NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION STATISTICS

Statistical Analysis Report January 1998

Parent Involvement

In Children’s Education:

Efforts by Public

Elementary Schools

U.S. Department of Education

Office of Educational Research and Improvement NCES 98-032
NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION STATISTICS

Statistical Analysis Report January 1998

Parent Involvement

In Children’s Education:

Efforts by Public

Elementary Schools

Nancy Carey

Laurie Lewis

Elizabeth Farris

Westat

Shelley Burns

Project Officer

National Center for Education Statistics

U.S. Department of Education

Office of Educational Research and Improvement NCES 98-032
U.S. Department of Education

Richard W. Riley

Secretary

Office of Educational Research and Improvement

Ricky T. Takai

Acting Assistant Secretary

National Center for Education Statistics

Pascal D. Forgione, Jr.

Commissioner

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the primary federal entity for collecting,

analyzing, and reporting data related to education in the United States and other nations. It fulfills a

congressional mandate to collect, collate, analyze, and report full and complete statistics on the condition

of education in the United States; conduct and publish reports and specialized analyses of the meaning

and significance of such statistics; assist state and local education agencies in improving their statistical

systems; and review and report on education activities in foreign countries.

NCES activities are designed to address high priority education data needs; provide consistent, reliable,

complete, and accurate indicators of education status and trends; and report timely, useful, and high

quality data to the U.S. Department of Education, the Congress, the states, other education

policymakers, practitioners, data users, and the general public.

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or report, we would like to hear from you. Please direct your comments to:

National Center for Education Statistics

Office of Educational Research and Improvement

U.S. Department of Education

555 New Jersey Avenue NW

Washington, DC 20208-5574

January 1998

The NCES World Wide Web Home Page is

http://nces.ed.gov/

Contact:

Shelley Burns

(202) 219-1463

Shelley_Burns@ed.gov

Suggested Citation

U.S. Department of Education. National Center for Education Statistics. Parent Involvement in

Children’s Education: Efforts by Public Elementary Schools, NCES 98-032, by Nancy Carey, Laurie

Lewis, and Elizabeth Farris. Project Officer, Shelley Burns. Washington, DC: 1998.
iii

Highlights • Most public elementary schools (K-8) initiated communications

with parents to inform them about school curricula and student

performance. Between 83 and 85 percent provided information

about the school’s overall performance on standardized tests,

furnished information about the goals and objectives of the

instructional program, and issued interim reports on students’

progress during grading periods (figure 1).

• Between 82 and 89 percent of all public elementary schools

provided parents with information designed to promote learning at

home and on topics related to child-rearing issues (table 1).

Information on community services was more available in larger

schools, schools in cities, and schools with minority enrollments of

50 percent or more (figure 2).

• During the 1995-96 school year, the majority of public elementary

schools (84 to 97 percent) held various activities intended to

encourage parent involvement (table 4). These included open

houses or back-to-school nights, scheduled parent-teacher

conferences, arts events, athletic demonstrations, and academic

exhibitions.

• Schools reported that parents were more likely to attend events

that featured some interaction with students’ teachers. Half or

more indicated that “most or all” parents attended conferences

with teachers and school open houses or back-to-school nights

(table 4).

• Parent attendance at school-sponsored events varied by

geographic region, poverty concentration, and minority enrollment

in the school (table 5). For example, while 72 percent of schools

with a low concentration of poverty reported that “most or all”

parents attended the school open house, 28 percent of schools with

a high poverty concentration reported such high parent attendance.

Similar differences were found on this variable when schools with

low minority enrollments were compared to those with high

minority enrollments (63 versus 30 percent). Schools in the

Southeast also had considerably lower rates of parent attendance

at the school open house than schools in other geographic regions

(25 versus 46 to 67 percent).

• In general, public elementary schools do not include parents in

school decisionmaking to a great extent. One-quarter to one-third

of all schools included parents to a moderate extent in most

decisionmaking, with input on the development of parent

involvement activities taken into consideration to a great extent by

31 percent of schools (table 6).
iv

• The majority of public elementary schools (79 percent) reported

having an advisory group or policy council that includes parents

(table 7). With the exception of decisions about evaluating

teachers, schools with parents on advisory groups were more

likely to consider parent input on all issues when compared to

schools without these kinds of groups (figure 8).

• During the 1995-96 school year, over 90 percent of all elementary

schools provided parents opportunities to volunteer both inside

and outside the classroom, to assist in fundraising, and to attend

meetings of the parent-teacher organization (not shown in tables).

However, the percentage of schools satisfied with the degree of

parent involvement in different activities decreased as the minority

enrollment or the percentage of students eligible for free or

reduced-price lunch reached 50 percent or more (table 10).

• Given a list of concerns that might impede parent involvement in

schools, the barrier named by the highest percentage of schools

was lack of time on the part of parents (87 percent) (figure 12).

Lack of time on the part of school staff created barriers for 56

percent of schools, and 48 percent indicated that lack of staff

training in working with parents was a significant barrier. Lack

of parent education to help with schoolwork, cultural/

socioeconomic and language differences between parents and

staff, parent and staff attitudes, and safety in the area after school

hours were considered barriers in a higher percentage of schools

with poverty concentrations and minority enrollments of 50

percent or more than in schools low on these characteristics (table

13).
v

Table of Contents

Page

Highlights ..................................................................................................................... iii

Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 1

Communication Channels Established by Schools to Inform and Assist Parents.................. 3

Information on School Programs and Student Achievement............................ 3

Communications About How to Help at Home............................................... 5

Forms of School-to-Parent Communication.................................................... 7

Home Visits.................................................................................................. 8

Provisions for Parents with Limited English Skills......................................... 12

School-Sponsored Activities to Promote Parent Involvement .............................................. 12

Parent Attendance at School Events............................................................... 13

Parent Participation in School Decisionmaking .............................................. 15

Parent Input Through School Councils .......................................................... 16

Voluntary Written Agreements...................................................................... 17

Other Ways Schools Encourage Parent Involvement in Children’s Learning ....................... 19

Parent Volunteer and Involvement Opportunities............................................ 20

Parent Resource Centers................................................................................ 22

Assistance from School Districts and States....................................................................... 23

Perceived Barriers to Parent Involvement in School Programs............................................ 26

Summary .......................................................................................................................... 28

References........................................................................................................................ 29

List of Appendices

Appendix

A Survey Methodology and Data Reliability .................................................................. 31

B Table of Standard Errors for the Figures.................................................................... 41

C Survey Form ............................................................................................................. 47
vi

List of Figures

Figure Page

1 Percent of public elementary schools (K-8) that reported always or frequently

communicating with parents by various means: 1996..................................................... 4

2 Percent of public elementary schools (K-8) that reported providing parents with

information on community services, by selected school characteristics: 1996.................. 6

3 Percent of public elementary schools (K-8) that reported using selected methods to

provide information to parents on various topics: 1996 .................................................. 7

4 Percent of public elementary schools (K-8) that reported sponsoring workshops or

classes to inform parents about various topics, by selected school characteristics: 1996.. 8

5 Percent of public elementary schools (K-8) that reported that various staff members

made visits to students’ homes: 1996............................................................................. 10

6 Percent of public elementary schools (K-8) that reported that home visits were made by

a home/school coordinator, by poverty concentration and minority enrollment: 1996 ...... 10

7 Percent of public elementary schools (K-8) that reported providing various services

for parents with limited English skills: 1996 .................................................................. 12

8 Percent of public elementary schools (K-8) that reported considering parent input

in school decisionmaking to a great or moderate extent, by inclusion of parents in

an advisory group or policy council: 1996..................................................................... 17

9 Percent of public elementary schools (K-8) that indicated satisfaction with the

average parent involvement in selected opportunities: 1996............................................ 21

10 Percent of public elementary schools (K-8) that indicated having a parent resource

center, and the reported frequency of use: 1996 ............................................................. 23

11 Percent of public elementary schools (K-8) that indicated they received various

kinds of assistance for parent involvement activities from their school

district or the state: 1996............................................................................................... 24

12 Percent of public elementary schools (K-8) that perceived various concerns as

barriers to parent involvement at their school to a great or moderate extent: 1996........... 27
vii

List of Tables

Table Page

1 Percent of public elementary schools (K-8) that reported providing information to

parents on selected topics: 1996 .................................................................................... 5

2 Percent of public elementary schools (K-8) that reported that staff made visits to

students’ homes, by school characteristics: 1996 ........................................................... 9

3 Mean percent of families in the school who received at least one home visit during

the 1995-96 school year, as reported by public elementary schools (K-8)

that reported home visits, by school characteristics: 1996 .............................................. 11

4 Percent of public elementary schools (K-8) that indicated that various kinds of

activities were held during 1995-96, and their estimates of the typical parent

attendance for each type of activity: 1996...................................................................... 13

5 Percent of public elementary schools (K-8) that indicated that “most or all” parents

typically attended various kinds of activities held in 1995-96, by school

characteristics: 1996..................................................................................................... 14

6 Percent of public elementary schools (K-8) that indicated the extent to which

parent input is considered in making decisions on various school issues: 1996................ 15

7 Percent of public elementary schools (K-8) that reported having an advisory group

or policy council that includes parents, by school characteristics: 1996 .......................... 16

8 Percent of public elementary schools (K-8) that reported employing voluntary written

agreements (e.g., compacts or learning contracts) between school and parents, and the

percent requesting such agreements from all parents, by school characteristics: 1996 ..... 18

9 Percent of public elementary schools (K-8) that reported offering training programs for

their classroom volunteers, by selected school characteristics: 1996 ............................... 20

10 Percent of public elementary schools (K-8) that indicated satisfaction with the average

parent involvement in selected opportunities, by percent minority enrollment and

concentration of poverty in the school: 1996.................................................................. 22

11 Percent of public elementary schools (K-8) that reported that they received different

kinds of assistance on parent involvement activities from their district, by school

characteristics: 1996..................................................................................................... 25

12 Percent of public elementary schools (K-8) that reported that they received different

kinds of assistance on parent involvement activities from their state,

by school characteristics: 1996...................................................................................... 26

13 Percent of public elementary schools (K-8) that perceive various concerns as

barriers to parent involvement at their school to a great or moderate extent,

by high and low poverty concentration and minority enrollments: 1996 .......................... 28
viii
1

Introduction With the passage of the Goals 2000: Educate America Act, the

commitment to improve the education of all students has become a

national priority. Yet preparing students for the challenges of the

future is not the responsibility of schools alone. Discussions on how

to improve the quality of education in America have focused attention

on the roles of family and community, and research supports the belief

that high-quality education cannot be successfully accomplished

without the active involvement of parents. Studies have shown that

parent involvement in children’s learning can have a positive effect on

students’ achievement and reduce the school dropout rate (U.S.

Department of Education 1994). In an effort to encourage and

increase the participation of parents in their children’s schooling,

Congress added an eighth goal to the National Education Goals that

calls on schools to adopt policies and practices that actively engage

parents and families in partnerships to support the academic work of

children at home and shared educational decisionmaking at school.

