Parents\' Involvement in Elementary Schools

Parents' Involvement in Elementary Schools

"The parent is the primary force that propels the child into the world of discovery, the world of literacy, and the world of success…parents are eager to help their children, and, when instructed in appropriate literacy activities, can make a difference in the academic progress that their children make…" (Gilliam, et al., 2004, p. 226).

Parents of elementary students experience tremendous pressure during this period of economic recession. Job security, making the mortgage on time, keeping nutritious food on the table for their children -- these issues have taken on a far greater level of importance because of the struggling American economy. but, notwithstanding the additional economic and social stressors, what is the extent of Latino parents' involvement in their children's education at the elementary school level? What research has been done? What additional research is needed?

Why it is Vital for Latino Parents to Participate at the Elementary Level

Unfortunately by the time they get to high school, young Latinos have been -- and often still are -- on the fringe of the dropout milieu. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (http://nces.ed.gov) (NCES) in the year 1980 the dropout rate for "Hispanic" youth ages 16-24 was 35.2%. Compare that with Caucasian youth the same age (11.4%) and African-American youth (19.1%). A few years later, in 2001, the Latino youth dropout rate was reduced to 27% of those in school and by 2007 the rate had shrunk to 21.4% of those Latinos in high school (compared with 8.4% dropping out in the Black community and 5.3% of Caucasian youth dropping out) (NCES). Given those data, a strategy of strong parental participation while their children are in elementary school helps build a foundation for the future, and a thirst to succeed.

Meanwhile, compelling reasons for focusing on this aspect of the Latino education experience include: a) Latino youth go through "disproportionate rates of mental health problems" including depression and suicide; b) the fact that Latino youth account for almost 30% of the total Latino population in the U.S.; and c) the dropout rate for Latino youth is unacceptably high, especially in comparison to other cultural groups (Garcia, et al., 2008, p. 487). Writing in the Journal of School Health, researcher Carolyn Garcia asserts that 1 in 5 Latino high school students had suicidal thoughts in 2009; of those, ninth grade girls are most prone to consider taking their own lives (Garcia, et al., 2008, p. 487). According to Garcia's data, between 30% and 40% of Latino girls in 9th grade "reported suicidal thoughts" and between 14% and 19% of those same females actually "attempted suicide" in 2009.

More than that, Latino youth "experience disproportionate rates of health problems including mental health problems" -- and these barriers to optimal mental and physical health are due to "economic, social, and political realities in their lives" (Garcia, p. 487). Indeed, the need for parental participation and influence at the elementary school level is paramount to the later success of their children. If a Latino child in elementary school does not have the support of the parent, and the parent is not a willing participant on occasion, a chance is being missed to provide the cultural and practical guidance needed for later academic and career success.

Preparing Latino Children Through Parental Participation

Some Latino parents trust the school system to carry out the duties of educating their children. Nena Torrez writes, "Latino parents are not advocates for their children at the school site" (Torrez, 2004, p. 54). The reason for this is cultural in nature, Torrez explains. "…the structure of the school systems in Mexico is different [than the U.S.]." Given their "…ignorance of the system, parents tend to rely on the decisions made by school faculty and counselors." But don't confuse "…the lack of participation with apathy," Torrez continues. "There are a number of different reasons…such as low levels of English proficiency, little understanding that they should be proactive in advocating for their [child]…work schedule demands, negative experiences with schools, a lack of sensitivity [from] school personnel…" (Torrez, p. 58).

Organizing Latino Parents -- "Convivencia to Empowerment"

Pablo Jasis and Rosaria Ordonez-Jasis provide examples of how Latino parents have organized around the "La Familia Initiative." Through their study of La Familia, the authors present a strategic plan for other Latino families to get organized and help their children succeed later in school and in life. La Familia -- parents of middle school children that had not been performing well in school -- began with small meetings in the homes of parents (conducted entirely in Spanish) and as trust was established among the parents, they created a "working partnership with the school" (Jasis, 2004, p. 38). "Convivencia" means "…the flowing moments of collective creation and solidarity" -- and in the case of La Familia, convivencia also brought a "bonding" that was built from an "…emerging moral quest" to help children become better students, Jasis relates (p. 39). The group began as a "self-affirming" activist assemblage, and moved from there into a "desvelamiento critico" (critical unveiling) of reality (p. 41).

The group avoided "political posturing" during their interactions with the school, and in fact the Latino parents believed, Jasis continues on page 39, that "…their views of the school had to be reconciled with the teacher's views and ideas." Mrs. Gutierrez, a La Familia member, said that she personally learned to have "more communication with the teachers" and learned through that communication that "sometimes our children don't treat them with respect" (p. 39-40).

Over the first two years of La Familia there was a vast improvement in communication and understanding between Latino parents and the school. But what were the academic results? On page 40 Jasis references the principal of this school, who explained that after two years "there were three Latino students among the top ten" on the honor roll. No Latino student in the past "had ever shared that honor" (p. 40). Granted, La Familia emerged around a middle school, but the concept is ideally suited for elementary school parents as well.

Empirical Study Shows Latino Parents' Concerns