Family and Teacher Characteristics as Predictors of Parent Involvement in Education During Early Childhood Among Afro-Caribbean and Latino Immigrant Families

Abstract

Parent involvement is a robust predictor of academic achievement, but little is known about school- and home-based involvement in immigrant families. Drawing on ecological theories, the present study examined contextual characteristics as predictors of parent involvement among Afro-Caribbean and Latino parents of young students in urban public schools. Socioeconomic disadvantage was associated with lower home-based involvement. Several factors were associated with higher involvement, including parents’ connection to their culture of origin and to U.S. culture, engagement practices by teachers and parent–teacher ethnic consonance (for Latinos only). Findings have implications for promoting involvement among immigrant families of students in urban schools.

Keywords

parent involvement Latino families Afro-Caribbean families early childhood

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Barnard

W. M.

(2004). Parent involvement in elementary school and educational attainment. Children and Youth Services Review, 26, 39-62.

Brotman

L.M.

Calzada

E. J.

Kingston

Huang

K.Y.

Dawson-McClure

Kamboukos

Petkova

(2011). Promoting effective parenting practices and preventing child behavior problems in school among ethnically diverse families from underserved, urban communities. Child Development, 82, 258-276. PMID: 1291441

Brotman

L.M.

Dawson-McClure

Calzada

E. J.

Kamboukos

Huang

K. Y.

Palamar

Petkova

(2013). Cluster (School) Randomized Controlled Trial of ParentCorps: Impact on Kindergarten Academic Achievement. Pediatrics, 131, 1521-1529. PMID: 23589806

Calzada

E.J.

Brotman

L.M.

Huang

Bat-Chava

Kingston

(2009). Parent cultural adaptation and child functioning in culturally diverse, urban families of preschoolers. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 30, 515-524.

Chao

R. K.

(2000). The parenting of immigrant Chinese and European American mothers: Relations between parenting styles, socialization goals, and parental practices. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 21, 233-248.

Chrispeels

J. H.

Rivero

(2001). Engaging Latino parents for student success: How parent education can reshape parents’ sense of place in the education of their children. Peabody Journal of Education, 76(2), 119-169.

Christenson

S. L.

(2000). Families and schools: Rights, responsibilities, resources, and relationships. In Pianta

R. C.

Cox

M. J.

(Eds.), The transition to kindergarten (pp. 143-177). Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes.

Clay

(1995). Perspectives on the teaching and learning needs of Caribbean students: A survey of teachers and administrative staff of a Brooklyn elementary public school. In Irish

(Ed.), Caribbean students in New York (pp. 91-101). New York, NY: Caribbean Diaspora Press.

Cooper

C. R.

Denner

Lopez

E. M.

(1999). Cultural brokers: Helping Latino children on pathways toward success. The Future of Children, 9(2), 51-57.

10.

Crockett

L. J.

Randall

B. A.

Shen

Y. L.

Russell

S. T.

Driscoll

A. K.

(2005). Measurement equivalence of the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale for Latino and Anglo adolescents: A national study. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 73, 47-58.

11.

Delgado-Gaitan

(1994a). Socializing young children in Mexican-American families: An intergenerational perspective. In Greenfield

P. M.

Cocking

R. R.

(Eds.), Cross-cultural roots of minority child development (pp. 55-8). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. Hillsdale, NJ, England.

12.

Delgado-Gaitan

(1994b). Spanish-speaking families’ involvement in schools. In Fagnano

C. L.

Werber

B. Z.

(Eds.), School, family, and community interaction: A view from the firing lines (pp. 85-96). Boulder, CO: Westview Press.

13.

Delpit

(1995). Other people’s children: Cultural conflict in the classroom. New York, NY: The New Press.

14.

DeWit

D. J.

Adlaf

E. M.

Offord

D. R.

Ogborne

A. C.

(2000). Age at first alcohol use: A risk factor for the development of alcohol disorders. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 157, 745-750.

15.

Durand

T. M.

(2011). Latino parental involvement in kindergarten: Findings from the early childhood longitudinal study. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 33, 469-489.

16.

Eamon

K. G.

(2005). Social-demographic, school, neighborhood, and parenting influences on the academic achievement of Latino young adolescents. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 34, 163-174.

17.

Ehrenberg

R. G.

Goldhaber

D. D.

Brewer

D. J.

(1995). Do teachers’ race, gender, and ethnicity matter? Evidence from the National Educational Longitudinal Study of 1988. Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 48, 547-561.

18.

Epstein

J. L.

(1986). Parents’ reactions to teacher practices of parent involvement. The Elementary School Journal, 86, 277-294.

19.

