La Familia: An Inside Look at a Co-op School Community

Abstract

The focus of this Capstone Project is to showcase the co-op school values of Hillmont Elementary as a way of highlighting the importance of parent involvement in schools. An argument is made that educators feel overwhelmed and lack support from parents when it comes to promoting the importance of their children’s education. It is argued that the participation of parents as part of the school community creates a positive example for their children in how their place of learning is viewed. An evidence-based argument is offered that students gain a sense of community and responsibility through seeing their parents take initiative in volunteering for their schools. The three primary stakeholder perspectives chosen were students, parents, and educators because this is what makes up most school communities. Considerations of the issue should include the viewpoints of educators who spend the most time at school. Three themes/action options emerged from an analysis of the data and were explored as ways to address the issue presented. Promoting co-op school values is argued to be the most effective way to achieve the goals of schools that are looking for innovative ways to convince parents to involve themselves in their children’s school community