Understanding Latino Parental Involvement

Understanding Latino Parental Involvement

This is a fantastic article by Dr. Maria Estela Zarate that details the differences in perceptions and expectations between the teachers and parents of Latino students. She explains that parents view education (or educacion), and their role in it, much differently from the school officials and teachers at their children's schools. They key findings include information about:

• Parents’ Perceptions of What Constitutes Parental Involvement in Education
• Parents’ Perceived Challenges to Parental Involvement in School
• Educators’ Perceptions of What Constitutes Parental Involvement in Educatio
• Programmatic Initiatives Addressing Parental Involvement in Education
• Students’ Perceptions of the Role of Parental Involvement 

At the end of the article, she provides recommendations for policy makers, school officials, and teachers.

Understanding that different cultures have different perspectives of education-- as well as different perspectives of parental roles in education-- is the foundation of building cooperative and meaningful relationships with parents of these different cultures. We as teachers need to have open minds to different ways of doing things, in order to involve and respect all the cultures that come into our classrooms.