In response to the Goals Panel’s recognition of the role that parents

can have in children’s learning and school performance, the National

Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and the National Institute on

the Education of At-Risk Students (NIEARS) in the U.S. Department

of Education, and the National Education Goals Panel requested this

survey. The study was designed to provide information on the ways

that schools are engaging parents in their children’s education and the

extent to which parents are responding to the opportunities for

involvement that schools provide. The study was also intended to

provide data that could be compared with data on the same topic

collected from parents in the National Household Education Survey

(NHES) in 1996, as well as those collected in the Prospects study,1

initiated in 1991 to monitor trends in parent involvement in children’s

education.

This report presents the findings from the Survey on Family and

School Partnerships in Public Schools, K-8 conducted for NCES by

Westat, a research firm in Rockville, Maryland. The survey was

conducted through the NCES Fast Response Survey System (FRSS)

during spring 1996. FRSS is a survey system designed to collect

small amounts of issue-oriented data with minimal burden on

respondents and within a relatively short time frame. Short

questionnaires were sent to a nationally representative sample of 900

public schools enrolling kindergarten through eighth grade students.

Principals were asked to either complete the survey or assign its

completion to the person most knowledgeable about parent

involvement programs and activities at the school. Data have been

 

1

 “Prospects: The Congressionally-Mandated Study of Educational Growth and Opportunity

(1991-1994).”
2

weighted to national estimates of all public schools serving grades K8. Appendix A provides a detailed discussion of the sample and

survey methodology. A table of standard errors for the figures in this

report appears in appendix B, and the survey questionnaire is

reproduced in appendix C.

The Survey on Family and School Partnerships in Public Schools, K8 addressed the following issues:

• The kinds of communication schools establish to provide

parents with information about the goals of the school, their

children’s progress, and topics relevant to assisting students

outside of school.

• The kinds of activities schools sponsor that are designed to

inform parents about their children’s performance, including

academic, artistic, and athletic demonstrations, and the typical

parent attendance at these activities.

• The kinds of volunteer activities schools make available to

parents, and the extent to which parents participate in these

activities.

• The extent to which parents are included in decisionmaking

regarding selected school issues.

• Other factors that influence school efforts to increase parent

involvement in their children’s education.

Survey findings are presented for all public schools serving grades K8, and by the following school characteristics (defined in the Glossary

of Terms in appendix A):

• Size of enrollment: small (less than 300), moderate (300-599),

and large (600 or more).

• Urbanicity: city, urban fringe, town, and rural.

• Geographic region: Northeast, Southeast, Central, and West.

• Percent minority enrollment: very low (less than 5), low (5-19),

moderate (20-49), and high (50 or more).

• Poverty concentration, as defined by the percent of students

eligible for free or reduced-price lunch: low (less than 25),

moderate (25-49), and high (50 or more).
3

It should be noted here that characteristics of schools are often

interrelated. For example, in this study the poverty concentration in a

school and its minority composition were highly related, with 87

percent of schools with a high minority enrollment also identified as

having a high concentration of poverty (see table A-1 in appendix A).

City schools also were more likely to have a high concentration of

poverty. Minority enrollment was correlated with both urbanicity and

school size (table A-2 in appendix A). However, because of the

relatively small sample size used in this study, it is difficult to separate

the independent effects of these variables.

All comparative statements made in this report have been tested for

statistical significance through chi-square tests or t-tests adjusted for

multiple comparisons using the Bonferroni adjustment and are

significant at the 0.05 level or better. However, not all statistically

significant comparisons have been presented, since some were not of

substantive importance.

Communication

Channels Established

by Schools to Inform

and Assist Parents

Schools establish both school-to-home and home-to-school

communication channels to convey and receive information. In this

survey, schools were asked about whether, and how, they provide

parents with information on the school’s curriculum, students’

achievement, parenting and child-rearing issues, and the creation of

home environments that are conducive to learning. Schools were also

asked if they include visits to students’ homes in their educational

programs and whether they provide translations or interpreter services

for parents with limited English skills.

Information on School

Programs and Student

Achievement

Information about school programs, children’s placements, and

children’s progress are basic communications commonly initiated by

schools to help families understand and monitor their children’s

learning and school experiences. From a list describing eight forms of

communication that can occur between parents and staff, more than

half of all elementary schools (57 to 85 percent) reported “always” or

“frequently” using seven of the forms (figure 1); the eighth form

listed, communication using a school-sponsored homework helpline,

was used much less frequently (24 percent).
4

Figure 1.—Percent of public elementary schools (K-8) that reported always or frequently

communicating with parents by various means: 1996

24%

57%

60%

72%

79%

83%

83%

85%

0 20 40 60 80 100

Percent of schools

Written information about the school's

performance on standardized tests

Written interim reports during

grading periods

Written information about the goals and

objectives of the school's regular

instructional program

Notification about children's ability

placements*

Positive phone calls or notes from

teachers when children's

performance improves at school

Examples of work that meets

high standards

Homework sign off requested

Access to a school-sponsored

homework helpline

*Based on the estimated number of schools indicating that they group students by ability--39,800 (65 percent).

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Family and School

Partnerships in Public Schools, K-8,” FRSS 58, 1996.

Schools were very likely to initiate communications that inform

parents about school curricula and student performance. Most K-8

schools (85 percent) reported always or frequently providing parents

with written information about the school’s overall performance on

standardized tests. A high percentage of schools (83 percent) also

gave parents written information about the goals and objectives of the

school’s regular instructional program. This same percentage

reported sending home interim reports on individual student’s progress

during grading periods. Finally, 79 percent of schools that reported

grouping students by ability also informed parents about their

children’s ability group placements.

Schools use other means to provide information to parents, as well.

About three-quarters of all K-8 schools (72 percent) reported always

or frequently issuing positive phone calls or notes to parents when

their children’s performance improves. In addition, more than half of

all schools (60 percent) gave parents examples of work that meets the

school’s criteria for high standards.
5

Schools also initiate communications concerning children’s

homework, with 57 percent indicating they always or frequently

requested parents to sign off on their children’s homework. About onequarter of schools (24 percent) provided a homework helpline for

parents to obtain information on assignments.

Communications About

How to Help at Home

Researchers on school-family partnerships have reported that schools

that help families feel welcome and show them how to improve

learning at home are likely to have more support from parents and

more motivated students (Epstein 1991). This survey asked

elementary schools if they provide information on various topics

intended to assist parents outside of school. Three of the topics

related directly to how parents can help their children learn at home:

helping with homework; developing study skills; and providing

learning activities outside of school. The other four topics related to

child-rearing issues: nutrition, health, or safety; community services

available to help children or their families; parenting skills; and child

or adolescent development. For each of these topics, between 82 and

89 percent of all schools reported supplying parents with information

in one form or another (table 1).

Table 1.—Percent of public elementary schools (K-8) that

reported providing information to parents on selected

topics: 1996

Topic Percent

Standard

error

Parents helping children learn at home

Helping with homework ..................................................... 89 1.3

Developing study skills....................................................... 85 1.4

Learning activities outside of school .................................. 83 1.6

Child-rearing issues

Nutrition, health, or safety.................................................. 88 1.3

Community services to help children and families............. 88 1.7

Parenting skills.................................................................... 86 1.5

Child or adolescent development........................................ 82 1.5

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response

Survey System, “Survey on Family and School Partnerships in Public Schools,

K-8,” FRSS 58, 1996.
6

Providing information to parents about community services, such as

social service agencies, was the only one of these topics that varied by

any school characteristics. Information on community services was

related to school size, urbanicity, and minority enrollment. While 76

percent of small schools reported offering this information to parents,

more than 90 percent of moderately sized and large schools did so

(figure 2). Similarly, 78 percent of rural schools provided such

information, compared to 93 percent of schools in cities. In addition,

nearly all (95 percent) of schools with minority enrollments of 50

percent or more offered community service information to parents,

while 81 percent of those with very low minority enrollments (less

than 5 percent) do so. No differences were found, however, when

schools were compared according to their concentration of poverty, as

defined by the percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price

lunch (not shown in figure).

Figure 2.—Percent of public elementary schools (K-8) that reported providing parents with

information on community services, by selected school characteristics: 1996

76%

91% 94% 93% 92%

88%

78% 81%

87%

92% 95%

0

20

40

60

80

100

Less

than

300

300-

599

600 or

more

City Urban

fringe

Town Rural Less

than 5

5-19 20-49 50 or

more

Percent of schools

Size of enrollment Urbanicity Percent minority 

enrollment

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Family and School

Partnerships in Public Schools, K-8,” FRSS 58, 1996.
7

Forms of School-toParent Communication

The majority of elementary schools (95 percent) relied on newsletters

or other printed material to pass on information to parents (figure 3).

About one-quarter of all schools offered take-home audio/visual

materials relevant to these topics, and 75 percent of schools sponsored

workshops or classes to inform parents on these issues. However, use

of workshops varied somewhat depending on school size, urbanicity,

and minority enrollment. Small schools were less likely than larger

schools to use workshops (61 versus 79-82 percent), schools in rural

areas were less likely to do so than schools in urban fringe areas and

cities (58 versus 83-86 percent), and schools with minority

enrollments below 5 percent were less likely than schools with

minority enrollments of 50 percent or more to present workshops or

classes for parents (63 versus 85 percent) (figure 4).

Figure 3.—Percent of public elementary schools (K-8) that

reported using selected methods to provide

information to parents on various topics: 1996

95%

75%

23%

0

20

40

60

80

100

Newsletters or

other printed

materials

Workshops or

classes

Take-home

audio/video

Percent of

schools

NOTE: The topics were helping with homework; nutrition, health, or safety; community services

to help children and families; parenting skills; developing study skills; learning activities outside of

school; and child or adolescent development. A school was counted as using that method if

information on any of the topics was provided to parents using that method.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response

Survey System, “Survey on Family and School Partnerships in Public Schools,

K-8,” FRSS 58, 1996.
8

Figure 4.—Percent of public elementary schools (K-8) that reported sponsoring workshops or classes

to inform parents about various topics, by selected school characteristics: 1996

82%

61%

79%

86% 83%

72%

58%

63%

79% 77%

85%

0

20

40

60

80

100

Less

than

300

300-

599

600 or

more

City Urban

fringe

Town Rural Less

than

5

5-19 20-49 50 or

more

Percent of schools

Size of enrollment Urbanicity Percent minority

enrollment

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Family and School

Partnerships in Public Schools, K-8,” FRSS 58, 1996.

Home Visits In about two-thirds (64 percent) of all K-8 schools, staff made visits

to students’ homes, but the likelihood varied according to certain

school characteristics (table 2). Moderately sized and large schools

were more likely than small schools to report including home visits in

their programs (68-70 versus 52 percent). In addition, the percentage

of schools where staff made home visits increased as the concentration

of poverty in the school increased (44 percent of schools with a low

concentration of poverty, 66 percent of schools with a moderate

concentration of poverty, and 80 percent of schools with a high

concentration of poverty). The percentage of schools where staff

made home visits was higher for schools with minority enrollments

below 20 percent than for schools with minority enrollments of 50

percent or more (52-60 versus 76 percent).
9

Table 2.—Percent of public elementary schools (K-8) that

reported that staff made visits to students’ homes, by

school characteristics: 1996

School characteristic Percent

Standard

error

All schools ..................................................................... 64 2.0

Size of enrollment

Less than 300 ..................................................................... 52 5.5

300-599 .............................................................................. 68 2.6

600 or more ........................................................................ 70 3.3

Urbanicity

City..................................................................................... 71 3.5

Urban fringe ....................................................................... 61 4.6

Town................................................................................... 69 4.9

Rural................................................................................... 56 5.4

Geographic region

Northeast ............................................................................ 59 5.0

Southeast ............................................................................ 75 3.5

Central................................................................................ 56 5.0

West.................................................................................... 69 3.2

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 5.......................................................................... 52 4.3

5-19 .................................................................................... 60 4.4

20-49 .................................................................................. 74 4.0

50 or more .......................................................................... 76 2.8

Percent of students eligible for free

or reduced-price lunch*

Less than 25........................................................................ 44 4.4

25-49 .................................................................................. 66 4.0

50 or more .......................................................................... 80 2.1

*Percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch was missing for about 3 percent of the

sampled schools. These schools are not included in this analysis, but are included in the total and

in analyses by other school characteristics.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response

Survey System, “Survey on Family and School Partnerships in Public Schools,

K-8,” FRSS 58, 1996.

