STRATEGIES FOR TEACHERS TO INCREASE PARENT INVOLVEMENT
AMONGST ESL FAMILIES
A Project
Presented to the faculty of the Department of Special Education, Rehabilitation, School
Psychology and Deaf Studies
California State University, Sacramento
Submitted in partial satisfaction of
the requirements for the degree of
SPECIALIST IN EDUCATION
in
School Psychology
by
Maricela Avelar
SPRING
2012
STRATEGIES FOR TEACHERS TO INCREASE PARENT INVOLVEMENT
AMONGST ESL FAMILIES
A Project
by
Maricela Avelar
Approved by:
__________________________________, Committee Chair
Stephen E. Brock, Ph.D., NCSP, LEP
____________________________
Date
ii
Student: Maricela Avelar
I certify that this student has met the requirements for format contained in the University format
manual, and that this project is suitable for shelving in the Library and credit is to be awarded for
the project.
__________________________, Department Chair ___________________
Bruce A. Ostertag, Ed.D.
Date
Department of Special Education, Rehabilitation, School Psychology, and Deaf Studies
iii
Abstract
of
STRATEGIES FOR TEACHERS TO INCREASE PARENT INVOLVEMENT
AMONGST ESL FAMILIES
by
Maricela Avelar
Parent involvement is an essential aspect of education that is vital to student
success in school. With the large population of ESL students in our schools, there is a
need for increasing parent involvement in this population. Furthermore, parents of ESL
students may need the support from schools to become involved. The purpose of this
workshop is to provide teachers with the essential knowledge of parent involvement and
with effective strategies to enhance parent involvement among ESL students.
The prepared project is a 3-hour training workshop with a presenter’s manual,
handouts, slides, and presenter notes. Any credentialed school psychologist can carry out
this workshop to a target audience of teachers working in schools. Workshop participants
will better understand parent involvement and gain strategies to be used within their
schools and classrooms to better serve ESL student population.
_______________________, Committee Chair
Stephen E. Brock, Ph.D., NCSP, LEP
________________________
Date
iv
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Acknowledgement is due to the many individuals who supported me and encouraged me
throughout the development of this project. First of all, Dr. Stephen E. Brock, Professor
and School Psychology Program Coordinator, provided continuous feedback and support
to make this project possible. Secondly, a sincere thanks to my parents, David and
Margarita Avelar and to my family for their continuous encouragement, not only in this
project, but also throughout my career. Lastly, I wish to thank Mayra Villegas for always
being there when I needed her and for her supportive words throughout the completion of
this project.
v
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................... v
Chapter
1. INTRODUCTION ………………………………………………………........................... 1
Background of the Problem ......................................................................................... 1
Statement of the Research Problem .............................................................................. 3
Purpose of the Project .................................................................................................. 3
Definition of Terms ..................................................................................................... 4
Assumptions ............................................................................................................... 5
Justification .................................................................................................................. 5
Limitations ................................................................................................................... 5
2. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE ...................................................................................... 7
Need for Parent Involvement in ESL Families .......................................................... 14
Direct Parent Involvement in ESL Families .............................................................. 16
Barriers Inhibiting Direct Parent Involvement........................................................... 18
Indirect Parent Involvement in ESL Families ............................................................ 21
Barriers Inhibiting Indirect Parent Involvement ........................................................ 22
Effective Strategies to Overcome Barriers and Increase Parent Involvement ........... 23
Conclusion ................................................................................................................. 29
3. METHODS ....................................................................................................................... 31
4. RESULTS ......................................................................................................................... 33
Recommendations ...................................................................................................... 34
Appendix A. Presenter’s Manual ......................................................................................... 35
Introduction................................................................................................................ 37
The Presentation ........................................................................................................ 38
Guidance for Presenters ............................................................................................. 39
Appendix B. Presentation Slides........................................................................................... 41
vi
Appendix C. Handouts .......................................................................................................... 95
References ................................................................................................................................ 99
vii
1
Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION
Obtaining parent involvement in the education of children can be a challenge for
educators. According to the California State Board of Education (1994), a child’s
education is the responsibility of the school as well as of the family. For this reason,
researchers and schools have been making great efforts towards having families and
schools working together. Research has shown that the earlier in a child’s educational
process parents become involved, the more powerful the effects (Michigan Department of
Education, 2002). Such effects include academic success (Cassity & Harris, 2000).
Researchers have also found that parental involvement not only improves a child’s
morale, attitudes and academic achievement across all subject areas, but it also promotes
better behavior and overall social adjustment when parents are pro active (Parental
Involvement in Education, 1999). Educators who are aware of the positive results of
parent involvement in early education have been interested in the impact parent
involvement may have at higher-grade levels (such as at the high school level) and also
with other student population such as Limited-English Proficient (LEP) students (SimichDudgeon, 1986). The assumption is that parent involvement will also result in improved
school achievement and better behavior amongst LEP or ESL students.
With the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, the Federal
government defined parent involvement as the active participation of parents in
reciprocal communication with schools regarding the learning of their children. This
allows parents to be partners with educators and be included in making decisions, serving
2
on advisory committees when appropriate (No Child Left Behind, 2002). Schools must
engage in efforts to obtain such participation and establish communication systems
between the home and school. However, to obtain parent involvement from parents of
ESL students, schools must first be aware of any cultural differences in regards to these
families and their attitudes and perspective towards education and schools.
