Abstract
Family engagement in schools is important for the success of all students, but especially critical with parents of culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students. Building-level administrators and teachers are in a unique position to serve as the agents to create positive, strong relationships with families. This chapter presents a qualitative case study of an exceptionally diverse elementary school located in an area with an increasing CLD population. Through multifaceted interviews, focus groups, and observations, four overarching themes emerged: (1) creating a positive, supportive, welcoming environment to support families and cultures; (2) building relationships and purposeful communication as core values; (3) teacher training, roles, responsibilities, and support; and (4) the importance and impact of community partner relationships. These themes along with their implications for school practices that promote effective school-family-community relations and connections to extant literature are discussed.
TopLiterature Review
Over the last few decades the demographics of U.S. schools have changed substantially; moreover, they are projected to continue to change well into the future (Arias & Morillo-Campbell, 2008; Gonzalez et al., 2011; Herrera et al., 2015). In an effort to address this transformation and become more inclusive and culturally sensitive, the dynamics and characteristics of CLD students and English Learners (ELs) have also been redefined. The catalyst to this metamorphosis is in part due to the steady increase in both immigrant and native-born children of immigrant populations and the number of K-12 ELs participating in language assistance programs across the U.S. (Arias & Morillo-Campbell, 2008; Camarota et al., 2017). As of fall 2016 the number of ELs in U.S. public schools was marked at an all-time high of 4.9 million, or 9.6% of the student population (U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics [USDOE-NCES], 2019). This growth does not include EL students who achieve English language proficiency and are systematically reclassified to no longer being considered ELs. Looking beyond EL classification, CLD students can be identified as among the 12 million children who speak a language other than English in their homes (The Annie E. Casey Foundation, 2019). To begin to have a better understanding of how this growing population will continue to play an important role in U.S. schools it is first necessary to take a closer look at (1) the evolution of theoretical CLD discourse, (2) the current state of CLD family engagement, and (3) the relevance of effective CLD teacher training and professional development programs.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Parent-Family Engagement: Refers to the multifaceted process of building trust and fostering connections so parents and other family members feel welcomed and valued so they become active partners in their child’s education.
English Language Development (ELD): Refers to specific instructional practices that teachers use to develop EL students’ oral and written language skills in hopes to help them achieve language proficiency.
Funds of Knowledge: Refers to the skills and knowledge an individual or family may have based on their history and culture
English Learners (ELs): A term used to describe individuals whose native language is not English but are in the process of learning English in hopes to achieve proficiency.
School-Family Relationships: Refers to the connection between students’ parents and families to school administrators and teachers with the goal of increasing student attendance, participation, and academic achievement.
Division of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE): Refers to a division of a state’s department of education that provides leadership, support, and services to its respective school administrators, teachers, students, parents, and communities to ensure each student has the education and skills necessary to graduate and become productive members of society.
Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CLD) Students and Families: The term used to describe, represent, and include individuals who not only speak another language other than English in their home, but also have different cultural values and backgrounds than that of the dominant culture.