Those schools that reported that staff made visits to students’ homes

also were asked to select from a list of three the types of staff who

made these visits. Included in the list were teachers, home/school

coordinators, and school counselors. Schools could also indicate any

other staff who made home visits in an “other” category. While in 73

percent of elementary schools teachers performed this task, threequarters of schools also wrote in other school staff who made visits to

students’ homes (figure 5). Staff named frequently were principals,

assistant principals, school nurses, and social workers. School

counselors made home visits in 61 percent of schools where home

visits were made, and home/school coordinators in 21 percent of

schools. Visits by home/school coordinators were more prevalent in

schools with a high concentration of poverty and high minority

enrollment (30 and 34 percent) than in schools with lower enrollments

in each characteristic (18 percent or less) (figure 6).
10

Figure 5.—Percent of public elementary schools (K-8) that

reported that various staff members made visits to

students’ homes: 1996

73%

61%

21%

76%

0

20

40

60

80

100

Teacher School

counselor

Home/school

coordinator

Other staff*

Percent of 

schools

*Includes school principal and assistant principal, school nurse, and school social worker.

NOTE: Percents were based on the estimated number of schools reporting that staff made home

visits--39,300 (64 percent).

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response

Survey System, “Survey on Family and School Partnerships in Public Schools,

K-8,” FRSS 58, 1996.

Figure 6.—Percent of public elementary schools (K-8) that

reported that home visits were made by a home/ school

coordinator, by poverty concentration and minority

enrollment: 1996

34%

17% 13% 18%

30%

14% 14%

0

20

40

60

80

100

Less

than 

25

25-

49

50 or

more

Less

than

5

5-19 20-

49

50 or

more

Percent of 

schools

Poverty concentration* Percent minority enrollment

*Poverty concentration is defined by the percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch.

These data were missing for about 3 percent of the sampled schools. These schools are not

included in this analysis, but are included in the total and in analyses by other school

characteristics.

NOTE: Percents were based on the estimated number of schools reporting that staff made home

visits--39,300 (64 percent).

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response

Survey System, “Survey on Family and School Partnerships in Public Schools,

K-8,” FRSS 58, 1996.
11

Schools were also asked to indicate the percentage of families in the

school who received at least one home visit during the 1995-96 school

year. In schools that reported home visits, a mean of 15 percent of

families received at least one home visit during this time period (table

3). A higher mean percentage of families -- approximately one-fifth --

were visited in schools with high concentrations of poverty or minority

enrollments, compared to schools with less than 50 percent

concentrations of poverty

(10 to 13 percent) or minority enrollments (10 to 15 percent).

Table 3.—Mean percent of families in the school who received at

least one home visit during the 1995-96 school year, as

reported by public elementary schools (K-8) that

reported home visits, by school characteristics: 1996

School characteristic

Mean percent of

families

Standard

error

All schools1....................................................... 15 0.9

Size of enrollment

Less than 300 ........................................................ 20 2.4

300-599................................................................. 15 1.3

600 or more........................................................... 13 1.2

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 5............................................................. 14 1.6

5-19 ....................................................................... 10 1.3

20-49 ..................................................................... 15 1.4

50 or more ............................................................. 21 1.8

Percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price

lunch2

Less than 25 .......................................................... 10 1.7

25-49 ..................................................................... 13 1.6

50 or more ............................................................. 20 1.4

1Based on the estimated number of schools indicating that staff made home visits--39,300

(64 percent).

2

Percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch was missing for about 3 percent of the

sampled schools. These schools are not included in this analysis, but are included in the total and

in analyses by other school characteristics.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response

Survey System, “Survey on Family and School Partnerships in Public Schools,

K-8,” FRSS 58, 1996.
12

Provisions for Parents

with Limited English

Skills

About half (56 percent) of all K-8 schools enrolled some students

whose parents had limited English skills (not shown in tables). Of

these schools, the majority (85 percent) provided interpreters for

school meetings or parent-teacher conferences (figure 7); 66 percent

provided translations of printed materials, such as newsletters or

school notices; and 28 percent printed school signs in different

languages.

Figure 7.—Percent of public elementary schools (K-8) that

reported providing various services for parents with

limited English skills: 1996

85%

66%

28%

0

20

40

60

80

100

Interpreters for

meetings and

conferences

Translations of

newsletters and

school notices for

parents

School signs

printed in

different

languages

Percent of 

schools

NOTE: Percents were based on the estimated number of schools reporting parents with limited

English skills--34,000 (56 percent).

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response

Survey System, “Survey on Family and School Partnerships in Public Schools,

K-8,” FRSS 58, 1996.

School-Sponsored

Activities to Promote

Parent Involvement

Overall, during the 1995-96 school year the majority of public

elementary schools held activities intended to encourage parent

involvement (table 4). Ninety-seven percent of all schools held an

open house or back-to-school night, and 92 percent scheduled

schoolwide parent-teacher conferences. Schools also held events

designed specifically to exhibit students’ work or demonstrate their

artistic accomplishments and athletic abilities. Arts events, such as

theatrical, dance, or musical performances, were held by 96 percent of

schools. Athletic demonstrations, such as team competitions or field

days, were held by 85 percent of schools. Academic exhibitions, such

as science fairs, were held by 84 percent of schools.
13

Table 4.—Percent of public elementary schools (K-8) that indicated that various kinds of activities

were held during 1995-96, and their estimates of the typical parent attendance for each

type of activity: 1996

Held Typical parent attendance*

Type of activity activity Most or all More than half About half Less than half Few

Percent s.e. Percent s.e. Percent s.e. Percent s.e. Percent s.e. Percent s.e.

Open house or back-to-school night..... 97 0.8 49 1.9 31 1.6 13 1.4 6 0.9 1 0.4

Arts events such as plays or dance or

musical performances.................... 96 0.8 36 2.1 30 2.0 16 1.6 13 1.3 5 0.9

Regularly-scheduled schoolwide

parent-teacher conferences............. 92 1.2 57 2.1 21 1.9 11 1.3 9 1.1 3 0.6

Sports events such as field days or

other athletic demonstrations or

events............................................. 85 1.5 12 1.4 21 2.6 20 2.0 30 2.1 17 1.9

Science fairs or other academic

demonstrations or events ............... 84 1.8 19 1.6 24 2.4 20 2.1 23 2.1 14 1.6

*Percents in these columns are based on the estimated percent of schools that reported holding each type of event in 1995-96.

NOTE: s.e. is standard error. Because of rounding, percents may not add to 100.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Family and School

Partnerships in Public Schools, K-8,” FRSS 58, 1996.

Parent Attendance at

School Events

Although schools almost universally sponsored various programs for

parents, parents frequently did not attend these events. School events

that feature some interaction with students’ teachers appear to attract

more parents than those that exhibit student performances or

demonstrations. Parents were more likely to attend conferences with

their children’s teachers than any other type of school event open to

parents (table 4), with 57 percent of public elementary schools that

held conferences indicating that “most or all” parents attended

regularly scheduled parent-teacher conferences held during the 1995-

96 school year. Attendance at an open house or back-to-school night

was also very high, with about half (49 percent) of the schools that

held such events reporting that most or all parents attended. In

contrast, about one-third of all schools (36 percent) indicated that

most or all parents attended arts events in which their children

participated, and even fewer schools reported high levels of parent

attendance at academic events such as science fairs (19 percent) or

sports events (12 percent) when their children participated in these

events.

While there was little variability among schools in the sponsoring of

activities open to parents, parent attendance at such events showed

variation across certain school characteristics (table 5). Schools in the

Southeast had considerably lower rates of parent attendance at teacher

conferences, open houses, and arts events than schools in other

geographic regions, with fewer schools in this region reporting that

“most or all” parents typically attended these events. Relatively few

schools in any region reported high levels of attendance at sports

events and academic demonstrations.
14

Table 5.—Percent of public elementary schools (K-8) that indicated that “most or all” parents

typically attended various kinds of activities held in 1995-96, by school characteristics:

1996

School characteristic

Parent-teacher

conferences

Open house or

back-to-school

night

Arts events Sports events or

field days

Science fairs or

academic

demonstrations

Percent s.e. Percent s.e. Percent s.e. Percent s.e. Percent s.e.

All schools1............................................ 57 2.1 49 1.9 36 2.1 12 1.4 19 1.6

Size of enrollment

Less than 300............................................. 65 5.5 58 5.1 43 5.4 16 3.8 25 5.1

300-599...................................................... 56 2.9 46 3.1 33 2.6 13 2.4 18 2.7

600 or more................................................ 51 3.0 44 3.3 34 3.1 6 2.0 16 2.6

Urbanicity

City............................................................. 48 3.8 42 3.2 27 3.7 12 3.0 12 2.8

Urban fringe............................................... 62 3.5 53 3.4 40 3.9 9 2.5 19 3.7

Town .......................................................... 63 4.5 48 4.1 39 3.9 12 3.2 22 3.9

Rural .......................................................... 55 4.8 52 4.3 37 4.4 15 3.5 23 3.9

Geographic region

Northeast.................................................... 68 3.9 67 4.4 36 4.4 9 2.9 21 4.3

Southeast.................................................... 20 4.0 25 3.4 20 3.6 6 2.1 10 2.5

Central........................................................ 70 4.4 57 4.2 48 4.0 18 3.5 27 4.1

West ........................................................... 61 3.7 46 3.7 36 4.8 12 3.1 17 3.3

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 5 ................................................. 66 4.6 63 4.3 47 4.8 21 3.3 27 3.7

5-19 ............................................................ 70 4.5 58 4.4 41 5.3 13 3.3 31 4.3

20-49.......................................................... 50 4.2 38 4.6 35 3.9 6 2.2 11 3.2

50 or more.................................................. 37 3.6 30 3.2 17 2.5 5 1.4 3 0.9

Percent of students eligible for free or

reduced-price lunch2

Less than 25 ............................................... 76 3.4 72 3.2 50 4.2 19 3.7 35 4.1

25-49.......................................................... 58 3.8 48 4.5 37 3.1 12 2.8 17 3.2

50 or more.................................................. 39 3.3 28 2.2 21 2.7 5 1.2 6 1.6

1Based on the estimated percent of schools that reported holding each type of event in 1995-96 (see table 4).

2

Percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch was missing for about 3 percent of the sampled schools. These schools are not included in

this analysis, but are included in the total and in analyses by other school characteristics.