Background of the Problem
Over the years, educators have come to realize the importance of having parents
participate in schools. Researchers have found positive effects both in academics and in
regards to overall improvement of student behavior (Cassity & Harris, 2000; Mendez,
2010; Mendez & Fogle, 2002). Although the effects of parents being involved in schools
are positive, schools are still struggling to obtain involvement of parents in schools,
especially from non-English speaking parents. These parents are facing many barriers
that keep them from getting involved in the schools of their children. To understand the
barriers that parents of ESL students face, one must understand parent involvement as
defined by Dr. Joyce Epstein. Epstein has done an extensive research in the area of parent
involvement and has developed a framework for defining parental involvement. Epstein’s
Framework of Six Types of Parent Involvement includes parenting, communication,
volunteering, learning at home, decision making and collaboration with the community
(Epstein & Rodriguez Jansorn, 2004). These types of parent involvement are both direct
and indirect. Some require parents to be actively involved in the schools such as
volunteering and helping to make decisions; others require parents to participate
indirectly in the education of their children at home. The problem occurs because parents
3
of ESL students encounter barriers when becoming involved directly and indirectly. Such
challenges include cultural barriers, language barriers, lack of education, lack of
resources, negative previous experiences with the education system, and lack of time
amongst others. Educators need to gain more knowledge about ESL students and their
families and learn more about these barriers so they can better reach out to these parents
and increase their participation in school and at home.
Statement of the Research Problem
The number of ESL students in our schools is increasing yet developing
relationships with Non-English speaking students and their families is among the most
difficult tasks for schools (Davis & Yang, 2006; Delgado-Gaitan, 1991; National PTA
(n.d.); Wherry, 2009). Clearly teachers are in need of the necessary skills and supports to
help them reach out to the parents of these students and involve them in the education of
these students.
Purpose of the Project
The primary purpose of this project was to develop an effective in-service training
program aim at providing educators (teachers and other school staff) with the knowledge
of parent involvement and with effective strategies necessary to successfully increase the
involvement in schools of parents of ESL students. By providing educators with an inservice training that focuses on educating them about parent involvement, learning about
ESL students and providing strategies to increase parent involvement, I hope to increase
the involvement of ESL parents in the home environment and also in the classroom.
4
Definition of Terms
Parent Involvement
The Federal government defines parent involvement as the active participation of
parents in reciprocal communication with schools regarding the learning of their
children; allowing parents to be partners with educators, be included in making
decisions, and serving on advisory committees when appropriate (No Child Left
Behind, 2002). Parent involvement is a broad term that can take different forms of
parent participation in education and with the schools. The most common way
educators understand parent involvement is as active or direct involvement
(Kauffman, Perry, & Prentiss, 2001). This is when parents are involved directly
with the schools and participate in the classroom and school related activities.
Indirect parent involvement occurs when parents provide encouragement and
support at home.
ESL Students
English as a Second Language Students are students whose primary (native)
language is any other than English.
LEP Students
The term LEP is Limited English Proficient and it is used with respect to an
individual, it is used to refer to an individual who is aged 3 through 21, who is
enrolled or preparing to enroll in an elementary or secondary school, who was not
born in the United States or whose native language is a language other than
English.
5
Assumptions
This project is written with the assumptions that teacher in-service training is an
effective way to provide teachers with the necessary skills and strategies for
understanding the importance of parent involvement, gaining basic information regarding
ESL students and strategies to increase participation of parents in the education of their
children. It is also assumed that teachers are willing to implement strategies they have
learned and that are successful ways to reach out to parents of ESL students. By
participating in the training, educators will gain knowledge and understanding not only of
parent involvement, but parent involvement as it applies in parents of ESL students. With
greater understanding, teachers will gain confidence to work with ESL students and their
families in obtaining more involvement in their classrooms.
Justification
The intention of this project is to provide educators (especially teachers) with the
necessary tools to help them in understanding parent involvement and gaining essential
understanding of ESL students and their families. Educators will be provided with
effective strategies to increase parent involvement amongst ESL families. By providing
educators with the necessary knowledge and strategies they will be able to reach out to
parents of ESL students and increase their participation in the education of their children.
Limitations
One limitation of this project was that the literature review was limited and not all
minority groups were included in regards to their experiences and perception of education
and involvement in schools. In addition, ESL communities are very diverse and
6
strategies offered as a way to increase parent involvement may not be adequate for all.
Therefore, this project provides a basic understanding of the topic and further research is
recommended to continue increasing parent involvement in minority families.
7
Chapter 2
REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE
Over the years, educators have come to realize that parental involvement is
essential in a child’s education. In addition, with the passage of the No Child Left Behind
Act of 2001, the Federal government defined parent involvement as the active
participation of parents in reciprocal communication with schools regarding the learning
of their children. This allows parents to be partners with educators and be included in
making decisions, serving on advisory committees when appropriate (No Child Left
Behind, 2002). According to the California State Board of Education, a child’s education
is the responsibility of the school as well as of the family. For this reason, researchers and
schools have placed an emphasis on having families and schools working together.
Research has shown that the earlier in a child’s educational process parents become
involved, the more powerful the effects (Michigan Department of Education, 2002). It
has been found that parents who are involved in their child’s education via direct (school
activities) or indirect (helping with homework and motivating at home) involvement are
more likely to have children performing well academically (Cassity & Harris, 2000).
Such findings have led educators to call attention to the importance of parent
involvement at higher grade levels (high school) and also with limited-English proficient
(LEP) students (Simich-Dudgeon, 1986).
