource for families and students on confronting discrimination based on religion in public schools. The document recognizes that in schools around the country, students have reported unfair treatment, bullying, and harassment because of their…

The purpose of this study was to examine Latino parent perspectives on parent engagement at the junior high level, focusing on experiences both at home and at school. Qualitative data was gathered from Latino parents of junior high students in Texas through bilingual focus groups and individual interviews. Themes synthesized from participant…

This qualitative, phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of parents with children in public schools in Northern Colorado, addressing a gap in the understanding of parent-school partnerships within the educational context. The problem was parents must navigate complex public school systems in Northern Colorado. This issue underscored…

The percentage of White residents in the urban core increased during the last three decades. Meanwhile, urban school choice policies have changed school enrollment processes. Scholars must examine how White residents navigate school choice in this context to understand why racial segregation persists. We study White parents in a city with changing…

School communities have been shut out of many of the more critical decision-making processes impacting local public schools. Decisions are mostly made as top-down actions from federal mandates, general assemblies, state departments, districts, and school level administration teams, isolating the school communities they are tasked to serve. To…

Public PreK programs are an increasingly popular policy tool to equalize early learning opportunities. Programs can be universally available or targeted to support children's readiness. At the intersection of early childhood and K-12 education, their hybrid status can be difficult for families to negotiate. Based on interviews completed in 2018,…

Beginning with a brief historical analysis of how the education system came to be and an analysis of culture, themes came forth demonstrating the White Anglo-Saxon Protestant (WASP) roots of education no longer align with the diversity of society. Parental engagement in education has been veered as a pillar of overall success; however, it was…

Research indicates that parental involvement is a key role in student achievement. The purpose of this study was to explore the ways public school districts in New Jersey communicate to parents regarding their Special Education Parent Advisory Group (SEPAG). This document analysis reviewed the descriptive language presented in each school…

American public schools must allow parents the ability to be involved in the collaboration and planning aspects of their child's individualized education program (IEP). However, many parents have reported feeling like an outsider in IEP meetings. Historically, families from culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) backgrounds have reported…

This dissertation explores the complex dynamics and conflicts surrounding the privatization of public school services in New Jersey. Through detailed case studies of multiple New Jersey towns, this dissertation examines how local school districts, grappling with funding challenges, consider outsourcing educational support professional roles to cut…

Researchers in the 1980s identified strong school-parent relations as a significant potential in the church sector, but this potential has not received enough attention in the European context. However, a serious obstacle to this partnership can be the unpreparedness, overwork, and deficit orientation of teachers, as well as their…

School administrators are required to serve on Individualized Education Program (IEP) teams, yet many do not have the special education content knowledge and training to successfully participate in the special education process. With the accountability measures enacted by the Every Student Succeeds Act, a school administrator's performance is…

The problem addressed was the low parental engagement of immigrant families who have special needs and the significant challenges adversely affecting the attainment and sustainment of their engagement with the school community. The purpose of this qualitative exploratory multiple case study was to explore the perspectives and experiences of West…