Parent Involvement in Education: Toward an Understanding of Parents’ Decision Making

Parent involvement (PI) in education is associated with positive outcomes for students; however, little is known about how parents decide to be involved in children’s education. On the basis of the K. V. Hoover-Dempsey and H. M. Sandler (1995, 1997) model of parent decision making, the authors examined the relationship among 4 parent variables (role construction, sense of efficacy, resources, and perceptions of teacher invitations) with PI activities at home and school. The authors surveyed parents of elementary students from an urban district. Specific invitations from teachers had the largest effect on the 3 types of parent involvement. Parents’ sense of efficacy and level of resources were less influential than anticipated. The authors discuss implications of the findings for teacher and school practices, policy development, and future research.