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In this article, the authors conducted a study to discover what types of parent involvement are effective as students make the transition to high school. This study also aimed to elaborate on the role parents play in connecting their children to desirable peer networks during this transition. In-home interviews were conducted with 26 students as well as their parents before and after entering high school. The successfulness of the students' transition was evaluated in terms of their final grades as well as the number of credits earned and their school attendance. They identified five forms of parental involvement that helped students succeed: monitoring the teen's academic and social life, evaluating the information obtained about the teen, helping the teen with schoolwork, creating positive peer networks for the teen, and participating directly in the school. 511

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This case study of a single host city documents the complexity of the local response to displaced survivors of Hurricane Katrina by nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and faith-based organizations (FBOs). Although additional disaster-related funding provided needed case management and financial services, it also added complexity to the service delivery system. Furthermore, changes in the federal disaster and income maintenance programs to address the crisis created an unstable service environment that was challenging for both survivors and service providers to navigate. NGOs and FBOs proved to be highly motivated, flexible, and creative. However, the response overall was marked by limited resources, equity, accountability, and coordination, illustrating some of the weaknesses of devolution and the increasing reliance on NGOs to provide basic services.

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