The primary purpose of this study was to understand if and how a partnership between a college of education at a large western university in the United States and a local urban elementary school affected parental involvement. This research also attempted to explore whether parental involvement affected students' school performance. Specifically, the study tested if parental involvement mediated the effects of the partnership on academic achievement. A self-report survey was administered to 206 parents. The children of 126 of the participants were enrolled in the partnership and the children of the remaining 80 respondents were in the regular education program. Academic achievement was measured yearly with the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS). A cross-classified hierarchical linear model design with random effects for students and teachers was used to test the research hypotheses. Findings indicated that students in the partnership did not differ from those in the regular education program in terms of academic achievement on the DIBELS scores when they entered school. The change in the DIBELS scores over measurement occasion did not differ significantly between the two groups. However, there were significant residual effects of teachers on initial status. There were no significant differences between the groups on measures of parental involvement. The lack of difference between the two groups justified some exploratory analysis. The results showed that the interaction between treatment and ethnicity was significant. There was little effect of the partnership on non-Caucasian students. In contrast, the growth rates were significantly greater for Caucasian students in the partnership than for Caucasian students in the regular program. Open-ended questions were also asked. The findings showed that though a majority of the respondents at the elementary school were people of color, they seemed to view the construct of parental involvement from a narrow Western perspective. The results of the study also suggested five implications for educational policy and practice, including (a) developing relevant partnership and parental involvement policies, (b) proposing teacher preparation and professional development opportunities, (c) strategizing community development, and (d) promoting social justice through the hiring of teachers of color and/or teachers who want to engage specifically with education as social justice. [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.]