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Abstract:
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This qualitative study explored the perceptions and practices of elementary school administrators regarding parental involvement in three urban elementary schools . Particular attention was given to understanding the connection between the beliefs that school leaders shared about parental involvement and its role in school improvement (i .e . , their espoused theories ) and to how they supported parental involvement in their school community (i .e . , their theories in use ) . Using Argyris and Schön’s (1978 ) theories of action framework , face -to face interview data and school and district documents were collected and analyzed to explore how well administrators’ practices relative to parental involvement (theory -in -use ) aligned with their beliefs and perceptions (espoused theory ) . As such , data analysis focused on understanding both what administrators believe and what they do to use parental involvement to support school improvement efforts . |