NOTE: s.e. is standard error.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Family and School

Partnerships in Public Schools, K-8,” FRSS 58, 1996.

Parent attendance at school-sponsored events was related to the

concentration of poverty in the school, as defined by the percent of

students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. In general, as the

concentration of poverty in the school increased, reports of high parent

attendance decreased. For example, while 72 percent of schools with

a low concentration of poverty reported that most or all parents

attended the school open house, 48 percent of schools with a moderate

poverty concentration, and 28 percent of schools with a high poverty

concentration reported that most or all parents attended the open

house. Attendance at sports events was less markedly related to

poverty concentration, where differences were found
15

between schools with low and high concentrations of poverty (19

versus 5 percent), but not when either of these groups was compared

to schools with a moderate concentration of poverty. A similar

pattern to that shown for concentration of poverty was found when the

percentage of minority students enrolled in schools was taken into

account. Schools with minority enrollments below 20 percent reported

greater parent attendance at all events than schools with minority

enrollments of 20 percent or more.

Parent Participation in

School Decisionmaking

Goal 8 of the National Education Goals specifies that schools will

actively engage parents and families in a partnership that supports the

academic work of children at home and shared educational

decisionmaking at school. However, in general, schools did not report

considering parent input to a great extent in making decisions on

school issues (see table 6). For most of the topics included in the

survey, schools indicated that parent input is considered to a moderate

or small extent. Schools reported giving input from parents the most

consideration on the issue that directly relates to parents--the

development of parent involvement activities. Approximately onethird (31 percent) of schools considered parent input to a great extent

on this issue, and 37 percent considered it to a moderate extent. At

the other extreme, parent input is not a factor in decisions regarding

the evaluation and monitoring of teachers, with 74 percent of schools

indicating that parent input is not considered in this process.

Consideration of parent input did not vary across school

characteristics (not shown in tables).

Table 6.—Percent of public elementary schools (K-8) that indicated the extent to which parent input

is considered in making decisions on various school issues: 1996

Great extent Moderate extent Small extent Not at all

Percent s.e. Percent s.e. Percent s.e. Percent s.e.

Allocation of funds ........................................................ 12 1.4 27 1.9 40 2.0 21 1.9

Curriculum or overall instructional program................ 9 1.3 38 2.3 44 2.7 9 1.2

The design of special programs..................................... 11 1.4 35 2.0 44 2.4 11 1.4

Library books and materials.......................................... 6 1.2 26 1.9 47 2.4 22 1.6

Discipline policies and procedures................................ 12 1.2 38 1.8 35 1.9 14 1.4

Health-related topics or policies, such as drug or

alcohol abuse............................................................. 13 1.7 34 1.8 39 2.0 14 1.4

Monitoring or evaluating teachers................................. 1 0.4 4 0.8 21 1.8 74 1.7

Developing parent involvement activities..................... 31 2.4 37 2.3 27 2.0 5 1.2

NOTE: s.e. is standard error. Because of rounding, percents may not add to 100.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Family and School

Partnerships in Public Schools, K-8,” FRSS 58, 1996.

Issue
16

Parent Input Through

School Councils

The majority of public elementary schools (79 percent) reported

having an advisory group or policy council that includes parents (table

7). Inclusion of parents in such an advisory group was related to the

size of the school and the percentage of minority students enrolled in

the school. Specifically, small schools were less likely than

moderately sized or large schools to report including parents on such

councils (66 versus 83-85 percent), whereas schools with minority

enrollments of 20 percent or more were more likely to report having

an advisory group that includes parents than were schools with

minority enrollments of under 5 percent (86-89 versus 70 percent).

Schools in the West also were more likely to report including parents

in an advisory group than were schools in the Northeast and Central

regions of the country.

Table 7.—Percent of public elementary schools (K-8) that

reported having an advisory group or policy council

that includes parents, by school characteristics: 1996

School characteristic Percent Standard error

All schools ................................................................. 79 2.1

Size of enrollment

Less than 300 ................................................................. 66 5.2

300-599 .......................................................................... 85 2.3

600 or more .................................................................... 83 2.4

Urbanicity

City................................................................................. 88 2.7

Urban fringe ................................................................... 80 4.2

Town............................................................................... 74 4.9

Rural............................................................................... 76 4.8

Geographic region

Northeast ........................................................................ 72 4.6

Southeast ........................................................................ 83 3.1

Central............................................................................ 72 5.1

West................................................................................ 89 3.3

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 5...................................................................... 70 3.9

5-19 ................................................................................ 76 4.5

20-49 .............................................................................. 86 3.3

50 or more ...................................................................... 89 2.1

Percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price

lunch*

Less than 25.................................................................... 73 5.0

25 to 49 .......................................................................... 79 3.6

50 or more ...................................................................... 84 2.2

*Percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch was missing for about 3 percent of the

sampled schools. These schools are not included in this analysis, but are included in the total and

in analyses by other school characteristics.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response

Survey System, “Survey on Family and School Partnerships in Public Schools,

K-8,” FRSS 58, 1996.
17

Do schools with advisory groups report giving more consideration to

parent input in making decisions on school issues than schools without

advisory groups? With the exception of decisions about monitoring or

evaluating teachers, schools with advisory groups or policy councils

that included parents were more likely to report considering parent

input to a great or moderate extent than were schools without these

kinds of groups (figure 8).

Figure 8.—Percent of public elementary schools (K-8) that reported considering parent input in

school decisionmaking to a great or moderate extent, by inclusion of parents in an

advisory group or policy council: 1996

53%

31%

22%

26%

37%

21%

17%

3%

72%

56%

53%

51%

49%

44%

35%

6%

0 20 40 60 80 100

Percent of schools

Advisory group with

parents

No advisory group

with parents

Developing parent

involvement activities

Discipline policies and procedures

Curriculum or overall

instructional program

The design of special programs

Health-related topics or policies,

such as drug or alcohol abuse

Allocation of funds

Library books and materials

Monitoring or evaluating teachers

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Family and School

Partnerships in Public Schools, K-8,” FRSS 58, 1996.

Voluntary Written

Agreements

Voluntary written agreements (e.g., compacts or learning contracts)

are pledges that define the expectations and mutual responsibilities of

schools and parents as partners in student learning and academic

success. Some school districts have adopted such agreements, and

school-parent compacts are included in the reauthorized guidelines of

Title I funding.

About half of all schools (48 percent) reported employing these

voluntary written agreements with individual parents (table 8).

Voluntary written agreements were more prevalent in city and urban
18

fringe schools (56 and 58 percent, respectively) than in schools in

towns or rural areas (38 and 39 percent). While 61 percent of the

schools with minority enrollments of 50 percent or more used

voluntary written agreements, 43 percent of schools with less than 20

percent minority enrollments reported using such agreements. The use

of voluntary written agreements did not show differences by the

concentration of poverty in the school.

Table 8.—Percent of public elementary schools (K-8) that

reported employing voluntary written agreements (e.g.,

compacts or learning contracts) between school and

parents, and the percent requesting such agreements

from all parents, by school characteristics: 1996

School characteristic

School uses written

agreement

Agreements requested

from all parents1

Percent

Standard

error Percent

Standard

error

All schools ....................... 48 2.1 33 3.0

Size of enrollment

Less than 300 ....................... 36 5.7 23 5.9

300-599 ................................ 53 2.8 36 3.9

600 or more .......................... 52 3.5 34 4.0

Urbanicity

City....................................... 56 3.4 46 5.2

Urban fringe ......................... 58 3.6 28 4.5

Town..................................... 38 3.9 28 6.3

Rural..................................... 39 4.9 25 5.5

Geographic region

Northeast .............................. 45 5.2 23 5.6

Southeast .............................. 53 4.4 43 5.4

Central.................................. 45 4.6 22 6.0

West...................................... 49 3.5 40 4.7

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 5............................ 43 4.9 19 5.8

5-19 ...................................... 43 4.9 16 4.5

20-49 .................................... 47 4.9 42 5.3

50 or more ............................ 61 3.1 52 4.2

Percent of students eligible

for free or reduced-price

lunch2

Less than 25.......................... 45 4.2 16 4.6

25 to 49 ................................ 48 4.2 22 5.0

50 or more ............................ 53 2.8 51 4.7

1Based on the estimated number of schools indicating that written agreements are used--29,500 (48

percent).

2

 Percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch was missing for about 3 percent of the

sampled schools. These schools are not included in this analysis, but are included in the total and

in analyses by other school characteristics.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response

Survey System, “Survey on Family and School Partnerships in Public Schools,

K-8,” FRSS 58, 1996.
19

Schools that reported using voluntary written agreements also were

asked for whom these agreements were prepared. Of those schools

using agreements, one-third prepared them for all parents, while twothirds (67 percent) prepared them only for certain groups of parents

(table 8). Schools with a high concentration of poverty were much

more likely to prepare compacts for all parents than were schools with

lower concentrations of poverty (51 percent versus 16-22 percent).

Schools with minority enrollments of 20 percent or more also were

more likely to prepare agreements for all parents (42 and 52 percent)

than were schools with minority enrollments below 20 percent (19 and

16 percent).

Of the schools that reported preparing voluntary written agreements

for only some of their students, 45 percent prepared them for parents

of Title I students, and 80 percent prepared them for various other

groups of students (not shown in tables). Other groups of students for

whom such agreements were prepared included special education

students, students with behavior or discipline problems, and others on

an as needed basis.

Other Ways Schools

Encourage Parent

Involvement in

Children’s Learning

Goal 8 specifies other types of parent involvement in addition to

learning activities at home to help children succeed in school and

involve families in school decisionmaking. For example, volunteering

in classrooms and schools has been linked to active participation in

decisionmaking activities. Schools that welcome and organize

volunteers to help in different ways are more likely to support parent

organizations and parent representatives on decisionmaking

committees (National Education Goals Panel 1995).
20

Parent Volunteer

and Involvement

Opportunities

During 1995-96, over 90 percent of all K-8 schools provided parents

opportunities to volunteer both inside and outside the classrooms, to

assist in fundraising, and to attend meetings of the parent-teacher

organization (not shown in tables). These findings did not differ by

school characteristics. Thirty-nine percent of schools offer some

training for classroom volunteers, either at the school or through the

district. The likelihood that parent training was offered was related to

school size, urbanicity, and minority enrollment (table 9). As school

size increased, volunteer training was more likely to be offered.

Similarly, schools in cities were more likely than schools in towns or

rural areas to provide this service (55 versus 33 and 22 percent), and

schools with minority enrollments of 50 percent or more were more

likely to offer training than those with less than 5 percent minority

enrollments (49 versus 30 percent).

