Rafael Lara-Alecio is an assistant professor and director of Ipilingual/ESL programs, Department of Educational Curriculum and Instruction, Texas A&M University. Beverly J. lrby is an associate professor; Department of Educational Leadership and Counseling, Sam Houston State Universiv. Richard Ebener is with the Department of Human Educational Resource Development, Adult Literacy Clearinghouse Division, Texas A&M University. he results of recent national surveys T indicate the need for increased involvement of parents in their children’s education. Ninety percent of business executives rate lack of parental involvement as the greatest barrier to school reform (Perry, 1993), and a 1993 national survey of teachers highlights parental involvement as the most important education policy issue in coming years (Louis Hams and Associates, 1993). Parent involvement in their children’s education deserves significant public resources-the more parents are actively involved in their children’s educational activities, the better the children’s academic achievement, self-confidence, and attitudes toward school (Beveridge & Jerrams, 1981; Chavkin & Williams, 1989; Comer, 1984; Epstein, 1983; Lightfoot, 1978; McDill & Rigsby, 1973; McLaugh-lin & Shields, 1987; Tizard, Schofield, & Hewison, 1982). When parents are active-ly involved in their children’s education, positive cognitive and affective changes can be observed in their children, regardless of the economic, ethnic, or cultural background of the parents (Flaxman & Inger, 199 1).

The National Education Goals Panel (1995) called for schools and communities to create a desirable context for teaching and learning in which parents are actively involved in the education of their children. It challenged schools by stating that every school will develop partnerships to increase parental involvement and participation in promoting the social, emotional, and academic growth of children. The US Department of Education, along with the American Educational Research Association, not only has issued a call for schools to develop partnerships but also has encouraged those partnerships to be culturally sensitive (US Department of Education, 1995).