Calling all parents: A qualitative inquiry of the perceptions of five teachers and the principal of parental involvement at an Oregon elementary school

It is generally accepted that efforts at the national, state, and local levels to improve the relationships between parents and schools are aimed at increasing student success and performance, restoring positive attitudes and behaviors in school, strengthening the curriculum, and enriching each student\u27s educational experience. Research indicates that parental involvement is an important factor in students\u27 school experience. This paper focuses on five teachers\u27 and the principal\u27s perceptions of parental involvement at an Oregon elementary school. conducted two interviews with each teacher and the principal and asked three interview questions. I asked the teachers and the principal what role they thought parental involvement played in a student\u27s school experience, what their perceptions were of parental involvement at their school, and what kinds of parental involvement they would like to see happen with their students. I found that all agreed that parental involvement was important in a student\u27s school experience. I also found that four of the five teachers and the principal thought the school should have more parental involvement. However, it was obvious that some teachers had hesitations about both the amounts and the kinds of parental involvement they wanted