Parental involvement in a rural consolidated school district

Abstract

The rural consolidated school district of Ingleside in South Central Kansas faces unique challenges in managing communication and providing opportunities for parental involvement and shared decision making. The lack of attachment to the school district was a deterrent for families as they held on to the identity of their home community. As students transition from the five elementary or K-8 schools in their diverse communities, into one consolidated high school, there have been unaddressed and emerging needs. The research team studied how the Ingleside District could better understand the needs and perceptions of parents and students as related to their involvement and to the overall decision-making processes. The researchers found that the Ingleside District has challenges in truly helping parents, teachers, and students join together as a unified consolidated school district. These challenges include developing transparent mechanisms and processes for engaging and inviting parents to participate. Through a new sense of unity, the school district and the community can create the capacity to face hard decisions still ahead of them.