Henry J. Becker, Kathy Nakagawa and Ronald Corwin, April
1995
26 pages.
Abstract
Many deregulated public charter schools emphasize parental involvement. According to Becker et al., some even seem to be working from a communitarian model, trying to build an integral school community in which parents play numerous roles in the ongoing events of the school and classroom day. California charter schools are also experimenting with a variety of mechanisms for encouraging parent involvement, including having parents sign agreements or "contracts" promising a certain amount or type of involvement. But to what extent are the initiators of these charter schools using parent involvement and parent contracts to restrict enrollment to children whose parents demonstrate the desired commitments and willingness to meet school expectations?To explore this question, the authors report on a) analyses of data from a survey of California's charter schools and comparison schools in the same communities and b) an examination of parent contracts in use at the charter schools.
The overall tenor of the parent contracts used at most of the charter schools in this sample suggest that the contracts are used as a means of obtaining compliance rather than as a positive vehicle for encouraging the growth of a more inclusive school community. These contracts, although probably intended to encourage more involvement, actually seem to permit schools more leverage over parents.
Furthermore, a major reason charter schools have higher levels of parent involvement may be that the more school participation-oriented families select themselves into charter school enrollment; meanwhile, parents who lack the initial interest or circumstance that would enable more substantial participation reject the opportunity to join such a school.
To some extent, the authors conclude, schools are being organized to exclude students based on a new criterion of undesirability. It is the criterion of having supportive and educationally involved parents.
