The Role of Context -- Parent and Family Engagement in Education -- The Role of Context in Child Development -- The Ontogenic System -- The Microsystem -- The Mesosystem -- The Exosystem -- The Macrosystem -- Transactional Development -- Assumptions Regarding the Social Systems Perspective and Family Engament -- Issues of Diversity -- Gender and Age -- Gender -- Ethnicity, Culture, and Language -- African American Families -- Hispanic American Families -- Asian American Families -- Native American Families -- Multiracial Families -- Families of Immigrants -- Poverty -- Substitute Care -- Children Who Are Homeless -- Parental Involvement -- Interviewing -- Legal Rights and Responsibilities of Parents and Families -- Individuals with Disabilities Education Act -- Free Appropriate Public Education -- Appropriate Evaluation -- Individualized Education Program -- Least Restrictive Environment -- Procedural Safeguards -- Parent and Student Participation in Decision-Making -- Americans with Disabilities Act -- Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 -- Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act -- Parent Responsibilities -- The Impact of Identification and Diagnosis of Disability on the Family -- Traditional Interpretations -- An Integrated Approach -- Interactions Within the Family -- The Larger Social System -- Interactions Among Settings -- Society's Overriding Cultural Beliefs and Values -- Families' Efforts Toward Normalization -- A Model for Engaging Parents -- An Integrated Model for Engaging Parents.