Download or read book Understanding Latino Parental Involvement in a Racially Changing School written by Lukisha Barrera Gibbs and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Studies of parental involvement have generally not reported perceptions of Latino parents. This case study will examine the views and experiences of eight Latino families from Central and South America whose students attend Dason Elementary (pseudonym) in the Pell Public Schools (PPS) (pseudonym) in Northern Virginia. The purpose of the study is to explore the reasons why Latino parents may or may not be involved in one racially changing elementary school in PPS. The concepts of social capital, cultural capital, borders, and boundaries help explain what shapes parents' ideas, perceptions, and actions about parental involvement. These concepts present different expectations coming from school systems and Latino parents. They also explain the complex barriers that take different forms influencing what Latino parents do as it relates to their involvement in their students' schools. This qualitative method allowed for interviewing and observing eight families. The data revealed what influences their involvement in the public schools their children attend. Their responses are exemplars to investigate what Latino parents experience and how those experiences form their perceptions of parental involvement. The findings have implications for school officials, policy makers, and recommendations for further research. They suggest that parents' attitudes and perceptions are influenced by events in their lives and by decisions made by the school system.

Download or read book Understanding Latino Parental Involvement in Education written by Maria Estela Zarate and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 20 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Latino community has been characterized by low high school graduation rates, low college completion rates and substandard schooling conditions. As schools and policymakers seek to improve the educational conditions of Latinos, parental influence in the form of school involvement is assumed to play some role in shaping students' educational experiences. Despite this national interest in parental involvement, little research has been conducted on what constitutes parental involvement in the middle and high school years. Additionally, stakeholders hold diverse definitions of parental involvement, and little attention has been paid to how Latino parents, specifically, define parental involvement. The growing national interest in parental involvement and lack of research on Latino perceptions on the issue motivated the Tomas Rivera Policy Institute (TRPI) to examine what constitutes parental involvement for schools, Latino students, and Latino parents. In conducting this study, the Institute examined: (1) Latino parents' perceptions of their participation in the education of their children; (2) Schools' and teachers' expectations of parental involvement; (3) Programmatic initiatives addressing parental involvement in education; and (4) Latino students' perceptions of the role of parental involvement in their education. Findings indicate that divergent definitions and perceptions of parental involvement in education exist among different stakeholders and that schools lack clear organizational goals and objectives on how best to involve parents in the schools. These insights can inform discussions about how schools can best acknowledge, encourage, and increase parental involvement in schools. School administrators, school board members, corporate school partners, policymakers, outreach programs, parent leaders, and teachers may find study results useful as they seek to increase parental involvement in schools. A list of resources for further reading is included.(Contains 4 footnotes and 2 tables.).

Download or read book Involving Latino Families in Schools written by Concha Delgado Gaitan and published by Corwin Press. This book was released on 2004-03-12 with total page 161 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Anyone involved in preservice training for future and present classroom teachers should read this book. Both the content and context of the book are practical, timely, and necessary as our country and classrooms become more diverse." Michele Dean, Principal Montalvo Elementary School, Ventura, CA Raise school attendance, reduce dropout rates, and improve academic performance of Latino students! Often marginalized by poverty, linguistic isolation, or prejudice, Latino students face many academic obstacles. And while research has shown that parental involvement plays a key role in academic achievement, most schools have failed to modify their parent involvement programs to address social and cultural realities of Latino families. Involving Latino Families in Schools provides tools and strategies for including Latino parents in developing sustained academic improvement. Sharing numerous first person success stories, author Concha Delgado Gaitan stresses three conditions of increased parental participation: connecting to families, sharing information with parents, and supporting continued parental involvement. Offering easily applied techniques for cultivating communication, this practical handbook examines Latino families and their educational aspirations for their children The communication systems needed between schools and Latino families How Latino families can assist their children at home Techniques to foster Latino parent involvement How to organize schoolwide parent involvement programs Through suggested activities, case examples, and vignettes, the author provides insights and instruction for planning, designing, and implementing parental participation programs that enhance the classroom curriculum and effectively engage Latino students. Designed primarily for elementary and secondary school principals and teachers, this innovative text is also an indispensable resource for district-level administrators.

