During the last decade, educators have begun attaching new importance to involving parents in education. This paper presents findings of a study that addressed parental involvement in site-based decision making (SBDM) in schools in which minority students were becoming the predominant student group. The study focused on 2 rural elementary schools in the south central United States; over 90 percent of the student population at each site was Hispanic. Methodology included interviews with teachers, administrators, and parents; field observation; and document analysis. The paper provides an overview of parent involvement as perceived by parents, teachers, and administrators; highlights parent involvement in curriculum and instructional decision making; and describes the factors that may promote or inhibit the role of parents as decision makers. Findings include the following: (1) Principals and teachers who do not recognize the need to redefine the traditional roles of stakeholders will not succeed in the implementation of SBM; (2) a change in school culture that moves away from a "protective model" and seeks to overcome "the cultural constraints problem" is necessary; (3) principals must work to establish a school climate that makes all parents feel welcome and that they have something positive to contribute; (4) schools must be places where principals work to provide a wide variety of parental involvement roles; and (5) schools must clearly state the parental role and expectation for parental involvement in site-based decision making. Appendices contain survey findings. (Contains 53 references.) (LMI)