This paper brings together the experiences of children, teachers, and parents in two very different schools in Jamaica—one primary and one preparatory. The data are taken from two larger qualitative studies. The first, An Exploration of Two Classrooms: Cases in Classroom Management, is a case study of a grade 5 teacher’s classroom management strategies in a government primary school and her interaction with four of her students—selected because they were highly responsive and promised to be information-rich respondents.

Research overwhelmingly shows that parental involvement in their children's learning positively affects the child's academic performance. My goal as the principal of an inner-city primary school is to provide leadership in the creation of a positive learning environment through the involvement of parents in the educational enterprise. It is with this goal in mind that I undertook this qualitative case study to examine the experiences of six inner-city parents and their practices concerning their involvement in their children's education.