Exploring Latino Parent and School Staff Perspectives on Latino Parent Involvement in Public Schools

Exploring Latino Parent and School Staff Perspectives on Latino Parent Involvement in Public Schools PDF Author: Sarah E Daughtridge
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 81

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Book Description
The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore experiences and culturally appropriate practices of Latino parents0́9 participation in the public school system. The study also explored school staff perceptions and actions toward Latino parents' school involvement. The study's exploration rests on Epstein (2001) theoretical framework of parent-school involvement. Focus group data were collected in Spanish from 37 Latino parents of students enrolled in six K-12 public schools with at least 11% Latino student's enrollment in eastern North Carolina. Individual interviews were conducted with 11 school officials from three different public schools. Data were transcribed, analyzed (Creswell & Creswell, 2018) and entered into NVIVO version 12 for formal coding. Three major themes emerged from parent data: inadequate communication, low Latino representation, and need for cultural competency. Also, three themes emerged from school staff data: inadequate communication, engagement of county school system, and parental involvement. Suggested strategies to improve the parent/teacher relationship and promote parental involvement in the public school were more trained interpreters, translated materials in Spanish, Latino parent committee, and welcoming environment. Both school staff and parents expressed the need for Latino cultural awareness. School staff expressed the need for Latino parents' active engagement in school events, parent teacher conference, and reaching out to teachers to discuss children school needs. These results have implications toward bridging the gap between Latino parents and public schools.

Exploring Latino Parent and School Staff Perspectives on Latino Parent Involvement in Public Schools

Exploring Latino Parent and School Staff Perspectives on Latino Parent Involvement in Public Schools PDF Author: Sarah E Daughtridge
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 81

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Book Description
The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore experiences and culturally appropriate practices of Latino parents0́9 participation in the public school system. The study also explored school staff perceptions and actions toward Latino parents' school involvement. The study's exploration rests on Epstein (2001) theoretical framework of parent-school involvement. Focus group data were collected in Spanish from 37 Latino parents of students enrolled in six K-12 public schools with at least 11% Latino student's enrollment in eastern North Carolina. Individual interviews were conducted with 11 school officials from three different public schools. Data were transcribed, analyzed (Creswell & Creswell, 2018) and entered into NVIVO version 12 for formal coding. Three major themes emerged from parent data: inadequate communication, low Latino representation, and need for cultural competency. Also, three themes emerged from school staff data: inadequate communication, engagement of county school system, and parental involvement. Suggested strategies to improve the parent/teacher relationship and promote parental involvement in the public school were more trained interpreters, translated materials in Spanish, Latino parent committee, and welcoming environment. Both school staff and parents expressed the need for Latino cultural awareness. School staff expressed the need for Latino parents' active engagement in school events, parent teacher conference, and reaching out to teachers to discuss children school needs. These results have implications toward bridging the gap between Latino parents and public schools.

Involving Latino Families in Schools

Involving Latino Families in Schools PDF Author: Concha Delgado Gaitan
Publisher: Corwin Press
ISBN: 148336030X
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 161

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Book Description
"Anyone involved in preservice training for future and present classroom teachers should read this book. Both the content and context of the book are practical, timely, and necessary as our country and classrooms become more diverse." Michele Dean, Principal Montalvo Elementary School, Ventura, CA Raise school attendance, reduce dropout rates, and improve academic performance of Latino students! Often marginalized by poverty, linguistic isolation, or prejudice, Latino students face many academic obstacles. And while research has shown that parental involvement plays a key role in academic achievement, most schools have failed to modify their parent involvement programs to address social and cultural realities of Latino families. Involving Latino Families in Schools provides tools and strategies for including Latino parents in developing sustained academic improvement. Sharing numerous first person success stories, author Concha Delgado Gaitan stresses three conditions of increased parental participation: connecting to families, sharing information with parents, and supporting continued parental involvement. Offering easily applied techniques for cultivating communication, this practical handbook examines Latino families and their educational aspirations for their children The communication systems needed between schools and Latino families How Latino families can assist their children at home Techniques to foster Latino parent involvement How to organize schoolwide parent involvement programs Through suggested activities, case examples, and vignettes, the author provides insights and instruction for planning, designing, and implementing parental participation programs that enhance the classroom curriculum and effectively engage Latino students. Designed primarily for elementary and secondary school principals and teachers, this innovative text is also an indispensable resource for district-level administrators.

