Parental Involvement and Perceptions of School Climate in California

Abstract

Parental involvement plays a significant role in students’ social and academic outcomes. Nevertheless, systemic ways of gathering parental views have not been used or highlighted in the policy arena or the literature. Using data from the first major statewide survey of parents in California, drawn from the California School Parent Survey ( N = 15,829), this study examined parental perceptions of school climate, school problems, and school encouragement of parental involvement. The findings question the roles that schools, and federal, state, and local policymakers play in supporting active school involvement of parents and families from nondominant ethnicities in the community.