This study investigated the actual and potential role that cultural resources embedded in Latino households are incorporated into parental participation in schooling practices. By examining various aspects of parental involvement that exist at a particular school site in the Southwest United States - including the various manifestations of the involvement, the enabling and sustaining factors for parental participation - and the challenges and possibilities for improvement of parental participation, this study aimed to provide a framework for how to authentically engage the participation of Latino parents within the school setting.A qualitative approach was selected as the primary methodological perspective, which included ethnographic interviewing based on Funds of Knowledge research (Moll, 2004) and action research as a participant observer being utilized for data collection. Observations of parent activity at the school were conducted over a three-month period at a school setting called "parent room", which served as a meeting place for parent volunteers to work, socialize, and attend classes. Twelve parents were interviewed to determine the kinds of skills parent volunteers employ through parental involvement at the school and whether or not these skills can be categorized as Funds of Knowledge. Six staff members were interviewed to establish a history of parental involvement at the school as well as to establish an understanding of the role of the parent room.The researcher presents results on parent involvement in a school setting that includes a space specific to the needs and work of parent volunteers. The parent room scenario, which has previously not been included in parent involvement research in schools, is determined to be a valuable and viable possibility for schools wishing to increase parental involvement by immigrant and minority parents or those parents who are generally uncomfortable in the traditional classroom setting. The framework and results advance our understanding of the complexities of parent involvement in school and provide a foundation for incorporating families' Funds of Knowledge into the function and organization of schools.

Parent involvement in Thailand was indicated as one critical dimension of effective schooling. This research describes the need to redefine the concept of parent involvement to create collaborative models including the home, the school, and the community. To explore this point, this research drew its sample of 1,811 parents from four schools of the Nontaburi Municipal School System in Thailand. An adaptation of Epstein, Coners, and Salinas's (Revised 1993) parent survey was used. Fifty three percent of the parents returned the surveys. Multiple regression analyses were conducted both across the school system and within each school setting. The findings suggest that student's GPA, grade level, and parent's expectations are predictors of parent involvement, whereas student's gender, parent's education, parent's age, parent's marital status, family income, and family composition do not necessarily predict the level of parent involvement. Also, it appears that the findings on how much the parents were involved across the school system and within each school setting indicate that neither the schools nor the teachers gave them sufficient opportunity for involvement. The program in which parents were most interested was how to discipline their children, whereas the programs on school and community development drew least interest. Concerning pattern of parent involvement, "involvement of parent at home" found the most common occurrence. These findings echo the assumption about traditional perceptions of the passive and distant relationship among family, school, and community that must be remedied.