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Citation:

McGrath, D. J., & Kuriloff, P. J. (1999). ÒTheyÕre going to tear the doors off this placeÓ: Upper-middle-class parent school involvement and the educational opportunities of other peopleÕs children. Educational Policy, 13(5), 603-629.

Annotation:
This study examines the levels of school involvement among parents of differing social class and racial backgrounds to determine the impact of upper-middle-class parentsÕ school involvement on the involvement levels of other parents. Findings showed that factors influencing levels of school involvement were both structural and related to the interests and actions of parents. This participant-observation study was conducted in a suburban school district outside a major northeastern U.S. city during the 1995-96 school year. The student population was 80% White, 12% Black, 6% Asian, and about 2% Latino. Wealth and race varied sufficiently within the district, so class and race were significant issues in the school district community. The researchers caution policy makers and school administrators about the unintended consequences of Òtraditional efforts to increase parental involvement, and show that such efforts can further advantage wealthier parents while actually creating impediments to involvement among working-class and minority parents.Ó This study provides some unusual significant findings and reports from a perspective not usually researched in the field.