Latino Parent Perspectives on Parental Involvement in Elementary Schools

Latino Parent Perspectives on Parental Involvement in Elementary Schools PDF Author: Christine Niven
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Education, Elementary
Languages : en
Pages : 105

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Book Description
The purpose of this research is to provide insight into immigrant Latino parents' perspectives on parental involvement in elementary school settings as influenced by the Title I Family Literacy Program (TFLP). A comparison is made of Latino parents who have been participating in the TFLP for more than one year, participants new to the program and Latino parents who chose not to participate in the TFLP. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected via a survey and individual interviews of randomly selected members of each comparison group. All research participants were immigrant Latino parents with children at one of ten Title I elementary schools operating a TFLP. The schools are part of a large, urban school district in the Southwest. Findings indicate the TFLP has a positive effect on parental involvement practices of immigrant Latino parents. Participating parents showed increased confidence in their ability to support their children's education and program participants are more engaged in school activities. The results of this study imply participation in the program for one year or more has the most impact on families. Parents who participated for more than one year communicated a high sense of responsibility toward their influence on their child's education and upbringing and an understanding of strategies needed to effectively support their children. This research also identifies barriers parents face to participation in the TFLP and parental involvement in general. Implementation of family literacy programs in other districts would need to follow guidelines similar to this TFLP to achieve comparable results. More research is needed on the effects of this program on parents, children, and school staff.

U.S. Latinos and Education Policy

U.S. Latinos and Education Policy PDF Author: Pedro R. Portes
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317751698
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 266

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Book Description
With the American dream progressively elusive for and exclusive of Latinos, there is an urgent need for empirically and conceptually based macro-level policy solutions for Latino education. Going beyond just exposing educational inequalities, this volume provides intelligent and pragmatic research-based policy directions and tools for change for U.S. Latino Education and other multicultural contexts. U.S. Latinos and Education Policy is organized round three themes: education as both product and process of social and historical events and practices; the experiences of young immigrants in schools in both U.S. and international settings and policy approaches to address their needs; and situated perspectives on learning among immigrant students across school, home, and community. With contributions from leading scholars, including Luis Moll, Eugene E. Garcia, Richard P. Durán, Sonia Nieto , Angela Valenzuela, Alejandro Portes and Barbara Flores, this volume enhances existing discussions by showcasing how researchers working both within and in collaboration with Latino communities have employed multiple analytic frameworks; illustrating how current scholarship and culturally oriented theory can serve equity-oriented practice; and, focusing attention on ethnicity in context and in relation to the interaction of developmental and cultural factors. The theoretical and methodological perspectives integrate praxis research from multiple disciplines and apply this research directly to policy.

Understanding Latino Parental Involvement in Education

Understanding Latino Parental Involvement in Education PDF Author: Maria Estela Zarate
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 20

