Collaboration With Latino Families

Abstract

This article focuses on how education personnel can foster a climate and infrastructure for working collaboratively with Latino families. The author argues that collaboration is facilitated when educators understand how they, as school agents, accept a Latino community’s culture, knowledge, and power within the school context and how educators align their values and beliefs, as well as school policies and practices, with those of the community. Included is a review of relevant literature as well as suggestions for Latino family collaboration that can be used to guide educators (special and general) in identifying mind-sets and practices that either permit or preclude authentic collaboration.

Listening, Engaging, Advocating and Partnering (L.E.A.P): A Model for Responsible Community Engagement for Educational Leaders

“…In each case, these community-focused listening practices required an innovative, facilitative leader and willing staff, while maintaining student and family voice at the center. Differently, Olivos (2009) explains that parent voice must be central in institutional reflective practices and leaders should view parents as equals through “a more democratic and collaborative model” (Olivos, 2009, p.114). Rather than listening to tweak school-based agendas, this scholarship centers listening as a praxis intended to set new, community-based agendas.…”

“…This partnering re-centers the goals of the community over and instead of unilateral institutional goals. This section considers ways to co-lead with parents and families (Fernández & Paredes Scribner, 2018; Ishimaru, 2012; Madhlangobe & Gordon, 2012; Olivos, 2009; Shirley, 2001), students (Bertrand, 2014; Bertrand & Rodela, 2018; Lac & Cumings Mansfield, 2018), and community members (Green, 2015, 2017; Shirley, 2001; Wilson & Jordan, 2017).…”

“…This leadership opportunity could help new-to-school teachers gain a deeper understanding of the school-community. Similarly, Ishimaru (2013), Olivos (2009), and Shirley (2001) recommend that families are more intentionally involved in school decision-making processes. These scholars explore ways that school leaders partnered with families to support hiring decisions, development of school-wide goals, changes in policy, school-community leadership teams, and participatory budgeting.…”

“…School leaders must employ a democratic and collaborative model in all aspects of school operations (Auerbach, 2010;Bertrand & Rodela, 2018;Khalifa, 2018;Madhlangobe & Gordon, 2012;Olivos, 2009).…”

“…Moreover, the literature identifies community-engaged leadership as an alternative approach to traditional urban school reform (DeMatthews, 2018; Green, 2015, 2017a; Warren, 2005). Educational leadership literature has framed ideas about social justice and community engagement for Communities of Color in some of the following ways: culturally responsive school leadership (Khalifa, 2018; Madhlangobe & Gordon, 2012), culturally responsive family engagement (López et al, 2001; Ishimaru et al, 2016 Olivos, 2009; Rodela, 2013; Wilson, 2019), leveraging youth voice and activism (Auerbach, 2010; Bertrand & Rodela, 2018; Khalifa, 2018; Lac & Cumings Mansfield, 2018), community-based research for improvement (Green, 2015, 2017; Oakes & Rogers, 2006), leveraging community-based forms of capital for improvement (Bertrand & Rodela, 2018; Green, 2015; Ishimaru, 2012; Khalifa, 2012, 2018; Shirley, 2001; Warren, 2005; Jordan & Wilson, 2017), and community-school shared governance/decision-making (Ishimaru, 2012; Lac & Cumings Mansfield, 2018; Olivos, 2009). Each research query, practice, and leadership approach s necessary for engaging historically disenfranchised school communities in all contexts.…”