A Study of Teacher Practices and Attitudes Toward Parent Involvement in the Omaha Public School District Primary Grades

This is a descriptive examination of teacher attitudes and practices of parent involvement in a small urban district in a mostly rural state. Surveys were sent to 416 teachers of grades kindergarten, first, and second. Surveys were also sent to the teachers of alternative kindergarten classrooms and the pre-first classrooms. The survey was based upon one from the publication Hopkins Survey of Schools and Family Connections, Questionnaires for Teachers, Parents, and Students, p.81. The survey was self-reporting with anonymity guaranteed. Independent variables included grade level taught, a college level course or school district in-service session taken, and a bachelor’s degree or work beyond the bachelor’s degree earned. Dependent variables include attitudes toward parent obligations, communication practices, volunteer practices, attitudes towards parent involvement at home, general attitudes toward parent involvement, and parent involvement at my school. One-way analyses of variance were run to examine the variables. When appropriate, multiple range tests were run. The surveys indicated that the population of teachers in the Omaha Public School District have more similarities than differences when examining their attitudes toward parent involvement. Surveys showed that teachers valued parent involvement. Most agreed on the benefits and value of involving parents. Very few teachers had taken a college course or participated in a district training session on parent involvement