Epstein

J. L.

(1987a). Parent involvement: What research says to administrators. Education and Urban Society, 19, 119-136.

20.

Epstein

J. L.

(1987b). Toward a theory of family-school connections: Teacher practices and parent involvement. In Hurrelmann

Kaufmann

F. X.

Lösel

(Eds.), Social intervention: Potential and constraints (pp. 121-136). New York, NY: De Gruyter.

21.

Epstein

J. L.

(1991). Effects on student achievement of teachers’ practices of parent involvement. In Silvern

S. B.

(Ed.), Advances in reading/language research: A research annual—Literacy through family, community, and school interaction (Vol. 5, pp. 261-276). US: Elsevier Science/JAI Press.

22.

Epstein

J. L.

Dauber

S. L.

(1991). School programs and teacher practices of parent involvement in inner-city elementary and middle schools. The Elementary School Journal, 91, 289-305.

23.

Epstein

J. L.

Salinas

K. C.

(1993). School and family partnerships: Questionnaires for teachers and parents in elementary and middle grades (Unpublished measure). Center on School, Family and Community Partnerships, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD.

24.

Fan

Chen

(2001). Parental involvement and students’ academic achievement: A meta-analysis. Educational Psychology Review, 13, 1-22.

25.

Fuligni

A. J.

(1997). The academic achievement of adolescents from immigrant families: The roles of family background, attitudes, and behavior. Child Development, 68, 351-363.

26.

Gallimore

Goldenberg

(2001). Analyzing cultural models and settings to connect minority achievement and school improvement research. Educational Psychologist, 36, 45-46.

27.

Garcia Coll

Akiba

Palacios

Bailey

Silver

DiMartino

Chin

(2002). Parental involvement in children’s education: Lessons from three immigrant groups. Parenting: Science and Practice, 2, 303-324.

28.

Garcia Coll

Meyer

E. C.

Brillon

(1994). Ethnic and minority parenting. In Bomstein

M. H.

(Ed.), Handbook of parenting: Biology and ecology of parenting (Vol. 2, pp. 189-209). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

29.

Glick

J. E.

White

M. J.

(2004). Post-secondary school participation of immigrant and native youth: The role of familial resources and educational expectations. Social Science Research, 33, 272-299.

30.

Green

C. L.

Walker

J. M.

Hoover-Dempsey

K. V.

Sandler

H. M.

(2007). Parents’ motivations for involvement in children’s education: An empirical test of a theoretical model of parental involvement. Journal of Educational Psychology, 99, 532-544.

31.

Grolnick

W. S.

Benjet

Kurowski

C. O.

Apostoleris

N. H.

(1997). Predictors of parent involvement in children’s schooling. Journal of Educational Psychology, 89, 538-548.

32.

Hill

N. E.

(2001). Parenting and academic socialization as they relate to school readiness: The roles of ethnicity and family income. Journal of Educational Psychology, 93, 686-697.

33.

Hill

N. E.

Castellino

Lansford

J. E.

Nowlin

Dodge

K. A.

Bates

J. E.

Pettit

G. S.

(2004). Parent-academic involvement as related to school behavior, achievement, and aspirations: Demographic variations across adolescence. Child Development, 75, 1491-1509.

34.

Hill

N. E.

Craft

S. A.

(2003). Parent-school involvement and school performance: Mediated pathways among socioeconomically comparable African American and Euro-American families. Journal of Educational Psychology, 95, 74-83.

35.

Hill

N. E.

Torres

(2010). Negotiating the American dream: The paradox of aspirations and achievement among Latino students and engagement between their families and schools. Journal of Social Issues, 66, 95-112.

36.

Hoover-Dempsey

K. V.

Bassler

O. C.

Brissie

J. S.

(1987). Parent involvement: Contributions of teacher efficacy, school socioeconomic status, and other school characteristics. American Educational Research Journal, 24, 417-435.

37.

Hoover-Dempsey

K. V.

Sandler

H. M.

(1997). Why do parents become involved in their children’s education? Review of Educational Research, 67, 3-42.

38.

Hughes

J. N.

Gleason

K. A.

Zhang

(2005). Relationship influences on teachers’ perceptions of academic competence in academically at-risk minority and majority first grade students. Journal of School Psychology, 43, 303-320.

39.

Huss-Keeler

R. L.

(1997). Teacher perception of ethnic and linguistic minority parental involvement and its relationships to children’s language and literacy learning: A case study. Teaching and Teacher Education, 13, 171-182.

40.

Izzo

C. V.

Weissberg

R. P.

Kasprow

W. J.

Fendrich

(1999). A longitudinal assessment of teacher perceptions of parent involvement in children’s education and school performance. American Journal of Community Psychology, 27, 817-839.

