Parent Involvement: Influencing Factors and Implications

The involvement of Mexican American parents in their children's education was explored in a year-long case study of an elementary school in Texas. Interviews, document analysis, and observations of parent activities revealed that parent involvement was influenced by several factors, including language, parent cliques, parents' education, attitudes of the school staff, cultural influences, and family issues. Although the school staff addressed some of the issues, in general, teachers did not recognize the influence that these concerns had on parent involvement. The findings have implications for teachers that affect both the level and areas of Mexican American parent involvement. An understanding of these factors will provide ways to increase and improve parent involvement.