organization, 41% of middle school parents and 33% of high school parents reported this type of involvement.
There were also a few differences in parent-school involvement across the types of schools the children attended.28Although parents from
private schools (non-religious) were no more likely to be a member of the parent-teacher organization, they were more likely to attend meetings and take part in the activities of the organization compared to other parents (seeTable9). These parents were also more likely to
act as a volunteer in the school. In order to examine whether the involvement of LGBT parents in their children’s schools was similar to the involvement of parents generally, we compared results from this sample of LGBT parents to available national statistics on parental involvement in school.Figure3a compares the percentages of LGBT parents and a national sample of K– 12 parents available from the
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) on two indicators of parental involvement: attending parent-teacher conferences and acting
as a volunteer in school. On both indicators, LGBT parents were more likely to be involved in their children’s school than parents in the national sample.29With regard to
parent-teacher conferences, nearly all of the LGBT parents (94%) reported having participated in the past year compared to 77% of the national sample of parents.30When
considering the school level, the two samples are not different at the elementary school level but the gap between LGBT parents and the national sample of parents widens at middle school and further at high
27
Figure 3a.Comparisons of Parental Involvement in School Activities: LGBT Parents versus National Sample of Parents
Figure 3b.Comparisons of Parental Involvement in School Activities: LGBT Parents versus National Sample of Parents
94% 77% 96% 91% 93% 75% 89% 56% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Total Middle School High School
Attend parent-teacher conference or Back-to-School night 67% 42% 80% 52% 52% 35% 46% 30% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Total Elementary School
Elementary School Middle School High School
Act as a volunteer at the school
GLSEN NCES GLSEN NCES 41% 26% 33% 36% 34% 31% 46% 32% 0% 20% 40% 60% Belong to the school’s parent- teacher org Attend meetings of the parent- teacher org
Take part in the activities of the parent-teacher organization Act as a volunteer at the school LGBT Parents (Grades 9–12)
school. As also shown inFigure3a, LGBT parents were more likely to volunteer in their child’s school than parents nationally (67% vs. 42%).31Although the differences between the samples of parents
were significant across all school levels, the differences were more pronounced among elementary school parents.
Figure3b compares those LGBT parents in the survey whose child attended high school with a national sample of parents of 10th graders from the NCES Educational Longitudinal Survey.32The LGBT
parents in our survey were more likely to be a member of the school’s parent-teacher organization than parents of 10th graders
nationally.33,34However, there were no differences between the groups
in their level of activity: attending meetings and taking part in the organization’s activities. LGBT parents were also more likely than parents in the national sample to participate in volunteer activity in their child’s school.35
Parent-School Communication
Parents were also asked about the frequency with which they communicate with the school — both the school contacting the parents and the parents contacting the school.Tables 10 and 11 demonstrate the frequency with which parents have communicated with the school regarding their child’s school performance and
behavior and the parents’ own involvement in school-related activities. Parents reported a higher frequency of communication with their child’s school (both hearing from the school and contacting the school themselves) regarding volunteer work, their child’s school program for the year and information on how to help their child at home with school work. Parents of elementary school children, in general, reported a higher frequency of communication with the school than other parents, with the exception of children’s problem behavior and poor attendance about which they reported a lower frequency of communication (seeFigures 4a and 4b).36,37Figures 5a and 5b
compare LGBT parents of secondary school students with a national sample of parents of 10th graders from the NCES Educational Longitudinal Survey on parent-school communication.38Overall,
LGBT parents reported a higher level of contact with school personnel about their child than parents from the national sample.39,40
Specifically, LGBT parents reported a higher frequency of contact with the school (both hearing from school personnel and contacting the school) regarding their child’s future education, their child’s school program for the year and information on doing schoolwork with their child at home. LGBT parents reported a higher frequency of contact by the school about doing volunteer work and about their children’s problem behavior. They also reported a higher frequency of
contacting the school regarding their child’s positive behavior or poor performance.
29
Since the beginning of this school year, how many times have you (or your partner) been contacted by the school about each of the following?
Once or 3 or 4 5 or More
None Twice Times Times
Your child’s poor performance in school. 79% 14% 4% 3%
Your child’s school program for this year. 38% 29% 15% 16%
Your child’s poor attendance record at school. 95% 4% 1% 0%
Your child’s problem behavior in school. 77% 16% 4% 3%
Your child’s positive or good behavior in school. 40% 28% 20% 12% Participating in school fund-raising activities
or doing volunteer work. 19% 22% 25% 34%
Information on how to help your child at home
with specific skills or homework. 41% 29% 16% 14%
Obtaining information for school records. 43% 51% 5% 2%
Your child’s future education. 49% 36% 11% 4%
Your child was having problems with
other students. 82% 14% 3% 1%
Attend parent-teacher conference
or Back-to-School night. 94% 96% 93% 89%
Make a special trip to school at the start of the school year to talk to school personnel
about your family.a 48% 58% 41% 27%
aElementary School Group higher than other two groups.