Presenting Key Player Findings

This chapter presents research findings on key players from the Principal Leadership for Parent Engagement project. Key players is an umbrella term that we use to refer to three of Schwab’s (1973) dimensions and/or milieus—students, parents, and teachers—which comprise his notion of commonplaces in the planning of curriculum. These aspects represent players with whom principals might typically participate in engaging parents. Analysis of qualitative and quantitative data collected from the participating schools is presented under the headings of students, parents, and teachers. Agency as achievement (Biesta & Tedder, 2007) is used to conceptualise what helped or hindered principal effectiveness in parent engagement and the qualities and strategies associated with success. Conclusions are drawn about: student agency as a potentially under-utilised parent engagement strategy; the need to provide parents with additional resources and opportunities for their personal development; and the need for more professional learning and resources for teachers to enable them to build positive relationships with parents.