Download or read book Understanding Latino Families written by Ruth E. Zambrana and published by SAGE Publications. This book was released on 1995-06-05 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Offering an integrated, culturally sensitive focus, Understanding Latino Families presents a dynamic new approach to the study of Latino families. This new approach centers on the strengths of Latino/Hispanic groups, the structural processes that impede their progress, and the cultural and familial processes that enhance their intergenerational adaptation and resiliency. A leading group of scholars clearly presents social and demographic profiles of Latino groups in the United States, empirical and conceptual reviews of Latino family approaches, and practice and policy implications from studies of Latino social programs. Included for discussion are such salient topics as the economic well-being of Latino families, prospects for Latino children and adolescents, the adjustment of Central American refugee families, and Latino child and family health concerns. Researchers, scholars, and students in the fields of ethnic studies, family studies, sociology, social work, and psychology will find Understanding Latino Families an invaluable resource. "Understanding Latino Families is a timely edition of the Understanding Families series distributed by Sage Publications. In a political climate of economic discord and social change, this book highlights the ways many Latino families struggle to succeed in the face of factors related to immigration, labor for transformations, cultural incongruence with dominant society, cross-force transformations, cultural incongruence with the dominant society, cross-generational acculturation patterns, and racism. . . . Adding veracity to the social policy debate, Understanding Latino Families presents social and demographic profiles of Latino groups in the United States, empirical and conceptual reviews of Latino family approaches, and practice and policy implications from studies of Latino social problems." --Cultural Diversity and Mental Health "Understanding Latino Families presents an excellent new approach to the study of Latino family structures: one which considers ethnic group strengths, family actions, and the processes that enhance resiliency. This makes for quite a scholarly, probing study." --The Midwest Book Review "College-level students of social service will appreciate having a new approach that considers the collective group strengths of Hispanics and the processes that enhance their adaptation process. Scholars present reviews of Latino family groups in this country and discuss their social and economic patters." --The Bookwatch "For researchers and students in the fields of ethnic studies, family studies, sociology, and social work, this book offers a culturally sensitive approach to the study of Latino families. Featured are social and demographic profiles of Latino groups, empirical reviews of Latino families, approaches, and practice and policy implications from studies of Latino social programs. Other topics include the prospects for Latino children and adolescents, child and family health concerns, and the adjustment of Central American refugee families." --Journal of Social Work Education "Understanding Latino Families is an important contribution and a badly needed addition to the field of family studies. This book provides a wealth of information about the contemporary status of Latino families. It will immediately become a basic source for introducing readers to this topic and will inform both specialists and students of various levels of sophistication. This book is especially strong in giving the reader an appreciation for the great diversity that exists in the racial and ethnic composition that characterizes the membership of Latino families. Of the existing work on this topic, this edited book is the best collection . . . in the social sciences. I am convinced that academics and professionals in the fields of child development, sociology, and social work can benefit greatly by reading this book. This collection will also be a valuable tool for graduate students in all these fields. Selected chapters that are less theoretically based might also be beneficial for undergraduates who are taking university courses on ethnic diversity." --Gary W. Peterson, Arizona State University, Tempe

Download or read book U S Latinos and Education Policy written by Pedro R. Portes and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2014-03-14 with total page 266 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With the American dream progressively elusive for and exclusive of Latinos, there is an urgent need for empirically and conceptually based macro-level policy solutions for Latino education. Going beyond just exposing educational inequalities, this volume provides intelligent and pragmatic research-based policy directions and tools for change for U.S. Latino Education and other multicultural contexts. U.S. Latinos and Education Policy is organized round three themes: education as both product and process of social and historical events and practices; the experiences of young immigrants in schools in both U.S. and international settings and policy approaches to address their needs; and situated perspectives on learning among immigrant students across school, home, and community. With contributions from leading scholars, including Luis Moll, Eugene E. Garcia, Richard P. Durán, Sonia Nieto , Angela Valenzuela, Alejandro Portes and Barbara Flores, this volume enhances existing discussions by showcasing how researchers working both within and in collaboration with Latino communities have employed multiple analytic frameworks; illustrating how current scholarship and culturally oriented theory can serve equity-oriented practice; and, focusing attention on ethnicity in context and in relation to the interaction of developmental and cultural factors. The theoretical and methodological perspectives integrate praxis research from multiple disciplines and apply this research directly to policy.

