Historically, rural schools have been known for their active engagement with parents and communities as well as for smaller class sizes, safer school environments, a more individualized approach to learning, flexible scheduling, creative approaches to acquiring expanded curriculum offerings, and a lower rate of students dropping out of school (Chalker, 2002; Johnson, 2006; Keith, Keith, Quirk, Cohen-Rosenthal, & Franzese, 1996). Although some rural communities have experienced population decline in the last few years, others have experienced growth, with 13% of the population growth in rural schools consisting of other than Whites from European ancestry (Dougherty, 2012). Demographic trends indicate that ethnically diverse populations will continue growing in rural areas (Johnson, 2006). Some rural communities are culturally established with rich tradition, religion heritage, and unique social norms based on isolated location of these areas: Alaskan villages, Native American reservations, and Amish farming communities, to name but a few (Nelson, 2010).Today, not all students enrolled in rural schools have the multi-generational involvement of their parents and grandparents experienced by students in past years (Bauch, 2000). Increasingly migrant families, parents with limited education, and singleparent homes have become more prevalent in rural communities (Grey, 1997; Schafft, Prins, & Movit, 2008). Parents who come from non-rural areas, other parts of the country, different cultural and religious traditions, isolated locations, or other countries may need guidance in learning how to navigate the cultural, social, and linguistic norms of rural schools and their communities. With ongoing demographic changes in rural schools, it becomes important for rural educators to be culturally sensitive to the needs of their changing communities. This study explored the perceptions of rural educators regarding their understanding of parental involvement and their reflection of how parental involvement worked in their schools.Theoretical FrameworkThrough their meta-analysis of school leadership research, Marzano, Waters, & McNulty (2005) affirmed parental involvement as one of several factors determining the capacity of schools to bring students to optimal levels of academic achievement. Students with involved parents, regardless of income or background, are more likely to earn higher grades, achieve higher test scores, enroll in higher-level academic programs, attend school regularly, graduate from high-school, and enroll in postsecondary education programs (Englund, Luckner, Whaley, & Egeland, 2004; Keith et al., 1996; Turney & Kao, 2009).Traditional Perspectives: Parental Involvement in Children's EducationIn the United States, educators have typically viewed parental involvement as something occurring within the school: participation in parent-teacher conferences, volunteer activities or committee work at school, and/or involvement with fund-raising activities (Berger, 1991; Weiss, Kreider, Lopez, & Chatman-Nelson, 2010; Young, 1995; Zarate, 2007). For decades, school systems have struggled with involving parents in their children's education. At the same time, the real challenges affecting parental involvement and strategies that effectively engage parents have not been clearly identified (Anfara & Mertens, 2008; Semke & Sheridan, 2011). Too often, when educators address parental involvement, they assume that parents alone are responsible for connecting with schools while also providing followthrough support for their children at home including homework, monitoring student performance at school, and the use of other meaningful learning activities (Epstein, 2001; Jeynes, 2010). In some cases, teachers may judge parents based on misinterpretations about the motivation, interest, and support of specific parents (Cooper, Crosnoe, Suizzo, & Pituch, 2010; Turney & Kao, 2009; Zarate, 2007). …