THE EFFECT OF COMMUNITY TYPE, PARENT TRUST AND PARENT INVOLVEMENT IN SCHOOLS ON ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT

iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to recognize several people who have offered support throughout the writing of this paper. First, I would like to extend my appreciation to all of my family, friends, and colleagues whose constant encouragement kept this project going. Without your encouragement, I truly feel I would not have been able to finish. I would also like to thank Dr. Forsyth for his wisdom and help in every aspect of the development of this paper. His constant editing and recommendations will forever be appreciated. Also, a thank you is extended to the other participants on the “Trust ” team. This is a wonderful group of people and I enjoyed working on this project with them. Finally, I would like to extend a special thank you to my parents, David and Geneva Wilkins. They have always stressed the importance of a strong work ethic and they have taught me the importance of a good education. I hope they know that their prayers, love, and encouragement helped me to continue to work on this project, eve