Abstract: This paper presents and discusses the findings of a study on families' and teachers' understanding of parental involvement in children's schooling in public primary schools in Peru. The study was undertaken against a background of encouragement of parental participation in education as a means to democratise and improve the quality of educational services. In Peru, as elsewhere, parental involvement in schooling is increasingly seen as contributing to learning and achievement.

Following the lead of Latin American countries such as Mexico and Chile, Peru signed a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the United States in December 2005. While most economic analysis points towards overall benefits for Peru, there are concerns regarding potential adverse consequences. In order to derive maximum benefits with minimum losses, it is vital to identify appropriate mechanisms to support short-term losers – especially children from poor families – and to develop medium-term strategies to promote a more equitable distribution of benefits.