these include long or inflexible working hours being a sole parent in addition to language barriers since parents of immigrant or migrant families may not be fluent in the school s language of instruction or have little formal education themselves oecd an extra effort must therefore be made both by schools and through government reforms or programmes to reach out and encourage increased participation by parents particularly those of low socioeconomic backgrounds horizontal accountability which encourages them to participate in the management of schools through formal channels such as school boards is one effective way to increase involvement