Download or read book Patterns of Latino Parental Involvement in Middle School written by Mellie Crespo-Jimenez and published by . This book was released on 2011 with total page 372 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Involving Latino Parents in the Middle level School written by Elva Hernandez Mora and published by . This book was released on 2021 with total page 250 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The middle school level years demand critical attention in educational reform. Culturally diverse students in the United States show levels of academic achievement which are lower then those of other students. Children from oppressed minority groups often show high rates of dropping out as well as poor academic achievement. They are often profiled as students who are unmotivated and who have parents that are unresponsive to their growth and development in terms of educational attainment. However, this conception of poor academic achievement and lack of parental involvement is unfounded since research indicates that culturally diverse parents value education and have high standards for academic excellence in student performance. The purpose of this study was to examine factors that promote Hispanic parent involvement at the middle school level. A triangulation analysis was used as a guiding methodology for the development of a conceptual framework for a Hispanic parent involvement model at the middle school level. The triangulation analysis was accomplished through a methodological mix by using strategies that identified the factors that promoted Latino parent involvement at the middle school level. Three goals were achieved in the triangulation analysis: (1) the current review of the literature was studied in order to analyze successful parent involvement models for Latino parents; (2) interviews were conducted with expert panel members in the content area and analyzed to yield themes that emerged from the study; and (3) Mexican and Mexican American parents participated in focus group interviews. Mexican and Mexican American parents were interviewed concerning their needs in the development of a Hispanic parent involvement. A collaborative Hispanic parent involvement model was developed. The results of the study showed that in order to implement a Hispanic parent model at the middle level, there were critical themes which emerged including parent development, communication development, cognitive development, decision making, and social and cultural processes. These critical components used can be applied to culturally diverse parent typologies. The development of a collaborative model for Latino parents engages students, parents, and staff members to become active constituents and become empowered in a democratic participatory process. Mexican and Mexican American parents become change agents in socio-political and cultural contexts for systemic change in order to improve educational reform. Epstein's typology of "overlapping spheres of influence of family, school, community on children's learning" has major impact in school improvement and in the effectiveness of reaching out to parents in home-school collaboration. The results of the qualitative study indicated that in order to work effectively with culturally diverse parents, educators need to understand and be aware of the socio-political and cultural aspects of culture sensitivity, family values, language, belief system, and traditions. Culturally diverse parents are unique constituents that are powerful stakeholders in their children's education. The basic implications for this study are that the collaborative model may be used as a practical application model at the K-12 grade level, to understand adolescent development, to improve and increase parent participation, and to empower parents to be partners in education. This Hispanic model can be used as a formative evaluation to improve the instructional services to all constituents since the model will have a profound impact on parental participation and a direct influence on student achievement.

Download or read book Latino Parent Leadership written by Carla De La Torre and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page 169 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The impact of parental involvement in a child’s academic success has been well-documented; however there is considerably less research that focuses specifically on Latino parent engagement and its potential to improve schools given the rising numbers of Latino students attending U.S. schools. Few studies have focused on the strengths that Latino families pass onto their children and how those strengths can be leveraged to better connect schools with Latino parents and develop schools where students feel their parents are respected (Rioja-Cortez & Bustos Flores, 2009). This research study set out to explore Latino parent engagement through the eyes of Latino parent leaders within one school district. The purpose of this research study was to identify and analyze how and why Latino parents become engaged within a school and district culture; in addition to learning what potential factors may exist that move Latino parents along a continuum of involvement and engagement into leadership and change agency. The researcher was interested in learning about Latino parent leadership, based on a hypothesis that Latino parent leadership may have the potential to impact the schooling experiences for Latino children and their families. A review of existing literature on parental engagement among Latinos, helped to develop a conceptual framework where four major themes emerge: 1.) Parent engagement produces more positive outcomes than traditional types of parent involvement; 2.) School personnel and Latino parents differ in their perceptions regarding what constitutes as parent involvement; 3.) Latino parents utilize culturally embedded strategies to promote their children’s education; and 4.) Home-based forms of engagement have been found to be more effective than school-based involvement. The four themes came together to shape a conceptual framework where whenever Latino parent backgrounds were valued and treated as legitimate sources of strength and when these Latino parents could identify with these strengths and use these strengths to connect with new forms of school information and knowledge, Latino parent leadership could be born and develop. In short, this study seeks to better understand Latino parent engagement and leadership as experienced by a group of Latino parent leaders in one school district.

