NYS TESOL Newsletter - Mosaic

Peterson, J. & Dove, M. (2020). Challenges and Strategies to ELLs’ Parent Involvement in School. Mosaic, 50(1), 14-17.

Challenges and Strategies to ELLs’ Parent Involvement in School

Jaclyn Peterson and Maria G. Dove

            It is a given that parents want to be involved in their children’s education; however, full-time working parents do not always have the time to be involved. This issue is becoming more common as parents are being pulled in many different directions. While all students need to have parental involvement, there is even more of a challenge with parents of English language learners (ELLs). In this article, we explore two key challenges—cultural and life situations (Delgado-Gaitan, 1991)—that differentiate ELLs’ parental involvement.

Challenge 1: Cultural

            ELLs and their families have and maintain their own cultural identities, and they may view the educational system differently than American-born families. In the United States, teachers want parental engagement (Smith, 2015); however, some cultures view schools as an authority and therefore, parents may believe they should be less involved. For example, Latino families have high respect for authority and involvement within the school may appear to be disrespectful. (Gonzales et al., 2013). Another example is with African refugee parents who may view homework as a sign of a hard-working teacher that benefits their child, even in preschool settings; yet in U.S. schools, young children learn through play, and homework is rarely assigned (Tadesse, 2014). In addition, many immigrants come to America for the “American Dream” and believe the educational system will support their children without their involvement. These differences in culture may cause confusion, tension, or lack of respect for teachers and create low parental involvement.

Challenge 2: Life Situations

            The most common challenge for parents is their economic situation (Smith, 2015). Many parents of ELLs need to work multiple jobs to support their families (Delgado-Gaitan, 1991), and due to the hours of a typical school day and the many pressures parents face, it is difficult for them to attend school functions. In addition to work, some families lack transportation and thereby access to the school. Due to the lack of transportation and longer work hours, ELLs’ parents may be distanced from involvement in school activities.  

            In addition, parents of ELLs may be experiencing economic hardships as well as have emotional needs similar to their children. Immigrants or refugees coming to the U.S. may have suffered trauma that impacts their involvement in their children’s schooling. Then again, some parents just may find it hard to become involved or connect with their children’s teachers due to their previous experiences with U.S. schools (Tadesse, 2014). Another reason a parent may be reluctant to become involved in their children’s schooling is their immigration status (Gonzales et al., 2013). They may fear exposing themselves to being deported.

            After reviewing these challenges, it becomes clear why parents of ELLs may find it difficult or unnecessary or choose to remain unwilling to be involved in their children’s education particularly considering the obstacles they have to overcome. When parents come from a culture of respecting the educational system, they may prioritize their economic needs over their involvement in school. Understanding these challenges becomes important so that teachers and school leaders can encourage these parents to become involved and provide alternative solutions to engage these parents.

Strategies to Overcome Challenges

            To encourage involvement with ELLs’ parents, there are several common strategies educators can enact in schools such as, printed announcements, phone calls to the parents, and bilingual newsletters. However, there are more unique strategies schools can consider to encourage parental involvement. These include, accommodating parents’ work schedules by providing flexible hours for parents to engage with the school community, including nights or weekend times for meetings and events, as well as teachers visiting families in their homes (Gonzales et al., 2013).

The content of any event needs to be relevant for parents to participate. Making connections to families’ home cultures helps them become more at ease (Hanse-Thomas & Alderman, 2016). One example is a program entitled the Florey Family Literacy Project, an after-school program where families develop literacy skills in English during flexible after-school hours with opportunities for their children to be involved so childcare was not needed. Program topics included literacy in the kitchen, reading and online safety, and literacy for living. As a result, this program became a success for parents, and it continues to expand its services (Carroll, 2017).

An example of a school applying the above strategies is Family Science Night, which was established to engage ELLs’ parents in their children’s academics at the International Newcomer Academy in Fort Worth, Texas (Hanse-Thomas & Alderman, 2016). This event includes flexibility by having the program in the evening after typical working hours. Teachers found poems and other content related to the students’ cultures, the after-school dance team performed a cultural dance at the event, and students recorded video greetings in their home languages that were played as parents walked into the building. By incorporating these strategies, the Family Science Night went from 25 guests the year prior to 147 guests, due to the creation of a welcoming environment for the families (Hanse-Thomas & Alderman, 2016).

Parental involvement in school benefits the students, community, and educators. The benefits for students include better grades, increased participation, and social adjustment (as cited in Gonzalez, Borders, Hines, Villalba & Henderson, 2013). It benefits the community as the younger generation becomes more educated and socially responsible. Finally, it helps educators to focus on moving ahead in the curriculum vs. continually reviewing content in class. Utilizing strategies such as flexible hours, home visits, and culturally relevant material will not only encourage parents to become involved, but also increase student participation as they will have the opportunity to show their hard-work to the community.

References

Carroll, J. (2017). Literacy for families who are English language learners: the Florey family literacy project. Practical Literacy, 22(1), 24-28.

Delgado-Gaitan, C. (1991). Involving parents in schools: A process of empowerment. American Journal of Education, 100, 20-46.

Gonzalez, L.M., Borders, L.D., Vllalba, J.A., & Henderson, A. (2013). Parental involvement in children’s education: considerations for school counselors working with Latino immigrant

families. ASCA, 16(3), 185-193.

Hansen-Thomas, H. & Alderman, H.C. (2016). Family science night: a fun way to engage English language learners and get their parents involved. The Science Teacher, 83(4), 37-40.

Hoover-Dempsey, K. V., Walker, J. M. T., Sandler, H. M., Whetsel, D., Green, C. L.,

Wilkins, A. S., & Closson, K. (2005). Why do parents become involved? Research findings and implications. Elementary School Journal, 106, 105-130.

Padak, N. & Rasinski, T. (2006). Home-school partnerships in literacy education: from rhetoric to reality. The Reading Teacher, 60(3), 292-296.

Smith, D.W. (2015). Teacher perceptions of parent involvement in middle school. Journal of School Public Relations, 36(Fall), 393-403.

Tadesse, S. (2014). Parent involvement: perceived encouragement and carriers to African refugee parent and teacher relationships. Childhood Education, 90(4), 298-305.