Breaking Down Barriers to Engage Families: Lessons from Odds-Beating Secondary Schools
Involvement of families in their children’s education has been linked to numerous positive indicators such as homework completion, student motivation, and academic achievement. However, many schools conceive of involvement in narrow, individualistic terms and struggle to families in meaningful ways which are culturally-relevant, community-derived, and sensitive to power imbalances. Drawing on in-depth case studies from seven odds-beating schools, this paper provides examples of authentic family engagement which foster empowerment and utilize community resources to build trust between schools and families. The findings presented here provide a partial template for schools seeking to improve relationships with parents.
Formats: Presentation
Levels of Schooling: High
Publication Years: 2019
Subpopulations: African American/Black, Economic Disadvantage, English Language Learner (ELL), Hispanic/Latino
Topics: Parent and/or Family Involvement
Published: July 24, 2019Location: Society for Applied Anthropology Annual ConferencePublished By: Aaron Leo