Table 9.—Percent of public elementary schools (K-8) that

reported offering training programs for their classroom

volunteers, by selected school characteristics: 1996

School characteristic Percent Standard error

All schools ................................................................. 39 1.6

Size of enrollment

Less than 300 ................................................................. 21 4.1

300-599 .......................................................................... 39 2.6

600 or more .................................................................... 54 3.1

Urbanicity

City................................................................................. 55 3.4

Urban fringe ................................................................... 44 3.1

Town............................................................................... 33 4.2

Rural............................................................................... 22 4.2

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 5...................................................................... 30 4.4

5-19 ................................................................................ 36 4.4

20-49 .............................................................................. 43 4.2

50 or more ...................................................................... 49 2.5

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response

Survey System, “Survey on Family and School Partnerships in Public Schools,

K-8,” FRSS 58, 1996.
21

When asked how satisfied they were with the parental response to

these involvement opportunities, schools expressed the most

satisfaction with parents’ assistance in fundraising activities, with 69

percent of schools indicating satisfaction with the average parent

involvement in this activity (figure 9). Approximately half of all

schools expressed satisfaction with the parental response to

volunteering both in and outside of the classrooms. Parent-teacher

association meetings were the least satisfactory to schools, with 34

percent registering satisfaction with parents’ attendance.

Figure 9.—Percent of public elementary schools (K-8) that

indicated satisfaction with the average parent

involvement in selected opportunities: 1996

69%

57%

51%

34%

0 20 40 60 80 100

Attending parentteacher association

meetings

Volunteering in the

classrooms

Volunteering outside

the classrooms

Assisting in

fundraising activities

Percent of schools

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response

Survey System, “Survey on Family and School Partnerships in Public Schools,

K-8,” FRSS 58, 1996.
22

Schools’ satisfaction with parent involvement varied by poverty

concentration and minority enrollment. In general, schools with

50 percent or more minority enrollment or students eligible for free or

reduced-price lunch were less likely to report that they were satisfied

with parent involvement in these activities than were schools with

lower minority enrollments or poverty concentrations (table 10).

Table 10.—Percent of public elementary schools (K-8) that indicated satisfaction with the average

parent involvement in selected opportunities, by percent minority enrollment and

concentration of poverty in the school: 1996

School characteristic

Assisting in

fundraising

Volunteering outside

classroom

Volunteering inside

classroom

Attending parentteacher association

meetings

Percent s.e. Percent s.e. Percent s.e. Percent s.e.

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 5 .................................................... 80 3.3 67 4.9 60 4.1 40 4.1

5-19 ............................................................... 80 4.0 66 4.5 65 4.4 40 4.2

20-49 ............................................................. 66 3.7 52 4.3 46 4.2 28 4.2

50 or more..................................................... 45 3.5 38 3.9 30 3.1 24 3.3

Percent of students eligible for free or reducedprice lunch*

Less than 25 .................................................. 85 3.0 76 3.7 68 3.8 45 4.4

25-49 ............................................................. 73 4.2 57 4.8 56 4.5 36 4.2

50 or more..................................................... 51 3.1 39 3.4 33 2.7 21 2.1

*Percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch was missing for about 3 percent of the sampled schools. These schools are not included in

this analysis, but are included in the total and in analyses by other school characteristics.

NOTE: s.e. is standard error.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Family and School

Partnerships in Public Schools, K-8,” FRSS 58, 1996.

Parent Resource Centers When schools create resource centers devoted to parents’ needs, they

provide a signal that parents are welcome in the building. These

centers typically are places where parents can get information on

parenting and school-related issues and can gather informally. In

some cases, resource centers sponsor classes or workshops for parents

and provide referrals to social service and child care agencies

(Johnson 1993).

About one-third (35 percent) of all schools reported having a parent

resource center, and another 12 percent reported that one was being

developed (figure 10). Of the schools that have parent resource

centers, 14 percent reported very frequent usage, 46 percent reported

somewhat frequent usage, and 37 percent reported that the center was

infrequently or never used.
23

Figure 10.—Percent of public elementary schools (K-8) that indicated having a parent resource

center, and the reported frequency of use: 1996

Does school have resource center?

12%

53%

35%

Yes

Developing one

No

3%

37%

46%

14%

Very frequently

Somewhat frequently

Infrequently or not at all

Don't know

Does school have resource center? Reported frequency of use by parents*

*Based on the estimated number of schools with parent resource centers--21,300 (35 percent).

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Family and School

Partnerships in Public Schools, K-8,” FRSS 58, 1996.

Assistance from

School Districts

and States

Individual schools may be limited by their financial and staff

resources in engaging parents in their programs and activities. While

many states have recently passed laws on different aspects of family

involvement in education, some have developed family partnership

programs with schools that include small grants for new activities,

home/school coordinators, family resource rooms, and other

innovations (Epstein 1991). In this survey, schools were asked if they

receive assistance on parent involvement activities from either their

district or state in the following ways: setting parent involvement

policies, providing technical assistance to staff through workshops and

other forms of training, providing staff to assist in implementing

programs, and funding parent programs. Thirty-eight percent of

elementary schools reported receiving financial support from their

school districts; 57 to 65 percent reported receiving each of the other

types of assistance from the district (figure 11).

It may be difficult for schools to distinguish state assistance from

district-level support. About one-third of schools reported receiving

state assistance in setting parent involvement policies and providing

technical assistance for parent programs to school staff. About onefifth of schools reported that the state provides staff or funding to

assist in parent programs. However, about one-third of schools did

not know whether they received any assistance from the state.
24

Figure 11.—Percent of public elementary schools (K-8) that indicated they received various kinds of

assistance for parent involvement activities from their school district or the state: 1996

Yes

No

Don’t know

Setting parent involvement policies

Providing technical assistance

(workshops, training)

35%

65%

District

30%

31%

39%

State

40%

60%

District

33%

37%

30%

State

Providing staff for parent programs Providing funds

43%

57%

District

18%

52%

30%

State

62%

38%

District

23%

47%

30%

State

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Family and School

Partnerships in Public Schools, K-8,” FRSS 58, 1996.

With respect to district support, large and moderately sized schools,

city schools, and schools with poverty concentrations and minority

enrollments of at least 50 percent generally were more likely to report

receiving aid for parent involvement activities than were small

schools, rural schools, schools with poverty concentrations of less

than 25 percent, and schools with minority enrollments of less than 20

percent (table 11). In general, state support was more likely to be

reported by schools with poverty concentrations and minority

enrollments of at least 50 percent than by schools with poverty

concentrations of less than 25 percent, and schools with minority

enrollments of less than 5 percent (table 12).
25

Table 11.—Percent of public elementary schools (K-8) that reported that they received different

kinds of assistance on parent involvement activities from their district, by school

characteristics: 1996

School characteristic

Setting policies for

involving parents in

school activities

Providing technical

assistance for parent

programs to school staff

(e.g., workshops,

training)

Providing staff to assist

the school in parent

programs

Providing funds for

parent programs

Percent s.e. Percent s.e. Percent s.e. Percent s.e.

All schools.......................... 65 1.9 60 2.3 51 2.2 38 2.1

Size of enrollment

Less than 300.......................... 47 4.4 42 4.7 36 4.5 27 4.7

300-599................................... 71 2.6 62 3.2 54 3.1 42 2.9

600 or more............................. 70 3.2 73 3.3 61 3.0 42 3.2

Urbanicity

City.......................................... 70 3.7 76 3.9 63 4.2 47 3.2

Urban fringe............................ 71 3.7 66 4.8 60 4.8 40 4.1

Town ....................................... 63 4.1 52 4.2 43 4.8 37 4.1

Rural ....................................... 54 5.0 44 5.5 37 4.6 27 4.7

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 5 .............................. 54 4.1 45 4.9 38 3.7 31 3.6

5-19 ......................................... 62 5.1 53 4.6 41 5.2 30 5.1

20-49....................................... 68 3.7 72 3.6 59 3.8 37 3.8

50 or more............................... 78 2.4 75 2.8 71 2.8 56 3.1

Percent of students eligible for

free or reduced-price lunch*

Less than 25 ............................ 60 4.9 51 4.0 38 4.0 27 3.8

25-49....................................... 66 4.2 61 4.9 53 4.0 33 3.3

50 or more............................... 67 2.3 67 2.8 60 2.8 51 2.6

*Percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch was missing for about 3 percent of the sampled schools. These schools are not included in

this analysis, but are included in the total and in analyses by other school characteristics.

NOTE: s.e is standard error.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Family and School

Partnerships in Public Schools, K-8,” FRSS 58, 1996.
26

Table 12.—Percent of public elementary schools (K-8) that reported that they received different

kinds of assistance on parent involvement activities from their state, by school

characteristics: 1996

School characteristic

Setting policies for

involving parents in

school activities

Providing technical

assistance for parent

programs to school staff

(e.g., workshops, training)

Providing staff to assist

the school in parent

programs

Providing funds for parent

programs

Percent s.e. Percent s.e. Percent s.e. Percent s.e.

All schools................................... 39 2.1 30 1.8 18 1.2 23 1.4

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 5 ....................................... 31 4.1 24 3.7 14 2.5 20 3.2

5-19 .................................................. 35 4.6 26 4.4 15 3.9 17 3.5

20-49................................................ 47 4.6 32 4.0 15 2.2 18 2.9

50 or more........................................ 48 3.1 38 3.4 31 2.7 38 3.1

Percent of students eligible for free or

reduced-price lunch*

Less than 25 ..................................... 32 3.8 23 3.8 9 2.3 14 3.1

25-49................................................ 40 4.1 28 4.0 19 3.6 20 3.3

50 or more........................................ 45 2.6 36 2.8 25 2.2 32 2.3

*Percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch was missing for about 3 percent of the sampled schools. These schools are not included in

this analysis, but are included in the total and in analyses by other school characteristics.

NOTE: s.e. is standard error.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Family and School

Partnerships in Public Schools, K-8,” FRSS 58, 1996.

Perceived Barriers to

Parent Involvement in

School Programs

Given a list of concerns that might impede parent involvement in

schools, schools indicated to what extent they perceived that each was

a barrier. Among the parent-centered barriers, the highest percentage

of schools perceived lack of time on the part of parents as a barrier to

a great or moderate extent (87 percent) (figure 12). This was followed

by lack of parent education to help with school work (38 percent).

Cultural or socioeconomic differences and parent attitudes about the

school were perceived to be barriers in 23 percent of schools.

Language differences between parents and staff was perceived as a

barrier by 12 percent of schools.

Of the barriers considered to be centered at the school, more than half

of schools (56 percent) perceived that lack of time on the part of

school staff created a barrier to parent involvement to a great or

moderate extent. About half (48 percent) perceived that lack of staff

training in working with parents was also a barrier to parent

programs. Staff attitudes towards parents was perceived as a barrier

by 18 percent of schools. Concerns about safety in the area after

school hours was reported as a barrier in 9 percent of all schools.
27

Figure 12.—Percent of public elementary schools (K-8) that perceived various concerns as barriers to

parent involvement at their school to a great or moderate extent: 1996

9%

18%

48%

56%

12%

23%

23%

38%

87%

0 20 40 60 80 100

Percent of schools

Parent-centered barriers

Lack of time on part of parents

Lack of parent education

to help with schoolwork

Cultural or socioeconomic differences

between parents and staff

Parent attitudes about the school

Language difference between

parents and staff

Lack of time on the part of staff

Lack of staff training in

working with parents

Staff attitudes about the parents

Concerns about safety in the area

after school hours

Staff/school-centered barriers

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Family and School

Partnerships in Public Schools, K-8,” FRSS 58, 1996.

