Working for a large school district in Nashville, one of our challenges is low-income and parent involvement. We have a lot of people moving to the Nashville area because it is known as the "it" city, but it should also be the "it" city for our children (Hale & Borg, 2019). Metro school is a diverse school system with 159 schools and 132 different languages spoken by the students (mnps.org); therefore, involving the parents (especially in the low-income areas) is important for student success.

Parental involvement and low income go hand in hand because low-income areas have less parent involvement. Low-income families who support themselves on hourly wages with few options for paid time off often have no choice but to miss out on school events (Kominiak, 2017). Having parents involved in their children's school helps extend the classroom outside of school and creates a more positive learning experience. I know my parents were involved with my education and I was involved with my children's education, and it saddens me to know children do not have that support.

I would love to see some transit assistance for those families who can attend to make it to the school if schools would reach out to the parents to see what it would take to have their involvement. If we could bridge the gap between low-income and parental involvement, our students would be more successful in school and their future.

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