This study examines and compares the perceptions of educational professionals and non-professional personnel concerning Parent Advisory Council members' degree of participatory decision making in the administration of Title I programs in New York City. The sample of educational professionals consisted of New York City district superintendents, principals, and teachers of Title I schools, while the non-professional sample consisted of Parent Advisory Council members, community school-based chairpersons, parents of Title I pupils, and chairpersons of community planning boards in New York City schools. Subjects were asked to indicate on a rating scale what they perceived to be the extent of council members' participation in Title I programs relative to: 1) educational needs assessment; 2) project selection; 3) collaborative planning; 4) financial management of reimbursables; and 5) program implementation and evaluation. The findings indicated that: 1) of the five decision-making areas considered, financial management of reimbursables was perceived by both groups to be the area in which there was the least participation; 2) there were no significant differences between the two groups in perceiving decision-making activities; and 3) no relationships were found between the subjects' ratings and the variables of age, sex, and length of experience in educational decision making. (Author/MJL)