Parental involvement and assistant principal efficacy

Educational research suggests evidence that parental involvement leads to positive results for students. Furthermore, the importance of parental involvement has been well documented and mandated by legislation while educational theorists conclude that parental involvement is essential to effective schools. Given these thoughtful ideas, the purpose of this study is to identify and analyze the attitudes of assistant principals toward parental involvement to see if further recommendations could be made to increase levels of student performance. A survey was administered to assistant principals in the Gulf Coast Region of Southeast Texas which resulted in a comprehensive response from 369 current campus assistant principals.;The assistant principals' attitudes toward parental involvement were examined within the context of their data. The responses from the participants were tallied and analyzed for significant differences in their attitudes based on their age, experience level, educational level, and ethnicity. Statistical significance was also examined among the following groups: 1) the type of school (suburban, urban or rural); 2) the grade level of the school; 3) the demographic makeup of the student population; 4) the size of the school; and 5) the number of students receiving free and reduced lunches. The significance of these factors was analyzed further with cognitive interviews to explore assistant principals' attitudes about parental involvement and to look for more relational data. The study focused on the following three questions: 1) what do assistant principals believe the appropriate and necessary level of parental involvement should be?; 2) What do they do to encourage parental involvement?; and 3) how do assistant principals react to requests from parents regarding their child?;According to Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, efficacy can be defined as "the power to produce an effect." The findings from this study will be useful for administration to understand the value assistant principals attach to the role of parental involvement in student education. Through this understanding of the role of assistant principals in parental involvement combined with the findings of this study, the Assistant Principal's power to produce an effect (whether positive or negatively) becomes clear. Subsequently, this knowledge and insight will provide leaders with methods to improve parental involvement within their schools.;Lastly, professional development opportunities, as well as overall organizational structural designs, will be suggested for implementation of successful parental involvement programs. The secondary school assistant principal's role is also compounded by the fact that parental involvement decreases at the high school level, while students' overall needs require greater attention. This decreased parental role combined with increased concern about young adults' academic, social, and emotional preparation compels administrators to identify ways to improve parent outreach efforts.