Closing the gap: Examining parental involvement, school improvement plans, and the effect on academic achievement

This qualitative phenomenological study investigated principals' and parents' perceptions of their school involvement in three urban Catholic elementary schools. Principals' and Hispanic parents' perceptions of their school involvement were collected using open-ended in-depth interviews to answer research questions. The identified urban elementary Catholic schools had low levels of parental involvement. Three Title I Catholic school principals and 10 Hispanic parents with children in 3rd and 4th grade were non-randomly selected and interviewed about their experiences in the school system. The study was used to investigate different kinds of parental practices and effects on student achievement. This qualitative study was developed to explore the strategies used to encourage parental involvement. School principals recognized barriers to parental involvement and defined how to overcome challenges in their particular schools. Three Catholic elementary school principals answered open-ended questions about their lived experiences to determine the usefulness and differences of their experiences and to identify the morale of their perceptions. The open-ended questions focused on the duties of Catholic school principals and perceptions of their effectiveness and resiliency. Findings indicated the need for further research to develop strategies to strengthen emotional intelligence among Catholic school principals and develop communication and collaboration skills.