The findings reported above look quite different when school views on

these barriers are examined by poverty concentration and minority

enrollment in the school (table 13). Specifically, more schools with

poverty concentrations and minority enrollments of 50 percent or more

perceived the following issues to be barriers than schools low on these

characteristics:

• Lack of parent education to help with schoolwork,

• Cultural or socioeconomic differences,

• Language differences between parents and staff,

• Parent attitudes about the school,

• Staff attitudes toward parents, and

• Concerns about safety in the area after school hours.
28

More city schools also reported that concerns about safety in the area

after school hours was a barrier to a great or moderate extent than

schools in all the other metropolitan areas (21 versus 8 percent or less)

(not shown in table).

Table 13.—Percent of public elementary schools (K-8) that perceive various concerns as barriers to

parent involvement at their school to a great or moderate extent, by high and low poverty

concentration* and minority enrollments: 1996

Poverty concentration* Minority enrollment

Barrier Less than 25 percent 50 percent or more Less than 5 percent 50 percent or more

Percent s.e. Percent s.e. Percent s.e. Percent s.e.

Lack of parent education to help

with homework......................... 12 3.3 64 2.2 24 3.3 65 3.0

Cultural/socioeconomic

differences between parents

and staff..................................... 5 1.9 42 2.7 10 2.0 41 3.3

Language differences between

parents and staff........................ 4 1.6 20 2.2 5 1.7 31 2.9

Parent attitudes about the school... 11 2.6 35 2.7 14 2.6 33 2.9

Staff attitudes about the parents.... 15 3.4 25 2.6 9 2.3 26 3.1

Concerns about safety in the area

after school hours...................... 2 1.1 19 2.0 2 0.7 27 2.9

*Poverty concentration is defined by the percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. This information was missing for about 3 percent

of the sampled schools. These schools are not included in analyses by this variable, but are included in totals and in analyses by other school

characteristics.

NOTE: s.e. is standard error.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Family and School

Partnerships in Public Schools, K-8,” FRSS 58, 1996.

Summary The belief that parent involvement in education is related to children’s

learning and school performance is supported by a growing body of

research. For example, in the report Strong Families, Strong Schools

(U.S. Department of Education 1994), the authors conclude that when

parents are involved in their children’s learning, children earn higher

grades and test scores, and they stay in school longer. The authors

also claim that when parents are involved in a variety of ways at

school, the performance of all children in the school tends to improve.

Increasing family involvement in children’s learning has become a

special focus in school reform efforts. Findings from this survey

suggest that schools are making efforts to encourage and

accommodate parent participation in school programs. First, over 80

percent of all schools report communicating regularly with parents on

a variety of topics, ranging from the goals and objectives of the

school’s instructional program to conveying good news about

students’ progress. Many schools also are striving to bridge the

language barrier that exists for many families with limited English

proficiency, with 85 percent of schools with parents of limited English

skills providing interpreters for school meetings or conferences.

Second, schools are taking an active role in addressing some of the

needs of children and families that go beyond the school
29

walls, such as encouraging learning at home and providing

information on parenting and child development issues, through

newsletters, workshops, and parent resource centers. Moreover,

schools are reaching out to families by sponsoring activities intended

to encourage parent participation. During the 1995-96 school year,

between 84 and 97 percent of schools held events such as open

houses, parent conferences, displays and performances of students’

work; over 90 percent provided parents volunteer and involvement

opportunities. In general, schools report including parents in

decisionmaking to a moderate extent, although schools with advisory

groups that include parents are more likely to do so.

Parental response to these school efforts varied depending on the

activity offered and across all school characteristics. The most

consistent differences were found with concentration of poverty and

minority enrollment in the school. In general, schools with high

poverty concentrations and minority enrollments reported less parent

involvement than schools with lower poverty concentrations and

minority enrollments. Future research might address ways schools

can more successfully attract parents from these groups.

References Epstein, J.L. 1991. “Effects on Student Achievement of Teacher

Practices and Parent Involvement.” In S. Silvern (Ed.), Advances

in Reading/Language Research, Vol. 5. Literacy Through

Family, Community and School Interaction. Greenwich, CT: JAI

Press.

Johnson, V. 1993. “Parent Centers Send Clear Message: Come be a

Partner in Educating Your Children.” Research and

Development Report, September, No. 4. Baltimore, MD: Johns

Hopkins University, Center on Families, Communities, Schools

and Children’s Learning.

National Education Goals Panel. 1995. “Improving Education

Through Family-School-Community Partnerships.” Executive

Summary to the 1995 National Education Goals Report.

(Technical Report 96-03). Washington, DC: U.S. Government

Printing Office.

U.S. Department of Education. 1994. Strong Families, Strong

Schools. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
30
31

Appendix A

Survey Methodology

and

Data Reliability
32
33

Survey

Methodology

and Data

Reliability

Sample Selection

The sample of elementary schools for the FRSS survey on parent

involvement was selected from the 1993-94 NCES Common Core of

Data (CCD) Public School Universe File. Over 84,000 public schools

are contained in the CCD universe file, of which 60,000 are

elementary schools. For this survey, elementary schools are defined

as schools beginning with grade 6 or lower and having no grade higher

than 8. Special education, alternative, schools not classified by grade

span, and “combined” schools that house both elementary and

secondary grades were excluded from the survey.

A stratified sample of 900 schools was selected from the elementary

school frame. To select the sample, the frame of schools was

stratified by concentration of poverty in the school, as determined by

the percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch.2

Within these primary strata, schools were also sorted by enrollment

size3

 and then by urbanicity.4 The sample sizes were then allocated to

the primary strata in rough proportion to the aggregate square root of

the enrollment of schools in the stratum. The use of the square root of

enrollment to determine the sample allocation is efficient for

estimating both categorical school-level characteristics (e.g., number

or percentage of schools that have voluntary written agreements with

parents) and quantitative characteristics related to the size of the

school (e.g., the number of families that received home visits from

school staff). The sample size was large enough to permit limited

analysis of the questionnaire (along one dimension) by the four

regions, four urbanicity levels, three enrollment size categories, three

levels of poverty concentration, and four categories of minority

enrollments. However, because of the relatively small sample size, it

is difficult to separate the independent effects of each characteristic

(tables A-1 through A-3).

 

2Categories used in sampling for the percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch

were: 0-24.9 percent; 25-49.9 percent; 50-74.9 percent; 75 percent or more; missing.

3Categories used in sampling for enrollment size were: less than 300; 300-499; 500-999; 1,00-

1,499; 1,500 or more.

4Categories used in sampling for urbanicity were: city; urban fringe; town; rural.
34

Table A-1.—Estimated percent of public elementary schools

(K-8) with different levels of poverty concentration

(as defined by percent of students eligible for free or

reduced-price lunch), by school characteristics:

1996

School characteristic

Percent of students eligible for free or

reduced-price lunch*

Less than 25 25-49 50 or more

All schools.............................................. 33 28 39

Size of enrollment

Less than 300 .............................................. 35 26 40

300-599....................................................... 32 29 39

600 or more................................................. 32 30 38

Urbanicity

City.............................................................. 18 23 59

Urban fringe ................................................ 51 25 24

Town ........................................................... 32 34 34

Rural............................................................ 31 31 38

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 5................................................... 49 32 20

5-19 ............................................................. 51 32 16

20-49 ........................................................... 25 36 39

50 or more ................................................... 2 12 87

*Percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch was missing for about 3 percent of the

sampled schools. These schools are not included in this analysis, but are included in the total and

in analyses by other school characteristics.

NOTE: Because of rounding, percents may not add to 100.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response

Survey System, “Survey on Family and School Partnerships in Public Schools,

K-8,” FRSS 58, 1996.

Table A-2.—Estimated percent of public elementary schools (K-8)

with different levels of minority enrollments, by

school characteristics: 1996

Percent minority enrollment

School characteristic Less

than 5 5-19 20-49

50 or

more

All schools....................................................... 30 25 22 23

Size of enrollment

Less than 300 ....................................................... 51 26 9 15

300-599................................................................ 26 26 24 23

600 or more.......................................................... 18 22 30 30

Urbanicity

City....................................................................... 8 18 24 50

Urban fringe ......................................................... 21 29 29 20

Town .................................................................... 37 32 19 12

Rural..................................................................... 56 20 14 9

Percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price

lunch*

Less than 25 ......................................................... 45 38 17 1

25-49 .................................................................... 34 28 29 10

50 or more ............................................................ 15 10 22 52

*Percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch was missing for about 3 percent of the

sampled schools. These schools are not included in this analysis, but are included in the total and

in analyses by other school characteristics.

NOTE: Because of rounding, percents may not add to 100.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response

Survey System, “Survey on Family and School Partnerships in Public Schools,

K-8,” FRSS 58, 1996.
35

Table A-3.—Number and percent of responding public elementary

schools (K-8) in the study sample and estimated

number and percent of schools the sample

represents, by school characteristics: 1996

Respondent sample National estimate

Number Percent Number Percent

All schools........................................................ 810 100 61,240 100

Size of enrollment

Less than 300 ........................................................ 130 16 15,840 26

300-599................................................................. 375 46 27,590 45

600 or more........................................................... 305 38 17,800 29

Urbanicity

City........................................................................ 280 35 15,440 25

Urban fringe .......................................................... 188 23 15,920 26

Town ..................................................................... 189 23 15,210 25

Rural...................................................................... 153 19 14,670 24

Geographic region

Northeast ............................................................... 136 17 11,240 18

Southeast ............................................................... 202 25 13,030 21

Central................................................................... 182 22 18,420 30

West....................................................................... 290 36 18,550 30

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 5............................................................. 163 20 18,470 30

5-19 ....................................................................... 144 18 15,210 25

20-49 ..................................................................... 168 21 13,440 22

50 or more ............................................................. 335 41 14,120 23

Percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price

lunch*

Less than 25 .......................................................... 153 19 19,510 33

25-49 ..................................................................... 170 21 16,660 28

50 or more ............................................................. 470 59 23,080 39

*Percent of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch was missing for about 3 percent of the

sampled schools. These schools are not included in this analysis, but are included in the total and

in analyses by other school characteristics.

NOTE: Because of rounding, details may not add to totals.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response

Survey System, “Survey on Family and School Partnerships in Public Schools,

K-8,” FRSS 58, 1996.

Respondent and

Response Rates

In early April 1996 questionnaires were mailed to 900 elementary

school principals. The principal was asked either to complete the

questionnaire or to have it completed by the person in the school who

was most knowledgeable about parent involvement in the school.

Telephone followup of nonrespondents was initiated in late April, and

data collection was completed by June 1996. Five schools were found

to be ineligible, and a total of 810 schools completed the survey.

Thus, the unweighted final response rate was 91 percent. The

weighted final response was 92 percent.

School characteristic
36

Sampling and

Nonsampling Errors

The response data were weighted to produce national estimates. The

weights were designed to adjust for the variable probabilities of

selection and differential nonresponse. The findings in this report are

estimates based on the sample selected and, consequently, are subject

to sampling variability.

