Sense of Community and Parent Involvement in Missouri Mennonite and Amish Schools

Clark, Shannon

Sense of Community and Parent Involvement in Missouri Mennonite and Amish Schools

Publique Deposited

The purpose of this ethnographic case study was to investigate the integral role of sense of community and parent involvement in Old Order Mennonite and Amish schools and the impact of these factors on education. These factors are lacking in public education, and this study sought to fill the gap by learning from a setting strong in both, the Amish and Old Order Mennonite schools. Epstein’s (2001) spheres of influence guided the research as she redefined the relationship between schools, families, and communities as one of overlapping spheres of influence that share a concern about the success of the child in education. This research supported those findings in that the Amish and Mennonite communities overlap all areas of life, school, church, home, and community. Through parent and teacher interviews, student journals, visitor logs, as well as classroom observations, the researcher was able to uncover themes associated with parent involvement and sense of community. The findings revealed themes such as structure and order, families, strong work ethic, proximity to schools, communicating, and language, which helped foster parent involvement in an Old Order Mennonite and Amish school. Additionally, building strong bonds, being service oriented, creating a sense of belonging and humility fostered a sense of community in an Old Order Mennonite and Amish school.

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