Download or read book Barriers to and Facilitators of Latino Parent Involvement written by Lakshmi Subramaniam and published by . This book was released on 2011 with total page 156 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Author's abstract: The face of America's school is changing bringing in students from all over the world, predominantly Spanish speaking students from Mexico and Central and South America. Parents of these students are trying to balance the various challenges that moving to a new country can bring, including fostering success in school for their children. Oftentimes, their jobs, their immigration status, or their lack of education prevent them from speaking out and sharing their experiences. Many of these families are in areas of the country where immigration issues are relatively new. Unfortunately, statistics on academic achievement and drop-out rates for these Latino students are alarming. The educational community must create opportunities for these parents and students to experience academic success. Critical race theory encourages storytelling from the perspective of the less heard. Furthermore critical pedagogy encourages dialogue and an understanding of context and life experiences as educators prepare the young men and women for their future. This qualitative case study using an ethnographic design, set in a large, urban school district in Georgia provided Latino parents of elementary school children, a platform to share their perspectives on parental involvement in school and at home, its impact, and its barriers and facilitators. Using participants from the schools, the researcher conducted interviews and focus group meetings. The researcher found that parents, in spite of barriers that may exist, want their children to experience the American dream. They were prepared to do whatever it takes to help their children and remained hopeful for their future. The researcher provided insight for the educational community in the selected Georgia district as well as those that are similar on how to collaborate with Latino families to foster success for all students.

Download or read book The Education of the Hispanic Population written by Billie Gastic and published by IAP. This book was released on 2012-10-01 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume brings together the latest research and scholarship on Latinos in the United States. This book is special in terms of the broad scope of topics covered and methodologies employed in pursuit of knowledge about Latino students. This collection is also unique in that it features the work of more than a dozen Latino scholars—both early-careerand established—applying their research expertise to investigate and elucidate the educational experiences of Latinos in the United States. The themes that are discussed in the chapters of The Education of the Hispanic Population: Selected Essays, reflect the wide-ranging discussions that are occurring in schools and school districts across the country and issues that are being carefully investigated by researchers who are committed to contributing thoughtful and meaningful scholarship of consequence for improving conditions for Latino youth.

Download or read book The Role of Latino Parent Involvement and Academic Achievement of Students written by Gabriela Romero and published by . This book was released on 2011 with total page 71 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Parent involvement in the classroom is a challenge to acquire for communities that have not had positive experience with schools, specifically Latinos. The issues with overcoming the lack of Latino parental involvement can be addressed by educators with a focus on culture, andragogy and effective outreach. This project includes a set of workshops to reach out to Latino parents and help them understand schooling and learn how to support their child's learning at home. The workshops are designed with a focus on Latino culture (culturally relevant pedagogy), best practices for adult learning (andragogy) and effective instruction (Understanding by Design (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005). The project consists of five workshops: What are (Homework) Boundaries?, How to Make a Special Place to Do Homework, Better Communication Between Parent and Child, Math Support Strategies, and Getting Involved with the School. Each workshop has been developed to provide engaging activities that are supported by culture and language. The workshops focus on the importance of parent involvement, culture, and developing a relationship between parents, children, and teachers.

