peer reviewed ; Although evidence generally suggests that parental involvement is beneficial for children’s academic success, much less is known about the determinants of this involvement. The study examined the associations between parents’ characteristics and beliefs and two types of parental involvement (school-based and home-based) during secondary education in three European countries. Data from 1757 parents from 19 public secondary schools in three European countries (6 in Luxembourg, 6 in France and 7 in Belgium) were analyzed using multiple regression analyses. Models globally predicted significant but relatively low portions of variance in parents’ home- and school-based involvement. Different patterns of results appeared according to the three very diverse samples. When controlling for family background and school environment, parents’ self-efficacy like the place accorded to parents in the school appeared to be central indicators of parental involvement. Results are discussed in terms of research on parental involvement and family-school communication, as well as on school practice with parents.