Immigrant parents are not all alike. They vary in language skills as well as their understanding of U.S. culture. All of this affects their ability, if not inclination, to become engaged in their children’s education. Educators can assist families by understanding the stages of immigrant parent involvement, which identifies parents’ needs, skills, and interests as they move through the stages of Cultural Survivor, Cultural Learner, Cultural Connector, or Cultural Leader. Understanding these stages better equips educators to identify where families are as well as their unique challenges, and helps determine how to best support them.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
HanY.C. (2012). Stages of immigrant parent involvement in schools: Survivors to leaders. In KuglerE.G. (Ed.), Innovative Voices in Education: Engaging Diverse Communities (pp. 171–186). Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.
2.
HendersonA.MappK. (2002). A new wave of evidence: The impact of school, family, and community connections on student achievement. Austin, Texas: Southwest Educational Development Laboratory.
