Parental Involvement Among Latino Communities in Los Angeles County PDF Download

Author: Anabel Serrano
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 53

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Book Description
Latino communities in the United States consistently lag behind other ethnic groups in educational achievement. One factor in achievement is the involvement of parents in the school environment, as research suggests a strong correlation between highly active parents at schools and high levels of achievement in children. Other studies indicate that Latino parents are less likely to be active participants in schools than their counterparts in other ethnic groups. These low rates of involvement are often attributed to chronic socioeconomic difficulties Latino communities encounter in the U.S., regardless of geography. This study hypothesizes that geography is a factor in the rates of school-based parental involvement among Latinos, specifically in terms of the distribution of these communities throughout the city of Los Angeles. The question motivating this research is whether or not rates of parental involvement for Latinos are related to the density of the Latino population in a given neighborhood. To pursue this ix question, rates of involvement among Latino parents in elementary schools of the Los Angeles Unified School District were examined, with a focus on neighborhoods where Latinos were the overwhelming majority, a clear minority, or an intermediate population. The results indicate the possibility of a specific geographic component to Latino parental involvement in elementary schools. There were higher rates of involvement among Latino parents when they were a clear minority or intermediate population compared to when they were an overwhelming majority. While this is an exploratory investigation, the findings indicate compelling geographic patterns worthy of expanded study.