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Book Description
The Latino community has been characterized by low high school graduation rates, low college completion rates and substandard schooling conditions. As schools and policymakers seek to improve the educational conditions of Latinos, parental influence in the form of school involvement is assumed to play some role in shaping students' educational experiences. Despite this national interest in parental involvement, little research has been conducted on what constitutes parental involvement in the middle and high school years. Additionally, stakeholders hold diverse definitions of parental involvement, and little attention has been paid to how Latino parents, specifically, define parental involvement. The growing national interest in parental involvement and lack of research on Latino perceptions on the issue motivated the Tomas Rivera Policy Institute (TRPI) to examine what constitutes parental involvement for schools, Latino students, and Latino parents. In conducting this study, the Institute examined: (1) Latino parents' perceptions of their participation in the education of their children; (2) Schools' and teachers' expectations of parental involvement; (3) Programmatic initiatives addressing parental involvement in education; and (4) Latino students' perceptions of the role of parental involvement in their education. Findings indicate that divergent definitions and perceptions of parental involvement in education exist among different stakeholders and that schools lack clear organizational goals and objectives on how best to involve parents in the schools. These insights can inform discussions about how schools can best acknowledge, encourage, and increase parental involvement in schools. School administrators, school board members, corporate school partners, policymakers, outreach programs, parent leaders, and teachers may find study results useful as they seek to increase parental involvement in schools. A list of resources for further reading is included.(Contains 4 footnotes and 2 tables.).

Parental Involvement for Limited Or Non-English Speaking Parents/guardians of Hispanic/Latino Students in Public Schools

Parental Involvement for Limited Or Non-English Speaking Parents/guardians of Hispanic/Latino Students in Public Schools PDF Author: Margarita Alvarez
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Education, Bilingual
Languages : en
Pages : 104

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Book Description
This study examines the relationship between public schools in an urban school district and Hispanic/Latino parents with limited or no English proficiency. The data gathered was based on interviews with eighteen (18) Hispanic/Latino parents. The interview questions focuses on parent involvement in their student's school. Specifically, the study raises issues about the existing social, economic and cultural capital in the interaction between the school and the Hispanic/ Latino parents with limited or no English proficiency, and how communication is important for a successful relationship. The following three themes are identified (1) parents indicated that their relationship with the student's school is good because they are treated well by the school staff (2) parents expressed a desire to have more Spanish speaking staff at the school to help understand English (3) parents were not as involved as they would like, due to work and the language barrier. These three themes were compared to existing literature, to investigate what the relationship is like between public schools and Hispanic/Latino parents with limited or no English proficiency. By examining previous and current research, I identified barriers to parent engagement for Hispanic/Latinos to highlight ways these obstacles have successfully been addressed to increase parental involvement and student achievement.

Latino Parent Involvement of Elementary English Language Learners

Latino Parent Involvement of Elementary English Language Learners PDF Author: Emily D. Sanz
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 300

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Book Description
The purpose of this qualitative case study is to examine the involvement of Latino parents of elementary English language learner students with distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. This case study explored Latino parental involvement, in order to help further understand the inequities for Latinos with distance learning and examine how parents understand involvement in their children's education. This qualitative case study utilized sixteen semi-structured parent interviews, two teacher focus groups with a total of eight teachers, and one administrator interview, in order to determine the emerging themes and patterns. Teacher participants in this study possessed between six and fourteen years of teaching experience and are currently teaching classes in 1st grade and 4th grade. The administrator participant possessed 27 years of experience in education. This study was conducted based on the Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Latino Critical Theory (LatCrit) as conceptual frameworks that offer a way to analyze parental involvement and develop more culturally relevant practices using a social justice lens. Implications for social change include knowledge useful for administrators, teachers, parents, and other researchers who desire direction in improving Latino parental involvement and increasing student achievement.

Exploring the Impact of Parent Mentoring Programs on Latino Parent Engagement and Empowerment

Exploring the Impact of Parent Mentoring Programs on Latino Parent Engagement and Empowerment PDF Author: Marlene Batista
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 196