The survey estimates are also subject to nonsampling errors that can

arise because of nonobservation (nonresponse or noncoverage) errors,

errors of reporting, and errors made in collection of the data. These

errors can sometimes bias the data. Nonsampling errors may include

such problems as the differences in the respondents’ interpretation of

the meaning of the questions; memory effects; misrecording of

responses; incorrect editing, coding, and data entry; differences related

to the particular time the survey was conducted; or errors in data

preparation. While general sampling theory can be used in part to

determine how to estimate the sampling variability of a statistic,

nonsampling errors are not easy to measure and, for measurement

purposes, usually require that an experiment be conducted as part of

the data collection procedures or that data external to the study be

used. To minimize the potential for nonsampling errors, the

questionnaire was pretested with public school principals like those

who completed the survey. During the design of the survey and the

survey pretest, an effort was made to check for consistency of

interpretation of questions and to eliminate ambiguous items. The

questionnaire and instructions were extensively reviewed by the

National Center for Education Statistics. Manual and machine editing

of the questionnaire responses were conducted to check the data for

accuracy and consistency. Cases with missing or inconsistent items

were recontacted by telephone. Data were keyed with 100 percent

verification.

Variances The standard error is a measure of the variability of estimates due to

sampling. It indicates the variability of a sample estimate that would

be obtained from all possible samples of a given design and size.

Standard errors are used as a measure of the precision expected from

a particular sample. If all possible samples were surveyed under

similar conditions, intervals of 1.96 standard errors below to 1.96

standard errors above a particular statistic would include the true

population parameter being estimated in about 95 percent of the

samples. This is a 95 percent confidence interval. For example, the

estimated percentage of public elementary schools reporting that they

sponsored an open house is 97 percent, and the estimated standard

error is 0.8 percent. The 95 percent confidence interval for the

statistic extends from [97- (0.8 x 1.96) to 97 + (0.8 x 1.96)], or from

95.4 to 98.6.
37

Estimates of standard errors for this report were computed using a

technique known as jackknife replication method. Standard errors for

all of the estimates are presented in the tables. All specific statements

of comparison made in this report have been tested for statistical

significance through t-tests adjusted for multiple comparisons using

the Bonferroni adjustment, and they are significant at the 95 percent

confidence level or better.

Background

Information

The survey was performed under contract with Westat, using the

NCES Fast Response Survey System (FRSS). Westat’s Project

Director was Elizabeth Farris, and the Survey Manager was Nancy

Carey. Judi Carpenter, now retired, was the NCES Project Officer

during data collection. Shelley Burns is the current NCES Project

Officer, and Edith McArthur is the FRSS Planning Officer. The data

were requested by Oliver Moles, National Institute on the Education

of At-Risk Students, and Mary Rollefson of the National Center for

Education Statistics, Office of Educational Research and

Improvement, U.S. Department of Education, and by the National

Education Goals Panel.

This report was reviewed by the following individuals:

Outside NCES

• Carol Sue Fromboluti, National Institute on Early Childhood

Development and Education

• Cindy Prince, National Education Goals Panel

Inside NCES

• Jonaki Bose, Surveys and Cooperative Systems Group

• Robert Burton, Statistical Standards and Services Group

• Kathryn Chandler, Surveys and Cooperative Systems Group

• Mary Frase, Data Development and Longitudinal Studies Group

• Edith McArthur, Data Development and Longitudinal Studies

Group

For more information about the Fast Response Survey System or the

Survey on Family and School Partnerships in Public Schools, K-8,

contact Shelley Burns, Data Development and Longitudinal Studies

Group, National Center for Education Statistics, Office of

Educational Research and Improvement, 555 New Jersey Avenue,
38

NW, Washington, DC 20208-5651, telephone (202) 219-1463. This

and other NCES reports are available on the Internet at

www.ed.gov/NCES/.

Glossary of Terms

Terms Defined on the

Survey Questionnaire

Advisory Group or Policy Council - A committee that includes

parents, separate from any parent-teacher organization, designed to

address school policy issues and make recommendations to school

personnel.

Child care programs - Daily programs that provide recreational or

educational activities to students at the school outside of normal

school hours.

Homework helpline - A school-sponsored telephone service that

provides information about students’ homework assignments to

parents and students.

Sample Universe and

Classification Variables

Urbanicity - based on the locale codes as defined in the Common

Core of Data (CCD):

City - a central city of a Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA).

Urban fringe - a place within an MSA of a central city, but not

primarily its central city.

Town - a place not within an MSA, but with a population greater than

or equal to 2,500 and defined as urban by the U.S. Bureau of the

Census.

Rural - a place with a population less than 2,500 and defined as rural

by the U.S. Bureau of the Census.

Geographic Region - as defined by the National Assessment of

Educational Progress (NAEP):

Northeast - Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maine,

Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York,

Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

Southeast - Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky,

Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee,

Virginia, and West Virginia.

Central - Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota,

Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and

Wisconsin.
39

West - Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho,

Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah,

Washington, and Wyoming.

Size of Enrollment

The number of students enrolled at the school, based on data in the

1993-94 CCD file.

Percent Minority Enrollment

The percent of students enrolled in the school whose race or ethnicity

is classified as one of the following: American Indian or Alaskan

Native, Asian or Pacific Islander, Black, or Hispanic, based on data in

the 1993-94 CCD file.

Poverty Concentration

The percent of students at the school eligible for free or reduced-price

lunch, based on responses to question 22 on the survey questionnaire.
40
41

Appendix B

Table of Standard Errors

for the Figures
42
43

Table 1a.—Estimates and standard errors for figures: 1996

Figure Estimate Standard error

Figure 1: Percent of public elementary schools (K-8) that reported always or

frequently communicating with parents by various means: 1996

Parents are given written information about the school’s performance on

standardized tests................................................................................................. 85 1.5

Parents are given written interim reports during grading periods.............................. 83 1.6

Parents are given written information about the goals and objectives of the school’s

regular instructional program ............................................................................... 83 1.4

Parents are notified about children’s ability-group placements.................................. 79 3.0

Parents received positive phone calls or notes from teachers when their children’s

performance improves at school ........................................................................... 72 2.0

Parents are given examples of work that meets high standards ................................. 60 2.0

Parents are requested to sign off on homework......................................................... 57 2.2

Parents have access to a school-sponsored helpline................................................... 24 1.8

Figure 2: Percent of public elementary schools (K-8) that reported providing

parents with information on community services, by selected school

characteristics: 1996

Size of enrollment

Less than 300....................................................................................................... 76 5.1

300-599 ............................................................................................................... 91 1.8

600 or more ......................................................................................................... 94 1.3

Urbanicity

City...................................................................................................................... 93 1.8

Urban fringe ........................................................................................................ 92 2.7

Town ................................................................................................................... 88 2.6

Rural ................................................................................................................... 78 5.0

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 5........................................................................................................... 81 3.8

5-19 ..................................................................................................................... 87 3.7

20-49 ................................................................................................................... 92 2.2

50 or more ........................................................................................................... 95 1.3

Figure 3: Percent of public elementary schools (K-8) that reported using

selected methods to provide information to parents on various topics: 1996

Newsletters or other printed materials...................................................................... 95 1.0

Workshops or classes............................................................................................... 75 1.7

Take-home audio/video............................................................................................ 23 2.1
44

Table 1a.—Estimates and standard errors for figures: 1996--Continued

Figure Estimate Standard error

Figure 4: Percent of public elementary schools (K-8) that reported sponsoring

workshops or classes to inform parents about various topics, by selected school

characteristics: 1996

Size of enrollment

Less than 300....................................................................................................... 61 3.9

300-599 ............................................................................................................... 79 2.5

600 or more ......................................................................................................... 82 2.4

Urbanicity

City...................................................................................................................... 86 2.6

Urban fringe ........................................................................................................ 83 2.8

Town ................................................................................................................... 72 4.1

Rural ................................................................................................................... 58 4.1

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 5........................................................................................................... 63 4.1

5-19 ..................................................................................................................... 79 3.6

20-49 ................................................................................................................... 77 3.6

50 or more ........................................................................................................... 85 2.6

Figure 5: Percent of public elementary schools (K-8) that reported that

various staff members made visits to students’ homes: 1996

Teacher.................................................................................................................... 73 2.3

School counselor...................................................................................................... 61 2.7

Home/school coordinator.......................................................................................... 21 2.0

Other staff ............................................................................................................... 76 2.4

Figure 6: Percent of public elementary schools (K-8) that reported that home

visits were made by a home/school coordinator, by poverty concentration and

minority enrollment: 1996

Percent poverty concentration

Less than 25......................................................................................................... 14 4.3

25-49 ................................................................................................................... 14 3.6

50 or more ........................................................................................................... 30 2.5

Percent minority enrollment

Less than 5........................................................................................................... 18 4.4

5-19 ..................................................................................................................... 13 3.8

20-49 ................................................................................................................... 17 3.1

50 or more ........................................................................................................... 34 3.4

Figure 7: Percent of public elementary schools (K-8) that reported providing

various services for parents with limited English skills: 1996

Interpreters for meetings or conferences................................................................... 85 1.8

Translations of newsletters and school notices.......................................................... 66 2.8

School signs printed in different languages............................................................... 28 2.0
45

Table 1a.—Estimates and standard errors for figures: 1996--Continued

Figure Estimate Standard error

Figure 8: Percent of public elementary schools (K-8) that reported

considering parent input in school decisionmaking to a great or moderate

extent, by inclusion of parents in an advisory group or policy council: 1996

Parents on advisory group

Developing parent involvement activities............................................................. 72 2.0

Discipline policies and procedures ....................................................................... 56 1.7

Curriculum or overall instructional program......................................................... 53 2.5

The design of special programs ............................................................................ 51 2.4

Health-related topics or policies, such as drug or alcohol abuse ............................ 49 2.2

Allocation of funds............................................................................................... 44 2.6

Library books and materials................................................................................. 35 1.9

Monitoring or evaluating teachers ........................................................................ 6 0.9

No parents on advisory group

Developing parent involvement activities............................................................. 53 5.2

Discipline policies and procedures ....................................................................... 31 4.8

Curriculum or overall instructional program......................................................... 22 4.0

The design of special programs ............................................................................ 26 4.5

Health-related topics or policies, such as drug or alcohol abuse ............................ 37 4.9

Allocation of funds............................................................................................... 21 3.6

Library books and materials................................................................................. 17 4.4

Monitoring or evaluating teachers ........................................................................ 3 1.8

Figure 9: Percent of public elementary schools (K-8) that indicated

satisfaction with the average parent involvement in selected opportunities:

1996

Assisting in fundraising activities............................................................................. 69 2.1

Volunteering outside the classrooms ........................................................................ 57 2.4

Volunteering in the classrooms ................................................................................ 51 2.0

Attending parent-teacher association meetings ......................................................... 34 2.2

Figure 10: Percent of public elementary schools (K-8) that indicated having a

parent resource center, and the reported frequency of use: 1996

Does school have resource center?