41.

Jackson

S. A.

(2002). A study of teachers’ perceptions of youth problems. Journal of Youth Behavior, 5, 313-322.

42.

Jeynes

W. H.

(2005). A meta-analysis of the relation of parental involvement to urban elementary school student academic achievement. Urban Education, 40, 237-269.

43.

Kao

Tienda

(1995). Optimism and achievement: The educational performance of immigrant youth. Social Science Quarterly, 76(1), 1-19.

44.

Knight

G. P.

Umaña-Taylor

A. J.

(2009). Studying ethnic minority and economically disadvantaged populations: Methodological challenges and best practices. Washington, DC, US: American Psychological Association.

45.

Kohl

G. O.

Lengua

L. J.

McMahon

R. J.

(2000). Parent involvement in school: Conceptualizing multiple dimensions and their relations with family and demographic risk factors. Journal of School Psychology, 38, 501-523.

46.

Ladky

Stagg Peterson

(2008). Successful practices for immigrant parent involvement: An Ontario perspective. Multicultural Perspectives, 10, 82-89.

47.

Lareau

(2003). Unequal childhoods: Race, class, and family life. Berkeley: University of California Press.

48.

(2003). Literacy, culture, and politics of schooling: Counternarratives of a Chinese Canadian family. Anthropology & Education Quarterly, 34, 184-206.

49.

Llagas

Snyder

T. D.

(2003). Status and trends in the education of Hispanics. Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education.

50.

Lopez

(2001). The value of hard work: Lessons on parent involvement from an (im)migrant household. Harvard Education Review, 71, 416-435.

51.

Lopez

L. C.

Sanchez

V. V.

Hamilton

(2000). Immigrant and native-born Mexican-American parents’ involvement in a public school: A preliminary study. Psychological Reports, 86, 521-525.

52.

Lucas

(1997). Into, through, and beyond secondary schools: Critical transitions for immigrant youth. Washington, DC: Center for Applied Linguistics.

53.

Mariñez-Lora

A. M.

Quintana

S. M.

(2009). Low-income urban African-American and Latino parents’ school involvement: Testing a theoretical model. School Mental Health, 1, 212-228.

54.

Martinez

C. R.

DeGarmo

D. S.

Eddy

J. M.

(2004). Promoting academic success among Latino youths. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 26, 128-151.

55.

McKay

Atkins

M. S.

Hawkins

Brown

Lynn

C. J.

(2003). Inner-city African American parental involvement in children’s schooling: Racial socialization and social support from the parent community. American Journal of Community Psychology, 32, 107-114.

56.

McWayne

Campos

Owsianik

(2008). A multidimensional, multilevel examination of mother and father involvement among culturally diverse head start families. Journal of School Psychology, 46, 551-573.

57.

McWayne

Hampton

Fantuzzo

Cohen

Sekino

(2004). A multivariate examination of parent involvement and the social and academic competencies of urban kindergarten children. Psychology in the Schools, 41, 363-377.

58.

Mena

J. A.

(2011). Latino parent home-based practices that bolster student academic persistence. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 33, 490-506.

59.

Miedel

W. T.

Reynolds

A. J.

(1999). Parent involvement in early intervention for disadvantaged children: Does it matter? Journal of School Psychology, 37, 465-470.

60.

Mitchell

N. A.

Bryan

J. A.

(2007). School-family-community partnerships: Strategies for school counselors working with Caribbean immigrant families. Professional School Counseling, 10, 399-409.

61.

Murray

C. B.

(1996). Estimating achievement performance: A confirmation bias. Journal of Black Psychology, 22, 67-85.

62.

Muthén

BO.

Mplus User’s Guide Sixth edition. Los Angeles, CA: Muthen & Muthen 2010.

63.

New York City Independent Budget Office. (2011). New York City public school indicators: Demographics, resources, outcomes (Annual Report 2011). Retrieved from http://www.ibo.nyc.ny.us/iboreports/2011edindicatorsreport.pdf

64.

Niemeyer

A. E.

Wong

M. M.

Westerhaus

K. J.

(2009). Parental involvement, familismo, and academic achievement in Hispanic and Caucasian adolescents. North American Journal of Psychology, 11, 613-631.

65.

Oates

(2003). Teacher-student racial congruence, teacher perceptions, and test performance. Social Science Quarterly, 84, 508-525.

66.

Peña

(2000). Parent involvement: Influencing factors and implications. The Journal of Educational Research, 94, 42-54.

67.

Pérez Carreón

Drake

Barton

A. C.

(2005). The importance of presence: Immigrant parents’ school engagement experiences. American Educational Research Journal, 42, 465-498.

68.

