Transcript
Enhancing Latino Parent Involvement in an Urban Charter School:
A Collaborative Action Research Project
Marcela Meave School Counseling Program
University of San Diego May 2013
Purpose Behind My Project
Concerned with the level of parental involvement.
Sought to enhance collaboration between parents and school.
Title I Alternative Charter high school in urban San
Diego.
Low-SES, ethnic minority population. 96.1% Hispanic or Latino 42.9% English Language Learners
Certified school personnel that speak Spanish: 27% Fluent
Context
High school founded in 2009.
High school has two campuses. Lower School and Upper School.
Students use public transportation to get to school. Average time it takes for students to get to school is about 45
minutes.
Context
Research studies have shown the impact parent involvement has on
student success (Inger, 1992; Hill & Taylor, 2004; Panferov, 2010).
Some challenges faced by parents of English language learners (ELL) students are magnified as the parents themselves may have minimal proficiency in English and vastly different formal schooling histories (Panferov, 2010).
Understanding each community’s unique barriers is important for establishing effective collaborations between families and schools (Hill & Taylor, 2004).
Literature Parent Involvement
Effective efforts to increase ELL parent involvement
include: Provide bilingual information and materials
Provide child care
Times and locations that are convenient for the parents
Personal efforts to reach out to parents (Inger, 1992)
LiteratureInterventions
Assess the needs of the school and community we
serve.
Personalize parental outreach.
Focus on changing things that were within our control.
What did this mean for me?
Language of assessment:
84% Spanish 16% English
I would be able to participate more in parent events if my work would allow it. 85% agreed
I would attend parent events if there was child care available. 68% agreed
I would attend school meetings if they were offered in my neighborhood. 74% agreed
What can do school do to increase your involvement on campus? 66% preferred evening meetings
Needs Assessment
Research Method
Cycle One
Workshop 1
Workshop 2
Workshop 3
Collect and Analyze Data
Reflection
Cycle Two
Workshop 1
Workshop 2
Collect and Analyze Data
Reflection McNiff, J. & Whitehead, J. (2010). You and Your Action Research Project. New York:
Routledge
Cycle One
Healthy Relationships
Workshop 1
Financial Aid
Workshop 2
Mothers Against Drunk Driving
Workshop 3
Cycle One
Time: Mornings
Location: Upper School
Language: Information in English then translated into Spanish
Outreach: Impersonal; automated phone calls
Time: Evenings
Location: In their community
Language: Spanish; all information was in their home language
Outreach: Personal; personalized + automated phone calls
Combined parent events
Cycle 1 ProceduresPast Procedures
Phone Calls Record Attendance Record
Field Notes: Parent Feedback Counselor Feedback Personal Observations
Qualitative
Quantitative
Interpretation
Creswell, J. W. (2009). Research Design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (3rd Ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA:
Sage.
Cycle One:Mixed Methods Data
Cycle One: Findings
• Phone Calls: 0• Attendance: 6
Workshop 1
• Phone Calls: 11• Attendance: 9
Workshop 2
• Phone Calls: 21• Attendance: 13
Workshop 3
Field Notes: “Me gusta el nuevo lugar del
taller. Me puedo ir caminando” (Parent Feedback).
“Gracias por hablarnos personalmente. Nadie hace esto por nosotros” (Parent Feedback).
Parents open up about some of the issues they have with their students (Personal Observations).
Cycle one findings:
Steady increase in attendance as more personalized phone calls were made
Relationship building between school and families
Suggestions for next cycle: Keep location and language More personalized phone calls Add a student incentive Collaborate more with staff from “upper school”
Reflection
Time: Evenings
Location: In their community
Language: Information and materials in Spanish
More personalized phone calls
Student incentives
School wide efforts
Cycle Two:Procedures
Phone Call Record Attendance Record
Field Notes: Parent Feedback Counselor Feedback Personal Observations
Cycle Two:Mixed Methods Data
Qualitative
Quantitative
Interpretation
Creswell, J. W. (2009). Research Design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (3rd Ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA:
Sage.
• Phone Calls: 43• Attendance: 53
Workshop 1
• Phone Calls: 53• Attendance: 40
Workshop 2
Cycle Two: Findings
Field Notes: “Muchas gracias por
tomarse tiempo para hablarnos personalmente” (Parent Feedback).
“Pensé que me estaba hablando porque mi hijo se porto mal” (Parent Feedback).
“Trabajo pero veré que hago para poder asistir porque me interesa mucho el tema” (Parent Feedback).
Overall Findings:Reflection
Attendance increased as personalized and collaborative efforts increased.
Rapport is what brings parents in.
Built a stronger relationship between school and families.
Cycle 1 Cycle 2
Workshop 1 6 53
Workshop 2 9 40
Workshop 3 13 TBD
Project Legitimacy
Prolonged Engagement/Persistent Observation: Researcher has worked at school site for nine months. Consistent interaction with parents.
Triangulation
Member Checking: Before and after each workshop.
External Audit: Weekly consultation sessions with colleagues and USD
advisor that provided critical feedback.
Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Many factors impact parent involvement and some
are outside of school’s capacity for change. Working parents Child care
Our school split into two campuses; ‘double’ communication
Scheduling conflicts within the school.
Administrative needs sometimes took precedence over support for action research interventions.
Novice school counselor and action researcher.
Project Limitations
Support for existing literature.
Efforts to increase parent involvement have to be context specific.
Personalized outreach efforts are more time consuming yet yield positive results.
Establishing rapport with families is essentially what brings parents in.
Language delivery is very important. Check assumptions: If parents don’t show up, it
doesn’t mean they don’t care.
New Knowledge Generated
School will continue monthly workshops for our
parents.
Continue building relationship between school and families.
New school and it is a work in progress.
Language barrier between certified school staff and families.
Significance & Implications
Utility of data-based practice: inform program development and practice. reflective practice as a way to enhance myself as a school
counselor. Importance of understanding professional concern in the context of
your school.
Understanding practice in school counseling: Helped increase my awareness of how to work with a low-SES and
ethnic minority population. Improved my communication and collaboration skills as parents
began to open up and share their stories. It is not about the numbers but the rapport with families.
Personal Reflection
Creswell, J. W. (2009). Research Design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods
approaches (3rd Ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
De Gaetano, Y. (2007). The Role of Culture in Engaging Latino Parents’ Involvement in School.
Urban Education, 42(2), 145-162.
Hill, N. E., & Taylor, L. C. (2004). Parental School Involvement and Children’s Academic
Achievement: Pragmatics and Issues. Current Directions In Psychological Science, 13(4), 161-164. doi:10.1111/j.0963-7214.2004.00298.X
Inger, M., & ERIC Clearinghouse on Urban Education, N. Y. (1992). Increasing the School
Involment of Hispanic Parents. ERIC/CUE Digest Number 80.
Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
McNiff, J. & Whitehead, J. (2010). You and Your Action Research Project. New York: Routledge.
Panferov, S. (2010). Increasing ELL Parental Involvement in Our Schools: Learning From the
Parents. Theory Into Practice, 49(2), 106-112. doi:10.1080/00405841003626551.
References
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