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Book Description
Research indicates that children do better academically when their parents are directly involved in their education, but parents of ethnically and linguistically diverse students fail to participate in schools at the same level as families from the dominant culture. Over the past 20 years a number of parental involvement programs have been attempted in an effort to be more inclusive of Latino families, but they have not had sustainable effects in engaging these parents in the school community. Parent mentoring programs, in which parent mentors are used to facilitate classes and create a bridge between the school and Latino parents, are a promising new practice for creating long-term, collaborative relationships between Latino parents and schools. The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of Latino parents and administrators involved with a parent mentoring program in an effort to understand how these types of programs might create more collaborative relationships between Latino parents and schools. This ethnographic case study took place at two elementary schools in Sunnydays Unified School District, a pseudonym for a suburban K-12 district east of Los Angeles in Riverside County. The study used a purposeful sample of nine Latino parent mentors, 11 Latino parent participants, two site administrators, and one district level administrator all involved with the parent mentoring program at two school sites. Data was collected utilizing semi-structured individual interviews, observations and focus groups. The theoretical framework used for this study was Bourdieu's (1977) theory of social and cultural capital. The findings from this study showed that their lack of social and cultural capital in the dominant culture hindered Latino parents from getting involved in their children's school. Parent mentoring programs helped address such barriers as the fractured relationship between the Latino parents and the school through the use of parent mentors as a bridge of communication and support. Parent mentors also played the important roles of teachers, advocates, and role models for the other Latino parents at the schools. Data revealed that administrative support was an important factor in the success of the parent mentoring programs, but that site administrators had not received professional development on Project 2-INSPIRE and therefore had not informed or trained their staff about the program. Thus, despite the best efforts of the parent mentors, the program was never given the opportunity to bring about a true collaboration between all stakeholders. Insights from this study could be helpful to school districts interested in increasing Latino parental involvement and engagement, particularly those school districts hoping to move away from traditional parental involvement programs and toward a parent engagement approach. The study also sheds light on the need for Latino parental involvement programs to focus not just on increasing parents' cultural capital, but rather creating the environment that will increase their social capital. This study showed that the relationships and network built between the parent mentors and other less involved Latino parents was the major factor in the success of the program and the increased involvement of Latino parents at the school. Recommendations for policy and practice include replacing traditional forms of parent involvement with programs that include a parent mentoring component; training administrators and school staff in collaborative parent engagement strategies; create warm and welcoming environments at schools that foster and appreciate diversity; and creating a space specifically designated for families in the school run by a bilingual parent/community liaison who can help in bridging Latino parents to the school.

The Voices of Latino Parents

The Voices of Latino Parents PDF Author: Evangelina M. Cantu
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781303136108
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 200

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Book Description
Significant evidence suggests that parent participation and involvement are beneficial for student success. Latino parents, however, have historically been portrayed negatively in their role in their children's education. Deficit thinking paradigms have framed much of the negative depictions about Latino parents. This study proposes that the negative portrayals of Latino parents may in part be a result of how parent involvement has been traditionally defined. Schools define parent involvement in ways that Latino parents may not conform to. As a result, schools label parents as non-involved. In an effort to demystify the myth that Latino parents do not value nor care for their children's education, this study set out to examine Latino parents' perceptions about parent involvement as well as how they involve themselves in their children's education. The findings suggest that Latino parents define and perceive parent involvement in ways that differ significantly from the way schools have defined it. Furthermore, parents' perceptions of their roles, the role of the school and the teachers point to a need to examine how these perceptions intersect with the perceptions of the school and the teachers. This study presents an alternative way to view parent involvement. It is concluded that the negative depiction of Latino parents is due in part to the fact that schools are expecting them to conform to practices and engage in activities that are not necessarily what they view as important in their children's education. Further research that provides a more inclusive definition and expands the discourse about Latino parent involvement is suggested.

Issues in Latino Education

Issues in Latino Education PDF Author: Mariella Espinoza-Herold
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1315392259
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 236

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Book Description
This critical case study exposes the educational realities of Latinos in K-12 public schools in the Western United States from the students’ own perspectives. Issues that are often over simplified and commonly misunderstood are brought to life. Their accounts are then compared with the viewpoints of a range of K-12 teachers on matters of community, learning, race, culture, and school politics.