Pianta

R. C.

Rimm-Kaufman

S. E.

Cox

M. J.

(1999). Introduction: An ecological approach to kindergarten transition. In Pianta

R. C.

Cox

M. J.

(Eds.), The transition to kindergarten (pp. 3-12). Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes.

69.

Prelow

H. M.

Loukas

(2003). The role of resource, protective, and risk factors on academic achievement-related outcomes of economically disadvantaged Latino youth. Journal of Community Psychology, 31, 513-529.

70.

Prince

C. D.

(2002). The challenge of attracting good teachers and principals to struggling schools. Arlington, TX: American Association of School Administrators.

71.

Quiocho

A. M.

Daoud

A. M.

(2006). Dispelling myths about Latino parent participation in schools. The Educational Forum, 70, 255-267.

72.

Ramirez

A. Y.

(2003). Dismay and disappointment: Parental involvement of Latino immigrant parents. The Urban Review, 35, 93-110.

73.

Roopnarine

J. L.

Bynoe

P. F.

Singh

(2004). Factors tied to the schooling of children of English-speaking Caribbean immigrants in the United States. In Gielen

U. P.

Roopnarine

(Eds.), Childhood and adolescence: Cross-cultural perspectives and applications (pp. 319-349). Westport, CT: Praeger.

74.

Roopnarine

J. L.

Krishnakumar

Metingdogan

Evans

(2006). Links between parenting styles, parent-child academic interaction, parent-school interaction, and early academic skills and social behaviors in young children of English-speaking Caribbean immigrants. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 21, 238-252.

75.

Rumbaut

R. G.

(1997). Ties that bind: Immigration and immigrant families. In Booth

Crouter

A. C.

Lansdale

N. S.

(Eds.), Immigration and the family: Research and policy on U.S. immigrants (pp. 3-46). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers, Mahwah, New Jersey.

76.

Saft

E. W.

Pianta

R. C.

(2001). Teachers’ perceptions of their relationships with students: Effects of child age, gender, and ethnicity of teachers and children. School Psychology Quarterly, 16, 125-141.

77.

Shields

Behrman

(2004). Children of immigrant families: Analysis and recommendations. The Future of Children, 14(2), 4-15.

78.

Simms

(2012). A hierarchical examination of the immigrant achievement gap: The additional explanatory power of nationality and educational selectivity over traditional explorations of race and socioeconomic status. Journal of Advanced Academics, 23, 72-98.

79.

Szapocznik

Rio

Perez-Vidal

Kurtines

Hervis

Santisteban

(1986). Bicultural Effectiveness Training (BET): An experimental test of an intervention modality for families experiencing intergenerational/intercultural conflict. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 8, 303-330. doi:10.1177/07399863860084001

80.

Takanishi

(2004). Leveling the playing field: Supporting immigrant children from birth to eight. The Future of Children, 14, 61-79.

81.

Tang

Kao

(2012). Ethnicity, gender, and the education of Cambodian American students in an urban high school. Journal of Southeast Asian American Education & Advancement, 7, 1-24.

82.

Trumbull

Rothstein-Fisch

Greenfield

P. M.

Quiroz

(2001). Bridging cultures between home and school: A guide for teachers (With a special focus on immigrant Latino families). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

83.

Turney

Kao

(2009). Barriers to school involvement: Are immigrant parents disadvantaged? The Journal of Educational Research, 102, 257-271. doi:10.3200/JOER.102.4.257-271

84.

Valenzuela

(1999). Subtractive schooling: US-Mexican youth and the politics of caring. New York: State University of New York Press.

85.

Vazquez-Nuttall

Kaplan

J. P.

(2006). Home-school partnerships with culturally diverse families. Journal of Applied School Psychology, 22(2), 81-102.

86.

Villanueva

(1996). Change in the educational life of Chicano families across three generations. Education and Urban Society, 29, 13-34.

87.

Waters

M. C.

(2004). Race, ethnicity, and immigration in the United States. In Devine

F. C.

Waters

M. C.

(Eds.), Social inequalities in comparative perspective (pp. 20-38). Malden, MA: Blackwell.

88.

Webster-Stratton

Reid

M. J.

Hammond

(2001). Preventing conduct problems, promoting social competence: A parent and teacher training partnership in head start. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 30, 283-302.

89.

Wong

S. W.

Hughes

J. N.

(2006). Ethnicity and language contributions to dimensions of parent involvement. School Psychology Review, 35, 645-662.

90.

Zea

M. C.

Asner-Self

K. K.

Birman

Buki

L. P.

(2003). The Abbreviated Multi-Dimensional Acculturation Scale: Empirical validation with two Latino/Latina samples. Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology, 9, 107-126.