Extent and source of parents' school-related information

In an era of widespread parent participation and choice in education, paren ts' attitudes and behaviors toward their children's schools can be understo od better by examining the nature of school-related information in parents' possession, The extent and source of information held by 765 Israeli paren ts regarding their children's schools were examined. Results show that moth ers possess more information and use more internal sources-visiting school, meeting with teachers and principals-than fathers do, Also, parents of sen ior high pupils use fewer internal sources of information regarding their a dolescents' schools than do parents of children attending elementary and ju nior high schools, The discussion highlights the advantages that informed p arents can offer both their children and their respective educational insti tutions.