The role of Parent Coordinators in parental involvement: An exploratory study

The research exploring the achievement gap between white and minority students shows that students from lower-income, minority families in urban school districts consistently perform poorly on standardized measures of academic success. Research also shows that parental involvement does have some impact on student achievement. However, it appears that minority parents have a more difficult time connecting with their children's school administrators and teachers due to matters related to social capital. This study explored the role and efficacy of Parent Coordinators (PCs) in New York City Public Schools serving large populations of Asian, Black and Hispanic students. The purpose of this study was to determine if, and in what ways PCs encourage and support parental involvement and whether they generate social capital through their work with parents. Participants were principals, PCs and parents. Data were obtained through the use of survey instruments and interviews. Findings suggest that PCs do increase and improve the nature of parental involvement in students' education and that through the parental involvement generated by the PCs, social capital was actualized in several forms. Recommendations for future research are also presented.