PTAs, parent involvement, and the challenges of relying on private money to subsidize public education

Abstract

Wealthy parents in public school districts across the country are engaged in elaborate fund-raising efforts to improve the quality of education in their children’s schools, giving them an advantage over families in schools without the same level of access to external resources. Through evaluating parent responses to district policies that address school charitable funding inequities, Brittany Murray sheds light on political challenges facing equity-minded school districts as they attempt to equalize parent charitable donations.