Download or read book English Language Advisory Committee the Bridge of Influence for Latino Parent Involvement written by Alejandro Delgadillo and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Statement of the Problem The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors that impact the participation of Latino parents in their school site's English Language Advisory Committee (ELAC). Even though Latino, especially ELL, parents have tried through different school venues for decades to be included in the education of their children, there is still the unfortunate perception from many educators that Latino parents do not value nor prioritize education. All literature compiled in the study verify that Latino parents want and are enthusiastic to be included in the education of their children. Latino parents that have entered the education field have encountered many institutionalized, economic, social, and racial barriers that have prevented them from being active school parent participants. The Latino parents that are able to enter the institution do not only empower themselves, but "seek to transform parent involvement with the goal of making education a democratic and reflective action" (Olivos, p. 112, 2010). Sources of Data Personal observations, one-on-one interviews, a focus group meeting, and multiple recordings were conducted in an effort to find the specific factors that affect Latino parental involvement in ELAC. There were five (one father and four mothers) that were randomly selected of which all self-identified themselves as English language learners (ELL), Latino, active ELAC parent, and had at least one elementary (K - 6th) child at the school site. Conclusions The results of the study confirm that Latino parents are and continue to be interested in the education of their children. All participating parents agreed ELAC served as an important bridge which influenced parent participation in American Schools in spite of the cultural and gender differences. Their participation in ELAC made them aware of the differences in their approach to schooling in México in stark contrast to expectations to U.S. schools. The conformism (conformismo) that is brought by many Latino parents prevents them from fully participating in school related events and meetings. Moreover, they see upholding the traditional views of their home country education could potentially be detrimental to their children's U.S. education. Furthermore, involvement in ELAC provide an environment for parents to become self-aware to the degree in which they themselves could start critiquing the varying levels of these differences they see among other Latino parents, as they lament over such low parent involvement. The decrease in parent involvement beyond second and third grade may be tied to premature autonomy parents present indirectly to their children. Finally they articulated, even with encouragement from school staff, the difficulty in crossing over to other parent school groups. They described feeling invisible and unheard.

Download or read book Latino Parental Involvement In One Elementary School written by Nelly Peña-Gaviria and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The purpose of this study was to investigate and describe the stakeholders' perceptions of Latino parental involvement in one elementary school of a district that had recently shifted from majority Anglo enrollment to majority Latino enrollment, and to describe how the characteristics of the school affected the participation of Latino parents in the education of their children. This case study provided the opportunity to listen to the voices of the parents', front desk personnel, teachers', and administrators' and use exploratory techniques to understand the stakeholders' points of view of Latino parental involvement. This investigation sought to gain a deeper understanding of the relationships between parents and educators and help school personnel be more attentive to the needs and concerns of Latino parents, evaluate their practices, and create a school environment that encouraged and supported Latino parental involvement. The study found that the children were being explicitly or implicitly named as a motivating factor for Latino parents to become involved in the school, that there were a limited number of Latino parents that were actually involved in the education of their children, and that the school's stakeholders had conflicting points of view about Latino parental involvement. Moreover, the study found that Latino parents wanted to be involved; however, there were barriers that diminished the desires of Latino parents to be involved.

Download or read book Latino Parent Involvement of Elementary English Language Learners written by Emily D. Sanz and published by . This book was released on 2021 with total page 300 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The purpose of this qualitative case study is to examine the involvement of Latino parents of elementary English language learner students with distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. This case study explored Latino parental involvement, in order to help further understand the inequities for Latinos with distance learning and examine how parents understand involvement in their children's education. This qualitative case study utilized sixteen semi-structured parent interviews, two teacher focus groups with a total of eight teachers, and one administrator interview, in order to determine the emerging themes and patterns. Teacher participants in this study possessed between six and fourteen years of teaching experience and are currently teaching classes in 1st grade and 4th grade. The administrator participant possessed 27 years of experience in education. This study was conducted based on the Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Latino Critical Theory (LatCrit) as conceptual frameworks that offer a way to analyze parental involvement and develop more culturally relevant practices using a social justice lens. Implications for social change include knowledge useful for administrators, teachers, parents, and other researchers who desire direction in improving Latino parental involvement and increasing student achievement.