According to researches, parental involvement not only improves a child’
morale, attitudes, and academic achievement across all subject areas, but it also promotes
better behavior and overall social adjustment when parents are pro active (Parental
8
Involvement in Education, 1999). It is clear researchers and educators have found a
positive relationship between parent involvement and student achievement and overall
improvement. However, Simich-Dudgeon (1986) states that research has focused
primarily in the importance of parent involvement during the elementary years. To
increase parental involvement amongst parents of English as Second Language (ESL)
students, educators (teachers and school personnel) must first fully understand parental
involvement and its importance. In addition, educators must be aware of the different
ways parents of ESL students may become involved in the education of their children and
how these children benefit from such involvement. Keeping in mind the regarding the
positive impact of parent involvement in student achievement and social adjustment, one
can speculate that having minority/ESL families involved in education will help these
children improve their academics and eventually grow up to be productive and
responsible members of society. Thus, this review of the literature will focus on
providing a definition of parent involvement, presenting the need and importance of
parent involvement in ESL families, present current parent involvement in ESL families,
obstacles and barriers that hinder parent involvement in ESL families, and effective
strategies for educators to help overcome those barriers and increase the involvement of
parents of ESL students.
Parent involvement has taken on many shapes in schools (Berger, 1991; Epstein
et al., 2002). For schools to increase parent participation it is vital to fully understand
parent involvement, what it looks like and how it affects students. Parent involvement is a
broad term that includes several different forms of parent participation in education and
9
with the schools. The most common way educators understand parent involvement is as
active or direct involvement (Kauffman et al., 2001). Research over the years has
focused on observable parental involvement, such as parent participation in the classroom
and in after school activities. For the purposes of this project, however, parental
involvement also includes the involvement that occurs at home, of which teachers may
not be aware. Thus, parent involvement can be divided into two broad categories: direct
and indirect. Direct parent involvement is defined as parents engaging directly in the
schools through parent-teacher conferences and meetings, volunteering in the classrooms,
participating in extracurricular activities and maintaining two-way communication with
the school. On the other hand, indirect parental involvement takes place when parents
provide encouragement and support at home. For example, they help with homework
assignments, arrange for appropriate study time and space, provide tutoring, and motivate
their children to continue their education. The latter type of involvement has been found
to be as critical in a child’s education (Nelson & Guerra, 2009). Thus, a combination of
both, direct and indirect parent involvement in ESL families is the focus of this project
and will be further discussed in a later section.
Dr. Joyce Epstein, along with colleagues, have done an extensive research in
parent involvement and has developed a framework for defining parental involvement.
To further understand parent involvement and to be able to apply it to ESL families, it is
essential to discuss Epstein’s Framework of Six Types of Parent Involvement (Epstein &
Rodriguez Jansorn, 2004).

Type 1 Parenting: Help all families establish home environments to
support children as students.
10

Type 2 Communicating: Design effective forms of school-to-home and
home-to-school communications about school programs and children’s
progress.

Type 3Volunteering: Recruiting and organizing parent help and support

Type 4 Learning at Home: Provide information and ideas to families
about how to help students at home with homework and other
curriculum-related activities, decisions, and planning.

Type 5 Decision Making: Include parents in school decisions,
developing parent leaders and representatives.

Type 6 Collaborating with Community: Identify and integrate resources
and services from the community to strengthen school programs, family
practices, and student learning and development.
Epstein’s Framework of Parent Involvement provides a thorough summary of how other
researchers have defined parental involvement. Her work covers both direct and indirect
parent involvement. Each type of involvement is discussed more in depth next.
Epstein’s Type 1 Parent Involvement is supporting parents support their children
at home. This type of involvement requires educators to work directly with parents to
help all families create a supportive learning home environment. This can be
accomplished through a variety of ways. Schools can take the approach of empowering
immigrant parents by providing them with the right tools to create a home environment
that support children’s education and promotes learning (Cassity & Harris, 2000). For
example, parents can obtain ideas regarding manipulating the home to create a positive
learning environment. Schools can provide enhance parenting skills and provide
information regarding health and safety. In addition, parents can get help and ideas
regarding how to minimize distractions and learn effective strategies to get children
11
focused in schoolwork, such as establishing reward systems at home. In addition, schools
can provide parent education, such as family literacy, and do home visits.
In Type 2 parent involvement schools design effective forms of school-to-home
and home-to-school communication. This can be attained through several means, such as
offering flexible conference schedules with parents or offering adult ESL evening or
night classes. Research has shown adult ESL classes have resulted in improved overall
collaboration of home and school (Waterman, 2009). Also, communication between ESL
parents and schools can be enhanced by schools providing families with important
information about school programs and students’ progress in their primary language and
have language interpreters as needed. Researchers have identified language as one of the
main barriers to parent involvement amongst parents of second language learners
(Kauffman et al., 2001). These parents often opt not to become directly involved in
schools because they lack English language skills or have limited English skills. By
having important information translated into students’ primary languages, schools are
facilitating communication between families and schools. At the same time, families may
feel schools care and may feel welcome and be more likely to participate.
Epstein’s Type 3 parent involvement is volunteering. This direct type of
involvement requires schools to be working very closely with some families. Schools
must take initiative to recruit and organize parent help and support for specific types of
school events. Schools can put together, if not already in place, an outreach program in
which a group of bilingual parent volunteers can reach out to the community of parents to
obtain more direct involvement amongst ESL families. Schools can also assign a parent
12
room or a family center for volunteer work, meetings, and resources for families. Family
centers provide parents the opportunity to feel welcome and involved in school. These
centers provide a place for parents to meet face to face with staff members and other
parents, forming friendly and child-centered relationships (Wisconsin Department of
Public Instruction, 1996).
