Strong majorities of parents support federal funding for a wide variety of education initiatives, including funding designed to increase parental involvement in their children s schools. In fact, parents rate federal funding for parental involvement programs even higher in importance than funding for programs currently receiving intense political attention, such as hiring more teachers and building new schools. Return to the Survey's index page Views on Parental Involvement Parents believe that it is critically important to a child s education to have parents be involved with their child s school. Parents strongly support federal government programs to encourage parental involvement in public schools. Most parents are concerned with the low level of parental involvement in their children s schools, and many are concerned that their children s schools do not keep them well-informed.
Parents cite a number of specific barriers to greater involvement.
Those obstacles cited most frequently include not enough time in the day for parents and not being available during the times when the school wants the parents to participate. Other barriers include inadequate communication from the schools about events and how to be involved, feeling that their parental involvement is not welcome at the school, and logistical problems such as lack of transportation or child care. Return to the Survey's index page Views on the Federal Role Parents with children in public schools strongly favor federal funding for a wide variety of education programs. There is currently a public debate about the appropriate role of the federal government in education, with some people arguing that education is a local issue and that federal involvement is tantamount to federal interference. Other people argue that education is so important that the federal government should do more in this area.