Yes...................................................................................................................... 35 2.3

Developing one .................................................................................................... 12 1.2

No ....................................................................................................................... 53 2.2

Reported frequency of use by parents

Very frequently .................................................................................................... 14 2.3

Somewhat frequently............................................................................................ 46 3.4

Infrequently or not at all....................................................................................... 37 3.1

Don’t know.......................................................................................................... 3 1.1
46

Table 1a.—Estimates and standard errors for figures: 1996--Continued

Figure Estimate Standard error

Figure 11: Percent of public elementary schools (K-8) that indicated they

received various kinds of assistance for parent involvement activities from

their school district or the state: 1996

Assistance from district

Setting parent involvement policies...................................................................... 65 1.9

Providing technical assistance (workshops, training) ............................................ 60 2.3

Providing staff for parent programs ...................................................................... 57 2.2

Providing funds.................................................................................................... 38 2.1

Assistance from state

Setting parent involvement policies...................................................................... 39 2.1

Providing technical assistance (workshops, training) ............................................ 30 1.8

Providing staff for parent programs ...................................................................... 18 1.2

Providing funds.................................................................................................... 23 1.4

Figure 12: Percent of public elementary schools (K-8) that perceived various

concerns as barriers to parent involvement at their school to a great or

moderate extent: 1996

Parent-centered barriers

Lack of time on part of parents............................................................................. 87 1.5

Lack of parent education to help with schoolwork................................................. 38 2.1

Cultural or socioeconomic differences between parents and staff .......................... 23 1.6

Parent attitudes about the school .......................................................................... 23 1.4

Language difference between parent and staff ...................................................... 12 1.2

Staff/school-centered barriers

Lack of time on the part of staff............................................................................ 56 2.3

Lack of staff training in working with parents....................................................... 48 1.9

Staff attitudes toward parents............................................................................... 18 1.7

Safety in the area after school hours..................................................................... 9 1.0

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Fast Response Survey System, “Survey on Family and School

Partnerships in Public Schools, K-8,” FRSS 58, 1996.
47

Appendix C

Survey Form
48
49

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION O.M.B. NO.: 1850-0726

NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION STATISTICS EXPIRATION DATE: 5/31/96

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20208-5651

SURVEY ON FAMILY AND SCHOOL

PARTNERSHIPS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS, K-8

FAST RESPONSE SURVEY SYSTEM

This survey is authorized by law (P.L. 103-382). While you are not required to respond, your cooperation is

needed to make the results of this survey comprehensive, accurate, and timely.

DEFINITIONS FOR THIS SURVEY

Advisory Group or Policy Council - A committee that includes parents, separate from any parent-teacher

organization, designed to address school policy issues and make recommendations to school personnel.

Child care programs - Daily programs that provide recreational or educational activities to students at the

school outside of normal school hours.

Homework helpline - A school-sponsored telephone service that provides information about students’

homework assignments to parents and students.

AFFIX LABEL HERE

IF ABOVE INFORMATION IS INCORRECT, PLEASE MAKE CORRECTIONS DIRECTLY ON LABEL.

Name of person completing form: _______________________________ Title: _________________________

Telephone: _________________ Fax: ________________________ E-mail: _______________________

Best days and times to reach you (in case of questions): _____________________________________________

PLEASE RETURN COMPLETED FORM TO: IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, CONTACT:

WESTAT Nancy Carey

1650 Research Boulevard 1-800-937-8281, ext. 4467

Rockville, Maryland 20850 Fax: 1-800-254-0984

Attention: 900211 Carey E-mail: CAREYN1@WESTAT.COM

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a

valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 1850-0726. The time required to complete this

information collection is estimated to average 30 minutes per response, including the time to review instructions, search existing data

resources, gather the data needed, and complete and review the information collection. If you have any comments concerning the

accuracy of the time estimate(s) or suggestions for improving this form, please write to: U.S. Department of Education, Washington, D.C.

20202-4651. If you have comments or concerns regarding the status of your individual submission of this form, write directly to: National

Center for Education Statistics, 555 New Jersey Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20208.

FRSS Form No. 58, 4/96
50

Please answer this questionnaire only for the grade range of the school designated on the cover page, but

exclude pre-K classes. Refer to the definitions on the cover for words in bold type.

1. What grades are taught at this school? (Circle all that apply.)

K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

2. In column A, indicate which kinds of activities have been held at your school during the 1995-96 school year. In

column B, select the number that corresponds to the BEST description of the typical parent attendance for each

type of activity. NOTE: When answering column B, if some events at your school are held primarily for certain

classes or students, consider the attendance only for the parents of students who participate in the event. (Circle

one number in column A; if yes, circle one number in column B.)

A. Activity B. Parents attending?

held?

Yes No

Most

or all

More

than

half

About

half

Less

than

half Few

a. Open House or Back-to-School Night ....... 1 2 1 2 3 4 5

b. Regularly-scheduled schoolwide parentteacher conferences ................................. 1 2 1 2 3 4 5

c. Arts events such as plays or dance or

musical performances .............................. 1 2 1 2 3 4 5

d. Sports events such as Field Days or other

athletic demonstrations or events ............. 1 2 1 2 3 4 5

e. Science fairs or other academic

demonstrations or events.......................... 1 2 1 2 3 4 5

3. How often do the following forms of communication between parents and staff occur throughout your school?

(Circle one number in each row.)

Always Frequently Sometimes Never

a. Parents are given written interim reports during grading

periods ................................................................................ 1 2 3 4

b. Parents are requested to sign off on homework ................... 1 2 3 4

c. Parents have access to a school-sponsored “homework

helpline” for information on assignments ............................ 1 2 3 4

d. Parents are given written information about the goals and

objectives of the school’s regular instructional program ....... 1 2 3 4

e. Parents are given written information about the school’s

overall performance on standardized tests........................... 1 2 3 4

f. Parents receive positive phone calls or notes from teachers

when their children’s performance improves at school ......... 1 2 3 4

g. Parents are given examples of work that meets high

standards............................................................................. 1 2 3 4

h. Parents are notified about children’s ability-group

placements. (If your school does no ability grouping, check

the box and go on to Question 4.).................................... 1 2 3 4

4. Does your school provide information to parents on the following topics? If yes, please indicate how it is offered.

(Circle one number in column A; if yes, circle all that apply in column B.)

A. B. How offered?

Information

provided?

Yes No

Workshops

or classes

Take-home

audio/

video

Newsletters

or other

printed

material

a. Child or adolescent development..................... 1 2 1 2 3

b. Nutrition, health, or safety................................ 1 2 1 2 3

c. Parenting skills ................................................ 1 2 1 2 3

d. Helping with homework.................................... 1 2 1 2 3

e. Developing study skills .................................... 1 2 1 2 3

f. Ideas for learning activities outside of school... 1 2 1 2 3

g. Information on community services to help

children or their families .................................. 1 2 1 2 3
51

5. Does your school have a parent resource center, that is, a place where parents can get information on parenting

and school-related issues and can gather informally?

Yes .................................... 1 (Continue with Question 6.) Currently developing one .... 2

] (Skip to Question 7.) No....................................... 3

6. To what extent do parents make use of this parent resource center?

Very frequently .................. 1 Infrequently or not at all... 3

Somewhat frequently ......... 2 Don’t know ...................... 4

7. Do staff at your school make visits to students’ homes?

Yes .................................... 1 No................................... 2 (Skip to Question 10.)

8. Who makes these visits to students’ homes? (Circle all that apply.)

Teachers............................ 1 School counselor............. 3

Home school coordinator ... 2 Other staff....................... 4 (specify)___________________________

9. Approximately what percent of the families at your school have received at least one home visit during the

1995-96 school year? ___________%

10. Does your school provide any of the following for parents with limited English skills? If your school has NO

parents with limited English skills, check the box and skip to Question 11...........

Yes No

a. Interpreters for meetings or parent-teacher conferences............................................................ 1 2

b. Translations of printed materials, such as newsletters or school notices .................................... 1 2

c. School signs printed in different languages................................................................................ 1 2

11. In column A, indicate which opportunities are available to parents at your school during the 1995-96 school year.

In column B, select the number that corresponds to the statement that BEST describes how satisfactory the

average parent involvement is for each opportunity. (Circle one number in column A; if yes, circle one number in

column B.)

A. B. Parent

Opportunity involvement?

available?

Yes No Satisfactory

Moderately

satisfactory

Moderately

unsatisfactoryUnsatisfactory

a. Serving as volunteers in the classrooms. 1 2 1 2 3 4

b. Serving as volunteers outside the

classrooms ............................................. 1 2 1 2 3 4

c. Assisting in fundraising activities ............ 1 2 1 2 3 4

d. Attending meetings of the parentteacher association................................. 1 2 1 2 3 4

12. Does your school or school district have a training program for its classroom volunteers?

Yes .................................... 1 No................................... 2

13. Please indicate the extent to which parent input is considered in making decisions on the following issues at your

school.

Parent input considered?

Great

extent

Moderate

extent

Small

extent

Not

at all

a. Allocation of funds............................................................. 1 2 3 4

b. Curriculum or overall instructional program ....................... 1 2 3 4

c. The design of special programs ......................................... 1 2 3 4

d. Library books and materials............................................... 1 2 3 4

e. Discipline policies and procedures ..................................... 1 2 3 4

f. Health-related topics or policies, such as drug or alcohol

abuse ................................................................................ 1 2 3 4

g. Monitoring or evaluating teachers...................................... 1 2 3 4

h. Developing parent involvement activities........................... 1 2 3 4
52

14. Does your school have an Advisory Group or Policy Council that includes parents (other than as part of a

parent-teacher organization)?

Yes .................................... 1 No................................... 2

15. Does your school receive assistance on parent involvement activities from your school district or state in any of

the following ways? (Circle one number in the district column and one number in the state column.)

Assistance from:

District? State?

Yes No Yes No

Don’t

know

a. Setting policies for involving parents in school activities ........ 1 2 1 2 3

b. Providing technical assistance for parent programs to school

staff (e.g., workshops, training).............................................. 1 2 1 2 3

c. Providing staff to assist your school in parent programs......... 1 2 1 2 3

d. Providing funds for parent programs...................................... 1 2 1 2 3

16. To what extent are the following concerns barriers to parent involvement in your school?

Great Moderate Small Not at

extent extent extent all

a. Lack of time on the part of parents .................................... 1 2 3 4

b. Lack of time on the part of staff ......................................... 1 2 3 4

c. Lack of staff training in working with parents...................... 1 2 3 4

d. Cultural or socioeconomic differences between parents

and staff ............................................................................ 1 2 3 4

e. Language differences between parents and staff ............... 1 2 3 4

f. Lack of parent education to help with schoolwork .............. 1 2 3 4

g. Parent attitudes about the school....................................... 1 2 3 4

h. Staff attitudes about the parents ........................................ 1 2 3 4

i. Safety in the area after school hours ................................. 1 2 3 4

17. Does your school have voluntary written agreements (e.g., compacts or learning contracts) between the school

and individual parents on what each will do to help students succeed in school?

Yes .................................... 1 No................................... 2 (Skip to Question 20.)

18. For whom are these voluntary written agreements prepared?

All parents.......................... 1 (Skip to Question 20.)

Some parents .................... 2

19. For parents of which students do you request such written agreements? (Circle all that apply.)

Title I ................................. 1

Other ................................ 2 (specify)___________________________________________

20. Are there daily child care programs offered to students at your school (regardless of sponsorship)?

Yes .................................... 1 No................................... 2 (Skip to Question 22.)

21. When are these child care programs offered? (Circle all that apply.)

Before school..................... 1 After school..................... 2

22. What percent of the students in your school are eligible for the free- or reduced-price lunch program? ________%

23. Does your school receive federal Title I funds?

Yes .................................... 1 No................................... 2

24. Does your school operate a Title I school-wide program?

Yes .................................... 1 No................................... 2

THANK YOU. PLEASE RETAIN A COPY OF THIS SURVEY FOR YOUR FILES.