%0 Journal Article %T Welcoming Parents to Their ChildĄ¯s School: Practices Supporting Students With Diverse Needs and Backgrounds %A Alana Siegel %A Katherine Sullivan %A Monica Esqueda %A Rami Benbenishty %A Ron Avi Astor %A Ruth Berkowitz %J Education and Urban Society %@ 1552-3535 %D 2019 %R 10.1177/0013124517747682 %X While researchers acknowledge the importance of parents feeling welcomed and engaged in their childĄ¯s school, the schoolĄ¯s welcoming practices to engage parents have been rarely explored. ParentsĄ¯ qualitative responses provide insight into what impacts their initial and ongoing experience of being welcomed into their childĄ¯s new school. In total, 1,020 and 191 parents and/or legal guardians of students enrolled in Grades pre-K through 12 across five California school districts answered first and second open-ended qualitative questions, respectively. Findings are categorized into three separate themes. Schools play a vital role for the entire family when transitioning into a new community. Parents expressed the desire to serve as important partners for the school in creating positive outcomes for the students, classrooms, and the school as a whole %K schools %K students %K school improvement %K welcoming practices %K parents %U https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0013124517747682