1. Engaging Migrant Parents in Meaningful Parent Involvement
Ray Alaniz
Coordinator Of Family Services
North Central ESD
5/24/2019

2. Purpose
This presentation will highlight a conceptual framework to promote promising practice for involving Hispanic parents, and newly arrived immigrant parents in their children’s education.
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3. List of the topics to be covered.
Parent involvement Research
Barriers to parent involvement
Recruiting parents
Parent training
Staff training
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4. Overview
Decrease in parent involvement is of great concern since research has provided evidence that there is a link between parent involvement and academic achievement.
Parents
For All
School
Teachers
Equals
Community
Success
Students
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5. Decrease in parent involvement is a concern.
There is evidence of a direct link between parent involvement and academic achievement
These improvements occur regardless of the economic, racial or cultural background of family.
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6. What are some barriers
Culturally and linguistically diverse families remain abandoned from the school system due to a variety of barriers which include:
Work interference
Lack of confidence
Lack of English language skills
Lack of partnership understanding
Lack of understanding of school system
Negative past experience with school
Lack of sensitivity on the part of school
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7. In a study of sixteen Hispanic families in leadership classes
Parents became more involved in instructing and monitoring homework.
Their children’s grades improved
Children showed greater self-esteem
Knowing all this: it is important for school to engage parents in their children’s education in meaningful parent involvement.
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8. Parent involvement not defined
Part of the discrepancy between the perception of teachers and parents lies with the fact that parent involvement is not clearly defined.
People have different views of exactly what parent involvement is and these views are culturally variable
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9. Different views on parent involvement
Parent involvement may easily mean quite different things to some parents.
Advocacy
Parent council or committee meetings
Decision and operation of school
Class aide
Field trips
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10. Considering that school and parents may have a different view about what parent involvement entails, it is not unusual that parents and school have different ideas and goals relating to parent involvement.
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11. Parent Involvement can be defined as the support and participation of parents at home, in the community, and at the school site that directly and positively affect the educational performance of children.
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12. Sources of home-school conflict
Individualism
Child as individual
Independence
Praise (for positive self-esteem)
Cognitive skills
Oral expression
Parent role to teach
Personal property
Collectivism
Child as a group
Helpfulness
Criticize (for non- normative behavior)
Social skills
Listening to authority
Teacher role, teach
Sharing
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13. Meaningful parent involvement
Is school district initiated
Planning for a deliberate level of involvement by parents
Train staff
When school has prepared for and with parents.
Then school district will bring parents
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14. Recruitment
Parents are personally invited by school staff and by parents after much training.
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15. Parent Training
Parents learn from people with whom they are comfortable with and learn about:
Their basic rights when interacting with schools.
Ways to support their children’s education at home.
Ways to communicate with teachers.
Ways the school system functions.
What resources are available to their children.
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16. Parent Training What steps must be taken to go to college.
Ways to support their children’s emotional
development.
Ways to steer their children away from risks like
gangs and drugs.
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17. Teacher workshop Teachers learn about: Proven curriculum for parents.
Ways to more effectively reach out and work
with diverse families.
Ways to hold more effective parent-teacher
conferences.
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18. Parent Attitudes Parents feel more responsible for monitoring
encouraging, and advocating for the academic
progress and social development of their children.
Parents feel more comfortable to do activities that
promote the academic progress and social
development of their children.
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19. Teacher Attitudes Teachers feel more comfortable working with
diverse parents.
Teachers are sensitive to issues that interfere with
parent involvement.
Teachers are more interested in meeting with parents.
Teachers see parents as partners.
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20. Teacher Behaviors in the classroom.
Teachers have higher expectations of students.
Teachers use increased knowledge of students to
inform their teaching.
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21. Parent Behaviors at Home
Parents:
Establish and maintain supportive home learning
environment.
Encourage college attendance.
Identify and avoid obstacles to school success.
Support children’s emotional and social
development.
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22. Family-School interactions
Parents navigate school system and access its
available resources.
Teachers reach out to parents more often.
Teachers hold more conferences.
Teachers give parents concrete ways to support
their children’s education.
Parents and teachers more frequently communicate
with each other about children’s progress.
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23. Student Outcomes Short-term Students will demonstrate:
Improved attendance.
Increased homework completion.
More positive behavior and attitudes about
school
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24. Student Outcomes Long-term Students will experience: Higher grades.
Higher test scores.
Higher graduation rates.
Greater enrollment in postsecondary education.
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25. Coordinator will train parents
BEHAVIORS AT
HOME
RECRUITMENT
PARENT
ATTITUDES
STUDENT
OUTCOMES
School Staff/
Parent Services
Coordinator will train parents
Short-term
FAMILY-SCHOOL
INTERACTIONS
Long-term
TEACHER
ATTITUDES
TEACHER
WORKSHOP
TEACHER
BEHAVIORS IN
THE CLASSROOM
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