In Type 4 Parent Involvement, schools work with families to support learning at
home. In this type of involvement, educators provide families with information and ideas
regarding how to help children at home with homework and other school assignments.
Parents can be provided with information regarding the required skills and expectations
in all subject areas and at each grade level; thus parents can know what skills to work on
at home. Type 4 involves educators working with parents to provide them with tools for
them to use at home. These tools could be materials and lessons parents can implement at
home to complement what children are learning in the classrooms. Parents should also be
encouraged to observe teachers implement such lessons to learn how to work with their
own children at home (Borba, 2009). By observing teachers parents not only can obtain
materials but also learn strategies on how to instruct children at home. Instruction in the
home is especially important for the summer time when most children are off from
school. Research has shown that children have greater retention of skills when parents
work with them over the summer (Musti-Rao & Cartledge, 2004).
In Type 5 Decision Making parents are included in making school decisions and
developing parent leaders and representatives. This type of involvement requires parents
to be directly involved with schools and be committed to become active members of
13
school boards, parent committees, PTA/PTOs, etc. This level of involvement is much
needed amongst ESL families. It can give these families a voice, thereby allowing
minority students to be represented and decisions be made based on the school’s diversity
needs. PTAs and such organizations can also be the supporting structure for parents to
organize volunteer-driven programs that supplement school programs such as tutoring in
classrooms, after-school programs, physical education, clubs, libraries, and other
programs.
Epstein’s last type of parent involvement, Type 6, is schools working in
collaboration with the community. In this type of involvement, educators identify and
integrate in their schools resources and services from the community to strengthen school
programs, benefit families, and improve student learning and development. This schoolcommunity collaboration is of great importance for establishing support systems and
connecting ESL families to different organizations such as health clinics, cultural,
recreational, and social support centers.
Parents’ involvement in education, either in school or at home, creates partnership
between school and homes. Involvement and partnerships between parents and teachers
are possible with effective communication systems; “when parents receive frequent and
effective communication from the school, their involvement increases” (Tableman,
2004). Tableman added that parents’ attitude toward school and teachers become more
positive. Through communication, parents and teachers will share information and
resources regarding the students. Together these efforts will connect families and schools
to help children succeed in school and in their future.
14
Need for Parent Involvement in ESL Families
While statistics show that between 2000 and 2009, the population of first and
second generation immigrant children in the United States grew by 28 percent (Child
Trends Databank, 2010) developing relationships with Non-English speaking students
and their families is among the most difficult tasks for schools (Davis & Yang, 2006;
Delgado-Gaitan, 1991; National PTA (n.d.); Wherry, 2009). According to statistics, the
percentage of immigrant children is equivalent to approximately one in four of U.S.
children. Others predict that by the year 2030 one-fourth of K-12 students will be
Hispanic (Smith, Stern, & Shatrova, 2008). Keeping in mind current statistics of the
increasing number of migrant students, the need for parent involvement in this population
is of extreme importance.
Some have found that parent involvement is shaped by the resources and
opportunities parents have; parents with higher income and education are more involved
than parents of lower socioeconomic status (Turney & Kao, 2009). In regards to ESL
families Child Trends Databank (2010) states immigrant families tend to have incomes
below the poverty threshold while their children tend to face more risks to a healthy
development. Although more parental involvement in schools may not be the solution to
the problems and risks ESL children face due to poverty, these children may benefit in
several ways from such involvement. When parents participate in the schools, they have
more opportunities to engage with other parents. In doing this, ESL parents can connect
and help one another. They can also obtain information regarding community resources
such as different churches and free or low cost health care, and schools can refer them to
15
other agencies that may provide resources and guidance. In addition, parents have more
opportunities to form social networks and connect with others who have gone through
similar experiences and support one another.
Extensive research by Joyce Epstein has revealed that the more involved parents
are in the education of their children, the more dedication children show in their
education (Epstein, 1987, 2008; Epstein et al., 2002; Sheldon & Epstein, 2005). In
addition, parent involvement is directly linked to student achievement and high school
graduation rates because when children see their parents value education they tend to
value education as well (Epstein, 2008). Parents who participate in their child’s education
via direct (in school activities) or indirect (helping with homework and motivating at
home) involvement are more likely to have children performing well academically
(Cassity & Harris, 2000). In addition to academics, when schools and parents work
together to establish connections there are improvements in student behavior and in social
skills (Mendez, 2010; Mendez & Fogle, 2002). It has been found that increased parent
involvement increases student achievement and positively influences behavior and social
skills. The assumption is that parent involvement will also result in improved school
achievement and better behavior amongst ESL students.
When parents become involved by attending meetings, training workshops or
observing teachers in the classrooms they can learn ways to help tutor their children at
home (Smich-Dudgeon, 1986). ESL parents can gain skills and be provided with
materials and specific activities they can do at home to emphasize what their children are
learning at school. In addition, parents can learn effective strategies from teachers for
16
managing behaviors at home as well as ideas for motivating their children. In addition, by
being involved in schools, parents become advocates of their children and set the
example for their children to be self-advocates.
