Educators and researchers have long considered parental involvement to be an integral factor in the success of students. However, parental involvement is low in many U.S. schools. Guided by Epstein's parental model, the purpose of this case study was to examine teachers' perceptions and experiences of parental involvement at an inner-city K-8 center in the United States which has had low parental involvement over the last 5 years. The overarching research question concerned teacher perceptions and experiences regarding communicating with parents, encouraging learning at home, and parents volunteering. Data sources consisted of interviews, questionnaires, and unobtrusive data. Purposeful sampling was used to identify the 11 teacher participants. Data were transcribed, coded and analyzed for various themes. The findings indicated that teachers perceive parental involvement to be important when they communicate with parents, when parents encourage learning at home, and when parents volunteer. The themes that emerged from the data were (a) the importance of parental involvement, (b) reinforcing learning at home, (c) communication, (d) encouraging parental involvement at school, and (e) increasing parental involvement. Based on the findings, a policy recommendation was developed to enhance the Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) currently in place at the study site. This project could lead to positive social change by assisting the staff at the K-8 center in developing a PTSA program that may encourage parents to become more involved. Their efforts may provide a model for other schools struggling with a lack of parental involvement.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / This study was initiated while the researcher was still an educator at' a secondary school in Cape' Town, South Africa. This was the period of the mid-1990s soon after the first democratically elected government assumed power in -South Africa: During this period of transition, large-scale reforms were expected on', the, education- front. Educational management and specifically school management were an integral part of these reforms. In terms of school management the idea of parents taking. on a greater .role was receiving wide support. School governing bodies (SGBs) comprising various constituencies and with greater powers were supposed to be the instrument spearheading change in school management. .This study traverses three levels of policy development: national, provincial and local (that is, school). It seeks to understand how school governance policy is developed and implemented using the principle of contestation to guide the analysis. The following questions guided the research: What were the contestations which led to the development of school governance policy at national level? How was provincial school governance policy developed from national policy and what were the areas of contention between the two? • What were the contestations resulting from implementation of school governance policy at the school level? At all three levels the discussion of the contestations was limited to the powers and functions of SGBs. By shedding more light on the above questions, it was hoped that the nature of policy contestation would become clearer. This in turn could enhance the study of policy This study was primarily qualitative in orientation with the principal means of data-gathering being: documentary analysis, semi-structured interviews and observation. Documents produced at the national and provincial levels (Acts, Bills, Reports, White Papers and so forth) as well as submissions made by various organizations from different sectors in society were carefully analysed using specific criteria. Other documents analysed included circulars from the provincial education department, documents discussed Within the school governing body selected for the study, and articles from newspaper publications. Interviews were conducted with key informants at national, provincial and school levels. At the school level, observation of five governing body meetings were undertaken analysis and development. This study revealed that the key issues in SGB functioning that formed the focus for contestation were: the charging of school fees; the':·employment of additional staff; admission-; language-; religious observance policy;". and relative powers of the MEe/HOD/SGBs. One of the greatest immediate challenges facing the majority of school governing bodies in South Africa is the lack of capacity in terms of material, financial and human resources. This study provides recommendations about how to address some of these challenges, and also identifies some important areas for future research.

The school effectiveness, the school's ability to deliver (produce results), and the improvement of the matriculation (Grade 12) results in the Limpopo Province has been a priority ever since the new democratic government took over in 1994. The Limpopo Province has always scored lower than all the other nine provinces in the country in the matriculation (Grade 12) results. Among the reasons given as contributing to this state of affairs, was the ineffective way of governing and administering schools. This research investigated the development of the school governing structures in the Limpopo Province. The focus was mainly on revealing the nature of the school governing structures that existed in the province and how those governing structures influenced the overall performance of the schools. The researcher found that the most suitable school governing structures for the Limpopo Province schools are those that will provide parents with more meaningful participation in the education of their children and will inculcate democracy in the governance of schools. / Educational Studies / M.Ed. (History of Education)

The school effectiveness, the school's ability to deliver (produce results), and the improvement of the matriculation (Grade 12) results in the Limpopo Province has been a priority ever since the new democratic government took over in 1994. The Limpopo Province has always scored lower than all the other nine provinces in the country in the matriculation (Grade 12) results. Among the reasons given as contributing to this state of affairs, was the ineffective way of governing and administering schools. This research investigated the development of the school governing structures in the Limpopo Province. The focus was mainly on revealing the nature of the school governing structures that existed in the province and how those governing structures influenced the overall performance of the schools. The researcher found that the most suitable school governing structures for the Limpopo Province schools are those that will provide parents with more meaningful participation in the education of their children and will inculcate democracy in the governance of schools. / Educational Studies / M.Ed. (History of Education)