An ethnographic case study investigated relations between teachers and parents of minority-language students in two elementary schools in a small California agricultural community. The study examined: (1) school district policies and guidelines concerning teacher interactions with parents and parent involvement in school activities; (2) the range of cultural knowledge that the three teachers studied applied in their work with parents; (3) sources of the teachers' cultural knowledge; (4) patterns in the teachers' experiences and practices of parent involvement; and (5) teacher expectations for parental roles in the learning process--in general, at home, and in the school and classroom. The teachers included a third-grade teacher fluent in Spanish and with extensive experience teaching English as a Second Language in South America, a fourth-grade teacher with rudimentary Spanish skills, and a fifth-grade teacher with fluent Spanish and counseling experience. It is concluded that as these three teachers reflected on their parent involvement practices, they determined that the nature and quality of their prior experiences with parents, not just length of experience, affected their present practices and understanding of interactions with parents. The teachers also cited aspects of the social organization of their schools as significant in their work with families. A 26-item bibliography is included. (MSE)