Partnership, student achievement, and parental involvement in a Utah elementary: multilevel growth curve and critical interpretive analyses

The primary purpose of this study was to understand if and how a partnership between a college of education at a large western university in the United States and a local urban elementary school affected parental involvement. This research also attempted to explore whether parental involvement affected students' school performance. Specifically, the study tested if parental involvement mediated the effects of the partnership on academic achievement. A self-report survey was administered to 206 parents. The children of 126 of the participants were enrolled in the partnership and the children of the remaining 80 respondents were in the regular education program. Academic achievement was measured yearly with the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS). A cross-classified hierarchical linear model design with random effects for students and teachers was used to test the research hypotheses.