Chapter 1: Demographic Context

Indicator 3: Parent Involvement in Education

In 2007, a higher percentage of female than male students had parents who reported participation in such school-related activities as attending a school or class event or volunteering or serving on a school committee. However, a higher percentage of males than females had parents who attended regularly scheduled parent-teacher conferences.

In 2007, about 89 percent of students in kindergarten through 12th grade had parents who reported attending a general school or PTO/PTA meeting. Some 78 percent of students had parents who reported attending regularly scheduled parent-teacher conferences; 74 percent had parents who reported attending a school or class event; 65 percent had parents who reported participating in school fundraising; and 46 percent had parents who reported volunteering or serving on a school committee.

A higher percentage of males than females had parents who attended regularly scheduled parent-teacher conferences (79 vs. 77 percent); by comparison, a lower percentage of male than female students had parents who attended school or class events (71 vs. 78 percent) or who volunteered or served on a school committee (45 vs. 48 percent). These differences by sex were also observed for White and Hispanic students with one exception: no measurable differences were found between the percentages of White male and White female students whose parents volunteered or served on a school committee.

Parental participation in some school-related activities varied by race/ethnicity. A higher percentage of White students than Black and Hispanic students had parents who reported participation in such school-related activities as attending a school or class event, volunteering or serving on a school committee, or participating in school fundraising. These racial/ethnic differences in parents' participation in the three school-related activities were also observed for males as well as females. For example, 77 percent of White males had parents who reported attending a school or class event, compared with 62 percent of Black males and 61 percent of Hispanic males. Some 83 percent of White females had parents who reported attending a school or class event, compared with 70 percent of Hispanic females and 68 percent of Black females. In addition, the percentage of female students whose parents reported attending a school or class event was higher for American Indian/Alaska Native females (93 percent) than White females (83 percent), Hispanic females (70 percent), Asian females (69 percent), and Black females (68 percent).

By comparison, no measurable differences between racial/ethnic groups were observed in the overall percentages of students whose parents attended regularly scheduled parent-teacher conferences. This racial/ethnic pattern was also observed for males as well as females, with one exception: a higher percentage of Hispanic males than White males had parents who attended regularly scheduled conferences (83 vs. 79 percent).

Technical Notes

In this indicator, parent participation indicates participation in school activities by a parent or other household member. Reporting standards for Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander students were not met; therefore, data for this group are not discussed in the text.

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Figure 3-1. Percentage of students in grades K through 12 whose parents reported attending a regularly scheduled parent-teacher conference, attending a school or class event, and volunteering or serving on a school committee, by race/ethnicity and sex: 2007

Table E-3-1 Percentage of students in grades K through 12 whose parents reported participation in school-related activities, by sex and race/ethnicity: 2007

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