A significant achievement gap exists between Latino and White students, and between middle school students and their elementary counterparts. To address this, federal legislation, specifically No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and Title I, are driving forces behind policy and practice in schools in the United States. NCLB holds schools accountable for student achievement, while Title I requires parental involvement in schools. This study considered whether parental involvement has a relationship to student achievement, thereby providing a connection between NCLB and Title I.

For this study three parental involvement models and the behaviors associated with these models were analyzed to determine whether they predicted student academic outcomes. A survey was developed based on these three models. The survey was sent home to Latino middle school students at three schools in Los Angeles County. Simultaneous multiple regression analysis was used to determine whether any relationships between model components and performance on standardized tests or report cards in math and English Language Arts existed. Correlations between specific parent behaviors and student outcomes were analyzed through stepwise multiple regression analysis.

Results indicated that some components of the models correlated with math or language arts report card grades or language arts test scores. Certain parent behaviors also predicted student achievement. The relationship between parent involvement model or behavior and academic outcomes varied depending on the English Language level of the students. For the overall population and English Learner groups some correlations were negative, for example, help with homework and language arts test scores. Positive correlations such as attending a performance with their child predicting higher math grades provided information about behaviors that do predict higher student achievement. In both cases directionality remains to be determined.

The variations in results based on EL level, academic subject, and type of assessment indicate that a one-size-fits-all parental involvement model is not appropriate for schools serving Latino middle school students. Ways of meeting NCLB and Title I requirements must be considered carefully, and many factors including culture must be incorporated into parental involvement policies developed in schools serving these students.