Las Siete Historias: Perceptions of Parent Involvement Among Mexican Immigrant Women

Abstract

This multiple case study examined parent involvement perspectives among seven immigrant mothers from Mexico. All the participants came from limited educational and socioeconomic backgrounds, and reported that they immigrated to the United States for greater opportunity. These background experiences seemed to shape their current role conceptualizations with respect to parent involvement. Parents viewed their roles as providing a better life for their children and facilitating their school success through actions taken at home. Invitations by school staff were important to help these mothers more effectively fulfill their roles through two-way communication. The findings of this study suggest the importance of helping school staff to better understand the ways that immigrant families view parent involvement and to facilitate partnerships in order to enhance student outcomes.

Teachers and School Leaders’ Readiness for Parental Engagement: Critical Policy Analysis of Canadian Standards

“…Traditionally, parents from marginalized communities have been seen as "hard to reach" (Crozier & Davies, 2007) and in need of support when compared with middle-class parents who occupy privileged positions in schools where their culture is represented (Lareau, 2015), values shared by teachers (Calarco, 2018), and opinions taken into consideration by educators (Crozier et al, 2011). Contrary to stereotypes, educational researchers have shown that parents from non-dominant backgrounds have high hopes for their children's education, they are actively involved in the home domain (Thomas-Duckwitz et al, 2013), and deserve for their "funds of knowledge" to be valued in the school system (Rios-Aguilar et al, 2011). It is the role of educators to learn more about their students' families (Pushor, 2015), bring their cultures into their classroom (Pushor & Amendt, 2018), and ensure the inclusion of all students in the education process (Baquedano-López et al, 2013).…”