Parents are an often overlooked variable in most plans for integrating educational technology into classrooms. Informed Insight: Parental Attitudes toward Technology, from the February issue of Techlearning, explores parental attitudes toward the Internet, educational technology, and computers in general. The details of the research are worthy of additional study.
"Presently we know almost nothing about parent attitudes toward their children's use of technology in their school. This gap in knowledge about parent attitudes needs to be closed. In this study we answer the question "What are the attitudes of parents toward technology and the role schools can play in furthering the computer literacy of their children?"
Just so I am clear on this, parents as tax payers ARE involved in educational technology...the broader question is awareness and benefits/challenges of parental engagement.