Last but not least, when parents collaborate with schools, educators tend to hold
higher expectations for students and children exhibit more positive attitudes (Tableman,
2004). As it was mentioned above, parent involvement tends to result in improved grades
and also in improved behavior. In addition, parent involvement tends to lead to teachers
holding higher expectations for students, which in turn lead students to meet those
expectations. Furthermore, when children are aware of the collaborative relationship
between their parents and teachers, they know they care for them and are more likely to
do their best academically and exhibit good behavior (Musti-Rao & Cartledge, 2004).
Generally, it appears parent involvement improves the overall relationship between home
and school leading to positive effects on students.
Direct Parent Involvement in ESL Families
For most parents, parental involvement may seem as a feasible thing to do, given
that parents can engage in at least one type of parent involvement. However, when it
comes to becoming involved in education, most immigrant parents face more barriers that
interfere with their participation in the education of their children as compared to nativeborn parents (Turney & Kao, 2009). Such barriers subsequently result in parents of ESL
students being less likely directly involved in their children’s education. Later in this
section barriers to direct parent involvement will be looked at closely. First, direct parent
17
involvement will be described and the perceptions of parents of ESL students will be
discussed.
As it was previously introduced, researchers such as Epstein have developed
different definitions or frameworks for parent involvement. Epstein’s Framework of Six
Types of Parent Involvement (Epstein, 1996) consists of parents being involved in direct
and indirect ways in the education of their children. By direct parent involvement it is
meant that parents collaborate directly with the schools. Parents make themselves
available to volunteer, attend meetings, workshops, etc. In other words, parents are
physically present in the schools of their children. This direct parent involvement in the
schools, however, may be an unfamiliar concept for parents of ESL students. Nelson and
Guerra (2009) reported that for many cultures, schools and the home are seen as having
different roles in the education of children. ESL families’ perception of school and
education may keep them from being directly involved. For example, Latino parents view
educators as experts and parents feel they are being disrespectful if they make
suggestions regarding education and classroom matters (Smith et al., 2008). Thus Latino
parents tend to leave education entirely up to teachers, trusting they are the experts.
In Southeast Asia, the school and the home have different roles and
responsibilities in regards to educating a child. At home children learn their role in
society, whereas schools teach them the educational component and also morals and
values (Golbuff, 2006). Similarly to Hispanic parents, Asian parents highly respect
teachers and other school staff, thus holding conversation with teachers regarding
education is a new concept that may make them feel uncomfortable. Therefore, in order
18
for educators to increase direct parent involvement in the ESL population they must first
be aware of and understand this cultural perception of schools and teachers. This in turn
may lead educators to identify other ways in which diverse families might be involved in
education and discover ways to reach out to those parents and obtain direct involvement.
Barriers Inhibiting Direct Parent Involvement
Research has shown that schools have focused on increasing parental involvement
in the classroom (Rodger, 2011). However, when speaking of parental involvement in
ESL populations educators must realize it may be difficult for these parents to participate
in this direct form of involvement due to several barriers. Researchers have categorized
barriers to parent involvement into two major categories: logistical and attitudinal, with a
third possible category of barriers being expectations (Salinas Sosa, n.d.). Barriers under
those categories include language barriers, lack of child care, lack of education, cultural
differences, money, etc. Barriers to indirect parental involvement in ESL families will be
further explored at a later section. This section will focus on exploring those barriers that
hinder direct parent involvement in ESL families.
According to research one major factor or barrier preventing parent involvement
is lack of time due to work obligations (Kauffman et al., 2001). Immigrant parents tend
to work long hours in jobs that often times require physical labor. Besides being
physically exhausted, these parents work during school hours making it very difficult to
attend meetings or volunteer in the classrooms. Rodger (2011) also agrees many ESL
parents work long days and in addition their role in schools may be unclear to them.
Time, or rather this lack of time, is a barrier interfering in direct parental involvement.
19
Kauffman et al. (2001) adds that many parents hold two jobs or are single parent families,
leaving insufficient time to invest in direct collaboration with the schools.
Most parents care about their child’s education, yet many may not be sure how to
participate. When speaking of ESL families, not all parents are able to help their children
with their homework for reasons that include working two jobs and lack of English skills.
Other parents do not volunteer their time at schools because they themselves have
negative feelings about teachers and schools due to their own difficulties growing up
(National PTA, n.d.; Wherry, 2009) and their own previous negative school experience
impacts building relationships with teachers (Graham-Clay, n.d.). It is important that
educators are aware that previous negative school experiences can interfere with parent
involvement. Considering those experiences educators can find ways to reconnect these
parents with the education system.
Immigrant parents feel they lack the required education to participate in schools
(Quezada, Diaz, & Sanchez, 2003). Parents of ESL students feel inadequate or may even
feel intimidated by having academic discussions with teachers and school staff. Thus,
these parents rarely initiate contact with the schools and, when they are contacted by
schools, they may send a relative who has better English skills to represent them (Nelson
& Guerra, 2009). Thus, this lack of education and feelings of inadequacy keep parents of
ESL students from being actively involved in the schools.
Another barrier interfering in obtaining parent involvement in ESL families is
cultural differences; in particular the belief these parents hold in regards to schools and
teachers. Kauffman et al. (2001) explain how many families of diverse backgrounds view
20
teachers as having higher status, thus they perceive them as the experts. Many times these
parents will accept decisions schools make and will think they have nothing to contribute
in their children’s education. Simich-Dudgeon (1986) explains LEP parents not only
believe schools are qualified but that they are also responsible for the educations of their
children. These parents may not understand how the education system works. In addition,
these parents may not be aware of the importance of their role in partnering with the
school (Rodger, 2011). They may not be aware of the importance of their role in
education and that the best way to help children is when school and home work together.