Download or read book Religion and Education among Latinos in New York City written by Segundo Pantoja and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2005-09-01 with total page 195 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Education is Latinos' number one concern. This volume offers an analysis of why many are underachieving, while pointing to the role of religion in helping Latinos improve their academic outlook. Parents, researchers and practitioners will benefit from understanding the importance of religion in the educational experience of Hispanics.

Download or read book Latino Families Experiences and Their Parental Involvement with the Ceres Unified School District written by Monica Yepez Tafoya and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page 54 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The purpose of this research was to explore the experiences and perceptions of Latino parents and their parental involvement with the Ceres Unified School District. This qualitative study explored a total of six participants. All participants' primary language was Spanish, whose children were enrolled in an elementary school in Ceres Unified School District, and were Latinos. Data were collected through conducting face-to-face interviews using open-ended questions in Spanish. The findings revealed that participants felt comfortable participating in their children education due to the fact that the school provides translators when needed. Latino parents also identified barriers for their involvement such as work schedule, transportation, and child care services. It was found in the study that participants identified the need of English classes to learn English to help their children with their homework, transportation, and child care. It is recommended that social workers work together with the Latino community to overcome these barriers. Community organizations and leaders can work together to provide services such as transportation and English classes. A recommendation for future research would be to create a bridge of communication between parents and the school. Parents might gain a clearer understanding of what is expected from them. In addition, future researchers should use a Participatory Action Research approach to involve parents in the design and evaluation of the intervention programs.

Download or read book Exploring the Impact of Parent Mentoring Programs on Latino Parent Engagement and Empowerment written by Marlene Batista and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page 196 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Research indicates that children do better academically when their parents are directly involved in their education, but parents of ethnically and linguistically diverse students fail to participate in schools at the same level as families from the dominant culture. Over the past 20 years a number of parental involvement programs have been attempted in an effort to be more inclusive of Latino families, but they have not had sustainable effects in engaging these parents in the school community. Parent mentoring programs, in which parent mentors are used to facilitate classes and create a bridge between the school and Latino parents, are a promising new practice for creating long-term, collaborative relationships between Latino parents and schools. The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of Latino parents and administrators involved with a parent mentoring program in an effort to understand how these types of programs might create more collaborative relationships between Latino parents and schools. This ethnographic case study took place at two elementary schools in Sunnydays Unified School District, a pseudonym for a suburban K-12 district east of Los Angeles in Riverside County. The study used a purposeful sample of nine Latino parent mentors, 11 Latino parent participants, two site administrators, and one district level administrator all involved with the parent mentoring program at two school sites. Data was collected utilizing semi-structured individual interviews, observations and focus groups. The theoretical framework used for this study was Bourdieu's (1977) theory of social and cultural capital. The findings from this study showed that their lack of social and cultural capital in the dominant culture hindered Latino parents from getting involved in their children's school. Parent mentoring programs helped address such barriers as the fractured relationship between the Latino parents and the school through the use of parent mentors as a bridge of communication and support. Parent mentors also played the important roles of teachers, advocates, and role models for the other Latino parents at the schools. Data revealed that administrative support was an important factor in the success of the parent mentoring programs, but that site administrators had not received professional development on Project 2-INSPIRE and therefore had not informed or trained their staff about the program. Thus, despite the best efforts of the parent mentors, the program was never given the opportunity to bring about a true collaboration between all stakeholders. Insights from this study could be helpful to school districts interested in increasing Latino parental involvement and engagement, particularly those school districts hoping to move away from traditional parental involvement programs and toward a parent engagement approach. The study also sheds light on the need for Latino parental involvement programs to focus not just on increasing parents' cultural capital, but rather creating the environment that will increase their social capital. This study showed that the relationships and network built between the parent mentors and other less involved Latino parents was the major factor in the success of the program and the increased involvement of Latino parents at the school. Recommendations for policy and practice include replacing traditional forms of parent involvement with programs that include a parent mentoring component; training administrators and school staff in collaborative parent engagement strategies; create warm and welcoming environments at schools that foster and appreciate diversity; and creating a space specifically designated for families in the school run by a bilingual parent/community liaison who can help in bridging Latino parents to the school.