Latinos1 have been continually overrepresented in low-skill and service sector U.S. jobs. One of the
factors accounting for this is the educational experience of the Latino community, which has been
characterized by low high school graduation rates, low college completion rates and substandard
schooling conditions.2 As schools and policymakers seek to improve the educational conditions of
Latinos, parental influence in the form of school involvement is assumed to play some role in
shaping students' educational experiences.
Earlier this year, the Pew Hispanic Center reported that the number of Hispanic youth dropping out of high school hit a record low. Despite the decrease, i