Abstract
Although the recent literature on parental involvement among Latina/o families has focused on cultural strengths , few studies have examined the school involvement beliefs and practices of Latina/o families who vary across demographic and sociocultural lines within the same school community. In this chapter, I use intersectionality as a theoretical and interpretive framework for examining the narratives of 12 Latina/o parents regarding their children’s education, involvement, and advocacy beliefs during the first years of formal schooling, using qualitative methods. Parents espoused the cultural value of educación and attributed supportive relationships as important sources of feeling welcome at school. Intersectional differences attributable to parents’ education, immigration history, and contextual circumstances emerged in parents’ perceptions of an “open-door” policy at school, and in the type of advocacy they employed on behalf of children. An intersectional approach to building solidarity with families is discussed in terms of its potential in facilitating a critical multicultural consciousness among teachers, and for establishing informed and authentic partnerships with Latina/o families.
Keywords
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
Although the term “Latino ” has traditionally been considered a gender-neutral term, “Latina/o” will be used in the present chapter, since an explicit attention to gender is a critical component of an intersectional framework.
References
Alameda-Lawson, T. (2014). A pilot study of collective parent engagement and children’s academic achievement. Children & Schools, 36, 199–209. https://doi.org/10.1093/cs/cdu019.
Auerbach, S. (2006). “If the student is good, let him fly:” Moral support for college among Latino families. Journal of Latinos and Education, 5, 275–292. https://doi.org/10.1207/s1532771xjle0504_4.
Auerbach, S. (2012). School leadership for authentic family and community partnerships: Research perspectives for transforming practice. New York: Routledge.
Barnard, W. M. (2004). Parent involvement in elementary school and educational attainment. Children and Youth Services Review, 26, 39–62. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2003.11.002.
Bolívar, J., & Chrispeels, J. H. (2011). Enhancing parental leadership through building social and intellectual capital. American Educational Research Journal, 48, 4–38. https://doi.org/10.3102/0002831210366466.
Cauce, A. M., & Domenech-Rodríguez, M. (2002). Latino families: Myths and realities. In J. M. Contreras, K. A. Kerns, & A. M. Neal-Barnett (Eds.), Latino children and families in the United States: Current research and future directions (pp. 1–25). Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers.
Choo, H. Y., & Ferree, M. M. (2010). Practicing intersectionality in sociological research: A Critical analysis of inclusions, interactions, and institutions in the study of inequalities. Sociological Theory, 28, 129–148. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9558.2010.01370.x.
Corbin, J., & Strauss, A. (2008). Basics of qualitative research: Techniques for developing grounded theory (3rd ed.). NY: Sage.
Crenshaw, K. (1989). Demarginalizing the intersection of race and sex: A black feminist critique of antidiscrimination doctrine, feminist theory, and antiracist politics. University of Chicago Legal Forum, 1, 139–167.
Crenshaw, K. (1991). Mapping the margins: Intersectionality, identity politics, and violence against women of color. Stanford Law Review, 43, 1241–1299. https://doi.org/10.2307/1229039.
Crozier, G. (2001). Excluded parents: The deracialization of parental involvement. Race, Ethnicity, and Education, 4, 329–341. https://doi.org/10.1080/13613320120096643.
Cucchiara, M. B., & Horvat, E. M. (2009). Perils and promises: Middle-class parental involvement in urban schools. American Educational Research Journal, 46, 974–1004. https://doi.org/10.3102/0002831209345791.
Darder, A., & Torres, R. D. (2014). Latinos and education: A critical reader (2nd ed.). New York: Routledge.
De Gaetano, Y. (2007). The role of culture in engaging Latino parents’ involvement in school. Urban Education, 42(2), 145–162. https://doi.org/10.1177/0042085906296536.
Delgado Gaitan, C. (2004). Involving Latino families in schools: Raising student achievement through home-school partnerships. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Durand, T. M. (2010). Latina mothers school preparation activities and their relation to children’s literacy skills. Journal of Latinos and Education, 9, 207–222. https://doi.org/10.1080/15348431003761182.
Durand, T. M. (2011a). Latino parental involvement in kindergarten: Findings from the early childhood longitudinal study. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 33, 469–489. https://doi.org/10.1177/0739986311423077.
Durand, T. M. (2011b). Latina mothers’ cultural beliefs about their children, parental roles, and education: Implications for effective and empowering home-school partnerships. Urban Review, 43, 255–278. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11256-010-0167-5.