Other barriers preventing parents of ESL students from being actively involved in
schools are transportation and child care (Quezada et al., 2003). Child care and money
are some logistical barriers that many minority families face. As was mentioned earlier,
these parents tend to hold more than one job, yet they are living in poverty and lack
resources such as access to transportation to and from schools.
In addition to these barriers, ESL parents may face expectations barriers. These
barriers are perceived when parents feel judged by schools because of their occupation,
socioeconomic status, and ethnicity or social class. Kauffman et al. (2001) also addresses
this judgmental attitude toward these families as a barrier. Discrimination and racism
were also looked at as barriers to parent involvement by Franklin and Soto (2002). The
bottom line is that some ESL families may not feel welcome at schools and our job as
educators is to be aware of that and help these families feel comfortable on school
grounds.
21
Indirect Parent Involvement in ESL Families
The lack of parent participation in the schools is often times misinterpreted as an
indication of parental disinterest in the education of their children (Smit, Driessen, &
Sleegers, 2001). When working with ESL families, educators must avoid the traditional
view of schools and families working closely together. By doing this, educators will
recognize these families care as much about the education of their children as do other
families even though they may not appear to be as involved. Lack of direct involvement
indicates ESL parents may be involved in other ways. Parents of ESL students may not
engage in the traditional way of school interaction, but they find ways to participate in the
education of their children. One such indirect way is parents are supporting their
children’s education by excusing their children of doing household chores so they spend
time to complete their homework assignments instead (Nelson & Guerra, 2009). Further,
parents provide encouragement so their children try their best at school and also assign a
working space at home. Another strategy parents of ESL students do is they expose their
children to manual labor jobs so children experience personally how difficult the work
can be. The reasoning behind this strategy is for children to realize physical labor is
difficult and in turn to increase their motivation to continue their education and persuade
a career.
From the available research, it appears that the most effective form of parent
involvement is that in which parents are engaged working with their children on learning
activities at home. However, immigrant families often do not know how to help their
children at home (Borba, 2009) or they may lack resources such as a computer and
22
books. Nevertheless, parents of ESL students are participating in their children’s
education by setting high expectations for them, communicating the importance of
education, and ensuring their children are ready and make it to school every morning
(Nelson & Guerra, 2009). Even though many schools may not realize it, this is a type of
parent involvement and it may often go unrecognized by schools.
Another way minority families can get involved in education is by teaching their
children social skills that are then generalized to the school (Nelson & Guerra, 2009).
This is another type of indirect involvement that may often go unrecognized by schools,
yet it is vital to the development of children and their behavior at school. It is known that
parents are the first teachers and those early skills are crucial, as well as the continuing
education of morals and values at home. Nelson and Guerra (2009) state that when
schools can recognize and value such forms of involvement, schools can then use that
involvement as a bridge to increase traditional (direct) forms of parent involvement in
diverse families.
Barriers Inhibiting Indirect Parent Involvement
Fifty-five percent of Title I Schools report that they serve parents with limited
English skills (U.S. Department of Education, 1997). It has been found that parents of
ESL students often have a lack of education and few English skills, making it difficult for
them to tutor their children at home. Thus, limited English skills are one barrier to parent
involvement at home. However, it has been shown that “instruction in the primary
language helps children build a cognitive foundation for subsequent instruction in
English” (Borba, 2009, p. 683). Thus, parents reading with their children in their native
23
language should be encouraged, as well as embracing both cultures. Even tutoring in the
native language has a positive effect on students because it becomes background
knowledge for lessons in English. Given these parents lack English language proficiency
they fear their contribution may be counter-productive, doing more harm than good
(Smich-Dudgeon, 1986). These parents often fear that they may confuse children and that
their instruction in their first language may negatively affect acquisition of skills of the
second language. However, students can utilize their knowledge and skills in their first
language and apply it when learning their second language.
Another barrier keeping parents of ESL student from helping them at home is the
lack of literacy skills in their native language (Quezada et al., 2003). This can create
feelings of helplessness amongst these parents and lead them to believe they cannot help
their children at home nor support their children’s teacher. In addition to possibly lacking
skills in both languages, many parents of ESL students also have a lack of resources that
impedes them to help their children with their homework. Given these families struggle
financially, many times they may not have computers, dictionaries, books and other
materials for students to complete school projects.
Effective Strategies to Overcome Barriers and Increase Parent Involvement
To help ESL families overcome some of these barriers, educators must first get to
know their students, their families, and their cultures to understand their needs.
Researchers have found home visits are one effective strategy for teachers to begin to
learn about the different cultural backgrounds of their students (Henderson, Mapp,
Johnson, & Davies, 2007; Lin & Bates, 2010; Tableman, 2004). Meyer and Mann (n.d.)
24
found in a study that 73 percent of teachers believed students who received a home visit
were better prepared than students from the previous year who were not visited.
