Date Approved

5-11-2001

Embargo Period

6-7-2016

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

M.A. in Educational Administration

Department

Educational Services and Leadership

College

College of Education

Advisor

Sernak, Kathleen

Subject(s)

Parent participation; Community and school; Education, Elementary

Disciplines

Elementary and Middle and Secondary Education Administration

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to develop ways to build and create partnerships between parents, community and School by providing a variety of opportunities for parent-community participation. These partnerships will be fostered through the use of effective communication methods, such as coffee club sessions, focus group discussions, and school newsletters.

This action research was conducted via qualitative and quantitative methods to gather and analyze data. The participants for the study were the parents of the children at Parkside school, community members, and the faculty. A pre- and post-survey were sent to a randomly selected group of parents of students in first, third and fifth grades. The teachers and staff were also surveyed to measure their attitudes towards parent-community involvement. The surveys were tabulated and then calculated in percentages.

The results of the study indicate that parent-community involvement is possible when parents, community and the school family worked together as partners. As intended by this study, partnerships were established between parent-community and school as a result of identifying and providing meaningful, informative and enjoyable opportunities for participation in school activities, and in the school decision-making process. In addition, the school to home communication also increased due to the spectrum of communication methods used.

Download

Share

COinS