Parent Involvement and Satisfaction in Magnet Schools [electronic resource] : Do Reasons for Choice Matter? / Charles S. Hausman and Ellen B. Goldring.
Magnet schools remain the most widespread form of school choice. This paper explores the relationship between parents' reasons for choice and their level of satisfaction and involvement with their chosen magnet school. The study involved 18 elementary magnet schools in 2 large urban school dist...
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| Format: | Electronic eBook |
| Language: | English |
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Distributed by ERIC Clearinghouse,
1997.
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| Summary: | Magnet schools remain the most widespread form of school choice. This paper explores the relationship between parents' reasons for choice and their level of satisfaction and involvement with their chosen magnet school. The study involved 18 elementary magnet schools in 2 large urban school districts. A survey was sent to all parents with fifth-grade children in the sample schools. A total of 1,689 parents (65 percent) responded. Findings indicate that: (1) parents selected magnet schools for a wide variety of reasons and were highly satisfied with their chosen schools; (2) parents' reasons for choice and perceived influence over school decisions were important predictors of satisfaction with the school; and (3) parents' reasons for choice, perceived influence over school decisions, income, and distance from home to school significantly influenced parent involvement at school. Magnet-school parents indicated that they based their choice of school on academics, values, and discipline/safety. Those parents who chose on the basis of convenience indicated lower levels of satisfaction with their chosen school. Therefore, if a policy were implemented that required all parents to choose, it might result in a larger percentage of parents choosing for reasons of convenience. There was no correlation between parent income and influence; however, greater income was a predictor of parent involvement. Although the reasons for choice had some ability to predict parent involvement, they were more powerful predictors of parent satisfaction. Five tables are included. Appendices contain the study variables and an intercorrelation matrix of independent variables. (Contains 36 references). (LMI) |
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| Item Description: | ERIC Document Number: ED414619. ERIC Note: Paper presented at the Annual Convention of the University Council for Educational Administration (Orlando, FL, October 31-November 2, 1997). |
| Physical Description: | 40 p. |