Abstract
Families are complex, unique, and indispensable in developing literacy skills within children. Families inculcate cultural values, language, and home routines throughout a child's life. These familial routines and culture are vital aspects of family engagement. The past few years of educational upheaval due to the pandemic revealed the resilient nature of the family unit and the importance of culturally responsive family engagement in literacy development. Within an instant, family homes became schools, and family members the educators. While the transition was difficult, many families reported having a deeper sense of the instructional needs of their children and the desire to remain engaged in their literacy development. In light of this, it is vital that educators embrace home literacy and connect these practices to those of the classroom.
TopIntroduction
The Maple Grove School District recently hosted a month-long professional development academy in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Academy highlighted the need for family engagement strategies that honor home literacy practices. Various topics included the shift from parent involvement to family engagement, the importance of engaging with all families, promoting asset-based thinking of children and families, and enveloping current home literacy practices by using the AIM-R Model. During one of the Academy days Ms. Musa shared an experience she had with a family. “It feels really good to know that cooking with our son and something as simple as sharing stories from our ancestors is actually helping his reading. No teacher has ever taken the time to ‘approve’ what we are already doing in the home.”
The beginning of 2020 left an indelible mark on families, students, and schools. During this unprecedented time, families faced a myriad of challenges (Garbe et al., 2020). The most impactful aspect of this experience was shifting the primary role of literacy instruction from schools to families. This chapter will explore the necessary evolution from parent involvement to family engagement and the need for educators to prioritize family engagement in literacy practices, rather than occasionally communicating when an opportunity arises, such as during family-teacher conferences (Mapp & Bergman, 2021). A good example of how schools can engage with families in a bidirectional conversation, is the use of the AIM-R model which is explored in this chapter. The chapter begins with identifying ongoing inequities in schools that became more apparent during virtual instruction. Families from diverse backgrounds and families of children with disabilities experiences were exacerbated during this time, and there were also celebrations. After, the chapter highlights the resiliency of the family unit and the importance of home literacy, especially as it connects to classroom-based practices. Then the chapter outlines AIM-R, a family-friendly model that supports active, bidirectional home-school collaboration with literacy. Finally, the call to action provides a detailed example highlighting the model in practice.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Cultural Capital: Essential knowledge and skills that individuals draw upon from their lived experiences and society.
Culturally Responsive Practice: Embracing culture, language, and personal experiences as beneficial assets in connecting the home and community to classroom learning.
Family Engagement: Authentically collaborating with the home, school, and community through bidirectional communication, valuing families as assets in student learning throughout the lifespan.
Equity-Focused Family Engagement: Authentic, fair, and just family-school partnerships that honor the communities where the educators serve and view families as valuable assets of the educational team.