School-Family Relations In Context: Parent and Teacher Perceptions of Parent Involvement

This study addressed teachers' and parents' perceptions of the meanings and functions of parent involvement. Twelve teachers and 13 parents participated in semistructured ethnographic interviews. All actors were either employed by or involved in an ethnically concentrated elementary school in a low-income, culturally diverse, urban community. Analyses revealed that teachers and parents have different perceptions of parent involvement. These different perceptions implicate diverse epistemologies,differential power, and some competing purposes. On the other hand, teachers and parents both claim that firm, mutually beneficial partnerships (or collaboration) between them are essential to children's learning, healthy development, and success in school. Perceived barriers need to be addressed for these partnerships to eventuate.