The Interplay of Working Families’ Employment Conditions and School Engagement

This research study (with Prof. Anna Haley-Lock, Social Work) examines the interplay between parent and caregiver employment, school climate, and family school engagement. The purpose of the research is to better understand how aspects of parents’ jobs and children’s schools shape parents’ school engagement and work-life fit. The research (conducted in 2012-2013) included interviews with and a survey of a socioeconomically mixed group of parents of elementary-aged children in a mid-size Wisconsin city. The research findings inform school district and/or employer initiatives for strengthening family-school relations and supporting parents in and beyond the local district (pseudonyms used for name of city and district).