Durand, T. M., & Perez, N. A. (2013). Continuity and variability in the parental involvement and advocacy beliefs of Latino families of young children: Finding the potential for a collective voice. School Community Journal, 23, 49–79.
Durand, T.M., & Secakusuma, M. (in press). Negotiating the boundaries of parental school engagement: The role of social space and symbolic capital in urban teachers’ perspectives. Teachers College Record, 121(1).
Epstein, J. L. (2011). School, family and community partnerships. Philadelphia, PA: Westview Press.
Falicov, C. J. (2005). Mexican families. In M. McGoldrick, J. Giordano, & N. Garcia-Preto (Eds.), Ethnicity and family therapy (3rd ed., pp. 229–241). NY: The Guilford Press.
Fan, X., & Chen, M. (2001). Parental involvement and students’ academic achievement: A meta-analysis. Educational Psychology Review, 13, 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:100904881.
Farver, J. M., Xu, Y., Eppe, S., & Lonigan, C. J. (2006). Home environments and young Latino children’s school readiness. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 21, 196–212. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2006.04.008.
Few-Demo, A. L. (2014). Intersectionality as the “new” critical approach in feminist family studies: Evolving racial/ethnic feminisms and critical race theories. Journal of Family Theory and Review, 6, 169–183. https://doi.org/10.1111/jftr.12039.
Fine, M. (1993). [Ap]parent involvement: Reflections on parents, power, and urban public schools. Teachers College Record, 94, 683–710.
Flores, A. (2017). How the U. S. Hispanic population is changing. Retrieved from Pew Research Center: http://www.pewresearch.org.
Fuligni, A. J. (Ed.). (2007). Contesting stereotypes and creating identities: Social categories, social identities, and educational participation. New York: Russell Sage.
Gallo, S., Wortham, S., & Bennett, I. (2015). Increasing “parent involvement” in the new Latino diaspora. In E. T. Hamann, S. Wortham, & E. G. Murillo (Eds.), Revisiting education in the new Latino diaspora (pp. 263–281). Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.
Goldenberg, C., & Gallimore, R. (1995). Immigrant Latino parents’ values and beliefs about their children’s education: Continuities and discontinuities across cultures and generations. Advances in Motivation and Achievement, 9, 183–228.
Gonzaléz, N., Moll, L. C., & Amanti, C. (2005). Funds of knowledge: Theorizing practices in households and communities. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Halgunseth, L. C., Ispa, J. M., & Rudy, D. (2006). Parental control in Latino families: An integrated review. Child Development, 77, 1282–1297. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2006.00934.x.
Harwood, R., Leyendecker, B., Carlson, V., Asencio, M., & Miller, A. (2002). Parenting among Latino families in the U.S. In M. H. Bornstein (Ed.), Handbook of parenting: Vol. 4. Social and applied parenting (2nd ed., pp. 21–46). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Hernandez, D., Rana, S., Alemdar, M., Rao, A., & Usselman, M. (2016). Latino parents’ educational values and STEM beliefs. Journal for Multicultural Education, 10, 354–367. https://doi.org/10.1108/JME-12-2015-0042.
Hill, N. E. & Torres, K. (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. doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4560.2009.01635.x.
Hill, N. E., & Tyson, D. F. (2009). Parental involvement in middle school: A meta-analytic assessment of the strategies that promote achievement. Developmental Psychology, 45, 740–763. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0015362.
Holloway, S. D., Rambaud, M. F., Fuller, B., & Eggers-Piérola, C. (1995). What is “appropriate practice” at home and in child care? Low-income mothers’ views on preparing their children for school. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 10, 451–473. https://doi.org/10.1016/0885-2006(95)90016-0.
Hong, S. (2011). A cord of three strands: A new approach to parent engagement in school. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Educational Press.
Jeynes, W. H. (2003). A meta-analysis: The effects of parental involvement on minority children’s academic achievement. Education and Urban Society, 35, 202–218. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013124502239392.
Jeynes, W. H. (2007). The relationship between parental involvement and urban secondary school student academic achievement: A meta-analysis. Urban Education, 42, 82–110. https://doi.org/10.1177/0042085906293818.
Jeynes, W. H. (2010). The salience of the subtle aspects of parental involvement and encouraging that involvement: Implications for school-based programs. Teachers College Record, 112, 747–774.
Jeynes, W. H. (2012). A meta-analysis of the efficacy of different types of parental involvement programs for urban students. Urban Education, 47, 706–742. doi.org/1077/0042085912445643.
Jung, S., Fuller, B., & Galindo, C. (2012). Family functioning and early learning practices in immigrant homes. Child Development, 83, 1510–1526. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2012.01788.x.