Additionally, in the same study, over half of the teachers believed home visits increased
student success. Home visits are an excellent opportunity for educators to learn about
their students’ diverse backgrounds first-hand and at the same time help bridge the gap
between the school and the home (Henderson et al., 2007; Lin & Bates, 2010). Some
recommend home visitations be scheduled at the beginning of the school year as a first
step in building trust with parents, leading to parents feeling welcome at school events
throughout the year (Cassity & Harris, 2000). In addition, home visits are a great way of
showing families that schools care (Lin & Bates, 2010; Traveras, 1998) and begin to
build rapport with these families. In addition, if teachers bring any interventions needed
directly to the home, teachers are making the whole family be part of the educational
experience (Sweet & Appelbaum, 2004). In addition, by visiting the homes of their
students, teachers see personally the home environment and how students’ home lives
could be affecting their performance at school (Lin & Bates, 2010). Lin and Bates also
believe it is imperative that teachers understand the relationship between the students’
home culture and their school learning. While at school, teachers can only see one aspect
of their students though by doing home visitations teachers can learn other important
aspects of students.
Another strategy to help parents of ESL students overcome barriers is by having
teachers provide them with effective strategies and tools they can use at home and learn
to advocate for their families. Immigrant parents often have a limited education and may
25
not be aware of the resources available in their community. This is especially something
to consider given the current cuts in education, including summer school. Parents can
benefit from programs in which their children can participate in during evenings and
summers (Public Agenda, 2010). Borba (2009) suggests parent education programs have
helped educate families regarding how the school system works, have helped them
increase their parenting skills, and gave them strategies to support school achievement of
their children. There have been strong indications that the most effective forms of parent
involvement are those that engage parents in working directly with their children on
learning activities in the home. Thus, school programs should focus on involving parents
in reading with their children, helping with homework assignments, or tutoring their
children using materials and instructions provided by teachers. These parent coaching or
trainings can be through informal meetings with teachers or via formal trainings put
together by schools which should include bilingual staff, as needed, and cover topics that
are relevant to the target audience.
Increasing educators’ knowledge of the diverse cultures in their school is
important in increasing parent participation amongst ESL families. One step in doing this
is by getting to know the families of their students and learning from these families
(Ramirez & Soto-Hinman, 2009). Each teacher must start by recognizing each immigrant
student has a different background and unique experience even when they come from the
same country. According to Smith et al. (2008) Hispanics in the U.S. are very diverse in
race, country of origin, SES, nature and timing of their immigration, as well as degree of
acculturation. Though, it is important educators be aware that students from the same
26
country of origin came to the U.S. due to unique circumstances and have experienced
different adaptation and acculturation processes that have lead to unique language and
educational needs. Borba (2009) also suggests educators should attend professional
development workshops which may be focused on learning a second language and
learning about cultures. Educators can benefit from attending cultural events in the
community as well and integrating cultural awareness into their lessons in the
classrooms. Teachers from white, middle-class backgrounds may have difficulty
connecting with diverse families (Chavkin, 2005; McHatton, 2007). When educators
become culturally competent, they are likely to feel more comfortable connecting with
ESL families and, thus, increase parent involvement.
Many articles have cited that minority parents often work at least two jobs.
Offering flexible schedules and having different meeting times for parent/teacher
conferences can enhance parent participation (Salinas Sosa, n.d.). When parents work
during school hours it is often impossible for them to attend meetings that are held during
the school day. By arranging for meeting times later in the evening (and possibly on
weekends), teachers are increasing the possibilities that parents will attend.
It has been addressed that many ESL families may not feel welcome at schools
and may perceive feelings of racism (Franklin & Soto, 2002). To make these parents feel
comfortable in the schools, educators must make an effort to create a welcoming school
environment and get to know these families. Ramirez and Soto-Hinman (2009) suggest
exploring the community their students live in and learning from ESL families is a step
for educators to know their students and connect with their families. This way, educators
27
will understand specifically the types of experiences students and their families go
through outside of the school. Educators can get involved with the families in a variety
of ways, such as by showing interest in their culture via having a cultural week, learning
phrases in students’ native languages, showing respect for students’ cultural traditions,
and by appreciating input from parents in the classroom. This will help parents feel
appreciated and connected with teachers and, in turn, may feel more comfortable and be
more available to participate in schools. In addition, in the attempt to create a welcoming
school environment, Rodger (2011) recommends writing a personal letter to parents at
the start of each school year. This will aid in building a relationship with parents and
open doors for parent involvement later in the school year. Given that schools today work
with diverse group of parents whom may not understand written language, a welcoming
telephone call may be crucial in the beginning of the year. This personalized welcome
will create a more inviting environment right from the start and will send the message
that teachers care about establishing relationships thus parents may feel a personal
invitation to participate in the schools.
While the student population continues to increase in diversity, the teacher
population has stayed the same, with the majority of teachers being white middle class
females (Broussard, 2003; Lin & Bates, 2010; McHatton, 2007). The values and
experiences of teachers and students differ greatly. When teachers’ values, knowledge
and experiences differ from those held by their students, those students are at a
disadvantage (Broussard, 2003). Thus, schools are strongly encouraged to hire culturally
diverse teachers and staff so that students can be represented. In addition, an essential
28
component of the effort to increase parental involvement is to have bilingual staff,
including a community liaison, school personnel and parent volunteers (Cassity & Harris,
2000; Simich-Dudgeon, 1986). It is important to have bilingual staff available that can
translate important documents and interpret when needed. It is also important that
bilingual staff know the language and understand the cultures of the families they work
with. ESL families will feel connected and feel more comfortable to be in a school
environment.
It has been found that parents who do not speak English at home are less likely to
participate in school-based activities, and over the course of the school year are more
likely to participate in fewer activities (U.S. Department of Education, 1997). The
offering of ESL adult classes not only improve parents’ English skills, it has been found
that school-based ESL classes focused on parent involvement foster an increase of both
ESL skills and parent-involvement skills to a significant degree (Waterman, 2009). An
effective strategy to improve parent participation is by improving English skills. Both
schools and parents can benefit from offering such night classes to improve the skills and
confidence of ESL parents.
