Although schools almost universally reported sponsoring various programs open to parents, parents did not attend these events at the same rate at which they were made available. School events that feature some interaction with students' teachers appear to attract more parents than those that exhibit student performances or demonstrations. Schools reported that parents were more likely to attend conferences with their children's teachers than any other type of school event open to parents (Table 1). Over half (57 percent) of all public elementary schools indicated that "most or all" parents attended regularly scheduled parent-teacher conferences held in 1995-96; 49 percent reported this same high rate of attendance at an open house or back-to- school night. In contrast, only about one-third of all schools reported that most or all parents attended arts events in which their children participated, and even fewer schools reported high levels of parent attendance at sports events (12 percent) or academic events, such as science fairs (19 percent), when their children participated in these events. About one-quarter of schools indicated that "about half" of parents attended sports and academic events, while one-third to one-half of schools reported that "less than half" or "few" parents were in attendance.
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