Interviews with parents of fifth-graders in 153 urban and suburban Chicago (Illinois) area households provided researchers with answers to several questions about the nature of parent participation in education. The researchers considered parent participation to be an aspect of educational politics. They measured the level of participation at the "micro-level," where household and schoolroom meet, by analyzing the frequency, degree of self-initiation, and content of the contacts maintained by parents with their children's teachers. The study found that these three factors were positively related to the parents' educational attainment, preferences for more individualized instruction, and higher expectations for their children's future schooling. Higher levels of teacher contact were maintained for male children and contacts were more frequent when the children's academic capabilities were rated either extremely high or extremely low as measured by a test of reading comprehension. Parents new to schools also maintained higher levels of contact, while longer-term residents initiated fewer interactions. The mother's employment status, the number of children in the family, and the parents' satisfaction with their children's schooling experiences did not correlate with the participation measures. (Author/PGD)