Student populations are becoming more diverse and schools need to begin to foster an educational environment that is culturally aware enough to include all ethnic backgrounds in the classroom. Becoming more cognizant of the many cultures and ethnic groups that make up the student body will not only encourage children to seek out and learn about people and places that are foreign to them, but create an inviting and inclusive learning experience in which every child may participate to the best of his or her ability. This includes maintaining a focus on parental engagement as well, schools can go one step further in their effort towards culturally responsive teaching by developing a method for parental involvement, particularly with children who hail from families that are underserved in the community. Studies have shown that a growing percentage of Hispanic students are part of families where the parents completed only a portion of their own education. In addition, many Hispanic parents have a difficulty with access to teachers due to cultural and language difficulties that may exist. Some of them may also be wary of initiating or continuing any contact with the school due to their legal status.

Cultural awareness isn’t only about tolerance of other cultures in the classroom it also requires a knowledge of the specific backgrounds and barriers of the families of minority students. Hispanic parents decline to keep communication with teachers and school staffs for a variety of reasons and teachers should be trained in how to properly navigate these issues. A number of these families don’t feel welcome at the school, they are uncomfortable in social interactions with teachers, or believe that the school does not hold the same values as they do for the well being of their child. There’s a perception among some families that the school treats their children differently than others because they come from low-income backgrounds or live in public housing. Proper cultural awareness requires that teachers are equipped to navigate these matters successfully in order to steer the children towards positive and meaningful academic outcomes. The value of training teachers in cultural awareness is found in the effect it can have on the student body from all walks of life.

Many schools and programs offer bilingual support from teachers who have learned the language of the majority of English Language Learners in the classroom and they make a concerted effort to engage with the parents of these children in their native tongue. It’s a way to acknowledge the sensitivity of the family while also attempting to bring them into the learning process of the student in order for that child to achieve his or her goals in class.

The Latino Family Literacy Project can help your school with being more culturally aware. This award-winning program has years of experience working with teachers and culturally diverse students and parents. If you’re interested in finding more information about this program schedule a training meeting. They offer both online webinar training and in person workshops.

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There is little debate that a parent’s engagement in a child’s learning is highly beneficial. A number of studies have shown the extent of the positive impacts that healthy parental involvement can provide with marked improvements in attendance, behavioral patterns, and social skills, as well as better grades and test scores, resulting in higher graduation rates. But distinguishing the type of relationship that provides the most benefit can be a bit more difficult to fully ascertain, as the term “parental involvement” can have many different meanings and applications for a student’s progress. For most parents, attending parent/teacher meetings is the most common method of demonstrating some form of involvement in their child’s learning, but there must be a nurturing alliance between parents and educators as both parties work in concert for the positive outcomes of the child. This can be found in a number of collaborative strategies that include volunteering, routine avenues of communication, and a shared effort for decision-making so that all stakeholders have equal input in school policy and educational content. This helps to foster stronger bonds with the child at both school and home between all concerned parties to help improve learning. Teachers work with students during the day to impart curriculum and parents continue the successful achievement of students by taking an interest in their studies, assisting them with homework and ensuring that all such work is finished and ready for the next day’s classes.

Lectura Books offers award-winning bilingual books that are a great tool for English Language Learners. The books are written in both English and Spanish and focus on important vocabulary. This will help ELL students succeed with language acquisition no matter what grade level.

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“Research indicates a strong association between parent involvement with a child’s education both at home and at school and student performance in school. Engaging parents is particularly important for English learners and students from low‐income families.  In fact, greater parent involvement is correlated with higher student test scores and better grades for the school as a whole” – The Power of Parents, Thigpen & Freedberg

In a guide titled, “A Parent Involvement Guide for Educators of English Language Learners” provided by the New Jersey State Board of Education, New Jersey school districts can meet the educational needs of Limited English Proficient students in two ways: actively involve parents in the school-going process and train staff that is informed, aware, and knowledgeable of the techniques for creating a supportive learning environment for these students and their parents.

According to the guide, there are six types of parent involvement that help students learn and grow at home, in school, and in the community. The six types of parental involvement are:

• Parenting
• Communicating
• Volunteering
• Learning At Home
• Decision Making
• Collaborating With the Community

The Latino Family Literacy Project provides staff development workshops that can help New Jersey school districts target these six areas of parent involvement, particularly for Latino families, because our training bears them in mind. For example, our training ensures that staff understands the needs of Latino parents by first understanding the socioeconomic and acculturation processes, as well as the linguistic knowledge of Latino families. In doing so, staff can effectively reach out and communicate with Latino parents and anticipate their needs. Moreover, our curriculum encourages critical reflection and dialogue by means of reading, writing, and art projects. Parents are then encouraged to apply strategies learned from our program and implement them at home with their children through the use of our culturally related, bilingual books. Finally, The Latino Family Literacy Project supports a collaborative environment by allowing constructive discussion between administrators, teachers, and parents.

If you would like more information, please take a look at this video to see how The Latino Family Literacy Project was successfully implemented at Soccoro School District. Also, take a look at our programs here.

The post New Jersey Focus on Parent Engagement for English Learners appeared first on The Latino Family Literacy Project.