Educational outcomes for children from low-income families and high-income families has been a rising topic of study. There are several factors that are hypothesized to contribute to these outcome differentials. Historically, poor children and children from minority backgrounds have often primarily had access to schools with lesser resources; data suggest that these children have also received discriminatory treatment from teachers which largely stem from inappropriate or incorrect expectations. The material and cultural resources of low-income families may also not support success as readily as the resources of higher-income families. This amalgamation of factors potentially increases the ease for which middle and upper-class children can satisfy standards set by schools as well as for the children’s parents to interact confidently and effectively with the school system and administration.

To better understand the relationship between parent background and schooling, a study was conducted to compare two primary schools. The first school, Colton, is located in a white, unskilled working-class community in which a majority of parents did not have formal education beyond high school. Another nearby school, Prescott, is located in a white, upper-middle-class community in which most parents have a college education and typically hold professional, skilled positions. Researchers hypothesized that socioeconomic background would determine parental involvement in children’s education. It was found that at both institutions and similar magnitudes, teachers worked to involve parents in their children’s education. A sampling of the data from this study is presented below.

Table 1. Percentage of parents in each occupational category, by school.

Table 2. Percentage of parents participating in school activities, by school, first grade only.

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