Lansford, J. E., Deater-Deckard, K., & Bornstein, M. H. (Eds.). (2007). Immigrant families in contemporary society. NY: Guilford Press.
Laosa, L. M. (1980). Maternal teaching strategies in Chicano and Anglo-American families: The influence of culture and education on maternal behavior. Child Development, 51, 759–765. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2333-8504.1980.tb01199.x.
Lareau, A. (2011). Unequal childhoods: Class, race, and family life. CA: University of California Press.
Lee, J. S., & Bowen, N. K. (2006). Parent involvement, cultural capital, and the achievement gap among elementary school children. American Educational Research Journal, 43, 193–218. https://doi.org/10.3102/00028312043002193.
LeFevre, A. L., & Shaw, T. V. (2012). Latino parent involvement and school success: Longitudinal effects of formal and informal support. Education & Urban Society, 44, 707–723. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013124511406719.
LeVine, R. A., LeVine, S. E., & Schnell, B. (2001). “Improve the women”: Mass schooling, female literacy, and worldwide social change. Harvard Educational Review, 71(1), 1–51. https://doi.org/10.17763/haer.71.1.154550622x3225u7.
Mapp, K. L. (2003). Having their say: Parents describe why and how they are engaged in their children’s learning. The School Community Journal, 3, 35–64. doi:2003-07787-002.
McWayne, C. M., Melzi, G., Limlingan, M. C., & Schick, A. (2016). Ecocultural patterns of family engagement among low-income Latino families of preschool children. Developmental Psychology, 52, 1088–1102. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0040343.
Murphey, D., Guzman, L., & Torres, A. (2014). America’s Hispanic children: Gaining ground, looking forward (Report No. 2014–38). Bethesda, MD: Child Trends.
Nuñez, A. (2014). Employing multilevel intersectionality in education research: Latino identities, contexts, and college access. Educational Researcher, 43, 85–92. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X14522320.
Olivos, E. M. (2012). Authentic engagement with bicultural parents and communities: The role of school leaders. In S. Auerbach (Ed.), School leadership for authentic family and community partnerships: Research perspectives for transforming practice (pp. 98–114). New York: Routledge.
Pérez Carreón, G. P., Drake, C., & Barton, A. C. (2005). The importance of presence: Immigrant parents’ school engagement experiences. American Educational Research Journal, 42, 465–498. https://doi.org/10.3102/00028312042003465.
Ramirez, A. Y. (2008). Immigrant families and schools: The need for a better relationship. In T. Turner-Vorbeck & M. Miller Marsh (Eds.), Other kinds of families: Embracing diversity in schools (pp. 28–45). New York, NY: Teachers College Press.
Roberts, D., & Jesudason, S. (2016). Movement intersectionality: The case of race, gender, disability, and genetic technologies. In M. L. Andersen & P. H. Collins (Eds.), Race, class, & gender: An anthology (9th ed., pp. 474–484). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
Sandelowski, M. (2000). Whatever happened to qualitative description? Research in Nursing & Health, 2, 334–340. https://doi.org/10.1002/1098-240X(200008)23:4%3c334:AID-NUR9%3e3.0.CO;2-G.
Suárez-Orozco, M. M., & Páez, M. M. (Eds.). (2009). Latinos: Remaking America. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
Turner-Vorbeck, T., & Miller March, M. (2008). Other kinds of families: Embracing diversity in schools. NY: Teachers College Press.
Turney, K., & Kao, G. (2009). Barriers to school involvement: Are immigrant parents disadvantaged? The Journal of Educational Research, 102, 257–271. https://doi.org/10.3200/JOER.102.4.257-271.
Valdés, G. (1996). Con respeto: Bridging the distances between culturally diverse families and schools. New York: Teachers College Press.
Valenzuela, A. (1999). Subtractive schooling. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.
Valenzuela, A. (2016). Growing critically conscious teachers: A social justice curriculum for educators of Latino/a youth. NY: Teachers College Press.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1986). Thought and language (A. Kozulin, Ed.). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Durand, T.M. (2018). Intersectionality as a Framework for Understanding School Involvement and Advocacy Beliefs of Latina/o Families of Young Children. In: Sonnenschein, S., Sawyer, B. (eds) Academic Socialization of Young Black and Latino Children. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-04486-2_7
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-04486-2_7
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-04485-5
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-04486-2
eBook Packages: Behavioral Science and PsychologyBehavioral Science and Psychology (R0)