Parent Involvement in an Alternative School for Students at Risk of Educational Failure

Abstract

This case study contributes to a small but growing literature on alternative schools for at-risk students. Previous studies have been strong on participant narrative and advice for stakeholders, but have lacked theoretical and historical contextualization and are unlikely to have much impact on school policy. The present study focuses on the efforts of teachers and parents to build and sustain a successful remedial school for elementary and middle school students. It is argued that school districts should establish remedial schools, as they have other alternative schools, on a permanent basis. The case study also contributes to the much larger body of literature on parent involvement in schools. The study shows how middle-class White teachers and African American and urban Appalachian parents overcame barriers associated with socioeconomic class and ethnicity and became partners in building a home-school learning community that helped at-risk students prepare themselves for a more promising future.