Abstract
Purpose. The purpose of this descriptive study was to determine how evolving family structures impact the decision parents make to become involved in their child's K-8 parochial school community. Methodology. This was a mixed method descriptive study. The population for this study was parochial K-8 school communities located in the Our Lady of the Angels Pastoral Region of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles Roman Catholic Church in Los Angeles County in the state of California. The sample was two schools within Deanery 13 in the Westside Pastoral Region. Of the 567 families surveyed, 352 agreed to participate. The researcher used qualitative and quantitative methods to analyze the data collected. Findings. The survey found statistical significant differences in the (a) number of husbands and wives identified as both employed and (b) number of parents who identified work as the barrier impacting their decision to become involved and as the only barrier that limits their involvement. The options with teacher involvement received the highest means: teacher encouragement, teacher-initiated involvement choices, and teacher outreach to families. Conclusions. It is fair to state that the evolution of the American family has occurred on many levels with extensive implications in parent involvement. Today's families have parents who both work full time. The decisions parents make regarding school involvement are impacted by their evolving family structures. Also, the individual decision to be involved is personal to the family structure's interests, beliefs, and perceptions. Recommendations. Future studies could (a) examine teachers and administrators from the parochial K-8 school communities that participated in this study to determine their perceived knowledge of their impact on parents' involvement and decision to become involved, (b) evaluate parochial K-8 school communities within the Westside Pastoral Region of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles County, (c) examine other parochial K-8 school communities in other counties in California, and (d) evaluate other parochial K-8 school communities in other large counties throughout the United States to determine the barriers that parents report as impacting their decision to become involved and limiting their involvement when thinking about the consequences for student, parent(s), and school.