The purpose of this study was to redress the paucity of research regarding superintendents and their role in implementing parent and community involvement policies. Another aim was to examine which types of parent and community involvement practices, if any, may be related to student achievement. A mixed methods inquiry was applied. The Measure of School, Family, and Community Partnership survey was sent out to 53 superintendents leading California Urban K-12 Unified School Districts. Multiple notifications were conducted resulting in a 71.7% overall response rate with a 62.3% overall participation rate. A one-on-one interview was also conducted with six superintendents- two leading more successful districts and four leading less successful districts. Additional data was gathered using the California Department of Education web site and reviewing documents provided by the participating districts. Four research questions guided the study. It was found that superintendents who were less likely to believe parent and community involvement related to student achievement were less likely to make parent and community involvement a priority than superintendents who indicated that they strongly believed in this relationship. Results also indicated that superintendents rated the involvement practices of Type VI, Collaborating with Community, as the most prevalent component of their districts' parent and community involvement plan while Type III, Volunteering, was the least prevalent. Findings from the interview revealed nine strategies and five roles that Superintendents used in executing their District's parent and community involvement policies. Four of the strategies were identified as Type II, Communicating. Three of the roles were identified as building a welcoming environment. Results of the final research question found that there was strong evidence (p = 0.01) that an association existed between Type III, Volunteering, as compared to student achievement and strong evidence (p less than 0.01) that an association exists between Type V, Decision Making, as compared to student achievement. This study concluded with implications for practitioners and policy makers and suggestions for future research. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]