Equity in School–Parent Partnerships

Starting from the premise that children learn better when their learning community respects their families and cultures, this thought-provoking resource shows what it means—and what it takes—to include today’s diverse parents in their children’s learning. Moving readers away from out-of-date practices that can potentially marginalize and devalue the cultural assets of families, the authors provide practical, ready-to-use strategies to help schools re-envision the meaning of parental involvement and engagement. Based on the research and K–12 teaching experience of three educators, chapters address contemporary issues such as the absent parent, homework, vulnerable populations, limitations of current school-based family programs, and pedagogies of hope.

Book Features:

• Provides guidelines and examples of homework that allow multicultural and multilanguage parents to engage with their children around learning.
• Shows how teachers and school leaders can collaborate to effect more inclusive practices.
• Reframes the conversation surrounding parental engagement to emphasize community and parental empowerment.
• Addresses the importance of parental engagement amid today’s political discourse surrounding immigration.

Socorro G. Herrera is a professor of education and director of the Center for Intercultural and Multilingual Advocacy (CIMA) at Kansas State University. She received the 2022 AERA Division K Legacy Award. Lisa Porter is an assistant professor of sociology at James Madison University. Katherine Barko-Alva is an assistant professor of ESL/bilingual education and director of the ESL/Bilingual Education Program at William & Mary, School of Education.

“This thin, idea-packed textbook proposes a critical reimagining of family-school partnerships in U.S. classrooms. Lead author Socorro Herrera is well known for her textbooks on teaching CLD students: students whose home language and culture differ from the dominant culture of school. This book builds on her past work on culturally responsive teaching while diving deeper into the role of family-teacher relationships. She is joined by co-authors Lisa Porter, a sociologist of education, and Katherine Barko-Alva, a scholar of ESL and bilingual education. The authors move smoothly between theoretical concepts, vignettes, discussion questions, and practical advice with a facility that will appeal to teachers, pre-service teachers, and teacher educators alike. The theories they draw on include well-worn family engagement standards such as relational trust and funds of knowledge, alongside concepts less commonly found in family engagement texts, such as sociological imagination and radical kinship.”

—Teachers College Record

“In this timely and comprehensible volume, Drs. Herrera, Porter, and Barko-Alva tackle a persistent educational challenge—engaging culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) families in schools—with new insight, care, and compassion. Framed by the work of critical pedagogues such as Freire, Bourdieu, and Noddings, the authors skillfully guide educators toward disrupting fossilized educational practices while building confianza, cariño, y respeto (trust, loving care, and respect) with CLD families. This book fills a critical need and is a step forward in rehumanizing education in the 21st century.”
—Maria R. Coady, president, Florida Association for Bilingual Education

“In this book, the authors challenge wide-held assumptions about the place of school in communities and the relationship of educators with student and their families. Grounded in research and a deep compassion for the challenging task that many parents from culturally and linguistically diverse background face, they critique the deficit orientation that accompanies many school-based activities directed at homes, including the role of homework and parents’ presence in school. The book invites educators to reframe and re-imagine traditional, top-down, school-centered parent involvement and proposes a new paradigm that centers family engagement as locally informed, assets-based relationship-building (‘radical kinship’) and as a process of mutual accommodation. Through powerful vignettes, action, and reflection activities, the authors provide concrete tools and ideas for action and activism. As parent involvement has become a centerpiece of school reform, this book is a must-read for all educators, including administrators.”
—Ester de Jong, University of Florida; president of TESOL International Association (2017-2018)

Contents (Tentative)

Foreword Luciana C. de Oliveira xi

Acknowledgments xiii

Introduction xv

1. Questioning Limiting Visions: Reconceptualizing Engagement Possibilities 1
Introduction 1
With the Best of Intentions, We’ve Failed to Arrive 3
Do unto Them: Unidirectional Models for Parental Engagement and Involvement 11
Beyond the Models: Families as Equal Contributors for Social and Academic Growth 16
Conclusion 22
References 23

2. “They Just Don’t Show Up” 27
Introduction 27

Mi Abuelita & Hawthorne’s Scarlet Letter 28
Living Through Language: Community and School 30

Principal Thompson’s Confession 34
Conclusion 39
Check It Out, Plan It Out, Try It Out 40
Momentos de Reflexión (Moments of Reflection) 41
References 41

3. Burying Fossilized Practices: Disruption los Deberes (Homework) 43
Introduction 43
Martha’s Story 44
Homework as a Fossilized Practice 46
The Monday Packet 47
From Pendulum Swings to Paradigm Shifts: Disrupting Los Deberes 49
Solving the Homework Problem 50
Disrupting Los Deberes 51
Innovation Artifact: Finding New Ways to Engage Students and Families with Homework 53
Transformative Pedagogical Practices: Fostering Relations Between Teachers and CLD Families 58
Conclusion 63
Check It Out, Plan It Out, Try It Out 65
Momentos de Reflexión (Moments of Reflection) 65
References 66

4. Broadening Conceptions of Community in Engagement 69
Introduction 69
Atifa, the Community Peacekeeper 72
Revisiting Cariño 73
To Cultural Competency and Beyond 74
Traditional Partners with a Twist 80
Conclusion 86
Check It Out, Plan It Out, Try It Out 87
Momentos de Reflexión (Moments of Reflection) 87
References 88

5. Planting on Fertile Ground: ESL/Dual Language Programs and Parental Engagement 91
Introduction 91
Leveling the Ground: Addressing Challenges of ESL and DLBE Settings for CLD Families 93
La Señora Lupe y Sus Tamales Sagrados (Mrs. Lupe and Her Sacred Tamales) 97
Cultivating the Soil: Possibilities of DLBE Programs as Models for School Community 100
Melanie, Bill, y (and) Mackenzie 100
Conclusion 106
Check It Out, Plan It Out, Try It Out 107
Momentos de Reflexión (Moments of Reflection) 107
References 108

6. Projecting Our Socialization No Longer: Pobrecitos Hijos y Padres (Pity for Poor Childrenand Parents) 111
Introduction 111
Accommodation Readiness: Socialized to Expect 113
Critical Reflection: Family Is Where Our Own Stories Begin 117
Reflection on the ARS Levels: Implications for Parental Confianza, Cariño, y Respeto (Trust, Loving Care, and Respect) 118
Rewriting the Narratives: Owning Our Historical Reality 131
Conclusion 136
Check It Out, Plan It Out, Try It Out 138
Momentos de Reflexión (Moments of Reflection) 138
References 139

7. Furthering the Pedagogy of Hope 143
Introduction 143
The District 144
The School 146
The Classroom 149
Defining Capital Through an Asset-Based Perspective 152
Love and Hope: One Question and Step at a Time 154
Conclusion 157
Check It Out, Plan It Out, Try It Out 159
Unity 159
References 160

Index 161

About the Authors 169