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.
Published in Chapter:
Building Fearless, Confident CLD Learners: One Elementary School's Experience Creating Positive Relationships With Diverse Families and the Community
Janet Penner-Williams (University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, USA), Trish A. Lopez (University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, USA), Chrystal McKeever (University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, USA), and Rebecca Carpenter de Cortina (University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, USA)
Copyright: © 2021
|Pages: 26
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-7998-4712-0.ch001
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.