This report focuses on the involvement of parents in local projects funded under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and Chapter 1 of the Education Consolidation and Improvement Act. It researches the kind and extent of involvement, the impact of state and local factors on it, and the effect of the change from Title I to Chapter 1 on involvement in decisionmaking. Among the conclusions were the following: (1) the general lack of substantive influence of parents on program decisions is due, in part, to constraints inherent in local project operations; (2) the drop in the number of formal parent councils that occurred when Title I was replaced by Chapter 1 did not translate into an equally drastic reduction in parent participation; (3) state factors had only a minimal influence on local parent involvement activities, but local factors appear to be much more influential; (4) under Title I many districts ran programs designed to engage parents in their children's learning, and this practice has continued under Chapter 1; and (5) districts were much more likely to involve parents as tutors with their own children at home than they were to bring parents into the classroom to assist in the instructional process. The implications of the findings for Federal policy are discussed. Data are illustrated on 27 tables. A list of 37 references is included. (BJV)