Parents are most likely to attend school meetings and participate in their child’s
school when their children are in primary school” (Child Trends Databank, 2010). It is
important for educators to communicate to parents the importance of continuing parent
involvement throughout their education. In communicating the importance of parent
involvement, educators should also remind parents that, even when parents may lack
specific academic skills, they can support their children’s education by providing
29
emotional support and contributing to their children’s aspirations (Walker, Shenker, &
Hoover-Oempsey, 2010).
Conclusion
Research has demonstrated over the years that parent involvement in the
education of their children results in positive academic and behavioral outcomes.
Certainly, the influence of the family on the education of children is of tremendous
importance, including the need for a strong positive relationship between schools and
parents. Parent involvement has been researched by many, offering different models for
defining parent involvement. Presently many schools struggle to obtain participation of
parents of ESL students, which remains low while the number of these students continues
to increase. It could be thought that with increasing numbers of ESL students one would
expect large parental involvement from this population. However, there are a number of
barriers that impede parents of ESL students to be involved directly and indirectly in their
children’s education. Such barriers include lack of time, long work days, lack of
education in their native language, cultural differences in their views towards education,
negative feels towards schools, lack of transportation and child care, lack of resources,
lack of English skills, and lack of resources, amongst others.
For schools to increase parent participation in ESL families, educators must first
become culturally competent, become familiarized with their students’ cultures, and learn
to appreciate what each student brings into the classroom. One important step is for
educators to increase their knowledge of cultures by attending professional development
trainings, learning a second language, attending cultural events, and learning from their
30
students and their families. Educators can use several strategies to increase participation
of these parents, such as offering flexible schedules for meetings, setting up a welcoming
school environment, connecting families to community agencies, adding diversity and
bilingual staff to schools, offering ESL adult classes and different trainings focused in
increasing parent skills, and providing parents with tools and lessons to be implemented
at home. Children are the future; the best way to educate them is by having schools and
families working together. This project will address these issues in detailing a workshop
aimed at providing teachers with effective strategies to reduce barriers to increase parent
involvement in ESL families.
31
Chapter 3
METHODS
The information upon which this project was developed was gathered primarily
through a review of the available literature on parent involvement. The literature review
was conducted via EBSCO’s PsycARTICLES, PsycINFO, and ERIC databases. Such
databases were accessed through the university’s library web page. The main key terms
used to find information were parent involvement, home visits, importance of parental
involvement, parent involvement and student achievement, parent involvement in ESL
families, etc. The project’s development was based upon previous information gathered
by researchers and educators interested in the topic of parent involvement. They have
found the there are positive results related to student achievement and behavior when
parents and schools work together.
In addition, by having been working in the schools as a tutor, a substitute teacher
and a school psychologist intern I have also found there is an overall need to continue
increasing parent involvement, specifically amongst those groups of students whose
English is their second language. Furthermore, I am a former EL student and I am aware
of the need to involve minority families in the education of their children. Therefore,
these personal experiences have played a role in the development of this project.
One important individual in the topic of parent involvement is Dr. Joyce L.
Epstein. She is the director of the Center on School, Family, and Community
Partnerships, Principal Research Scientist and Co-Director of the School, Family, and
Community Partnership Program of the Center for Research on the Education of Students
32
Placed at Risk (CRESPAR), with a joint/part time appointment of Professor of Sociology
at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Epstein has over one hundred publications on the
effects of school, classroom, family, and peer environments on student learning and
development, with many focusing on school and family connections. She has developed a
framework of six types of parent involvement. This framework is the foundation from
which this project was developed. The California State University Sacramento’s library
online databases were used to find the majority of the articles including Epstein’s. Other
relevant information including studies, definitions and statistics were gathered in reliable
articles found through a search engine on the World Wide Web.
Through the Specialist in Education Seminar (EDS 239) I had the opportunity to
explore the topic of Parent Involvement and conducted a literature review with the
continuous feedback of peers and a professor. The first draft of the literature review was
peer reviewed. At the end of the semester a PowerPoint presentation summarized the
literature reviewed and outlined the current training workshop. Articles and related
information were gathered during EDS 239 and reviewed. Microsoft Office Word 2007
and Microsoft Office Powerpoint 2007 were used to put together the literature review and
the project outline to make a final product aimed to be implemented as a training
workshop for teachers.
33
Chapter 4
RESULTS
As discussed in Chapter 2, parent involvement has a positive effect on student
achievement and an overall improvement of student behavior. The information obtained
in the completion of the Literature Review, was used to create a training workshop for
teachers and possibly for other school personnel. The workshop is designed to last
approximately three hours. The presentation slides along with notes, manual, and
necessary activities are included in the project appendices and is intended for school
professionals (e.g., school psychologists, school counselors). This research project and
related workshop are intended to increase teachers’ understanding of parent involvement
by providing them with the background information; increasing their awareness of the
need for parent involvement among ESL families as well as the obstacles these families
may face. In addition, the workshop aims at providing teachers with effective strategies
they can utilize to increase parent involvement in their classrooms.
Parent involvement is a fundamental element that is vital to student success in
school. There is a large population of ESL students who need the support of their parents
in school. Furthermore, ESL parents need the support of schools for making it possible to
become involved. It is hoped that this workshop will provide teachers with the essential
knowledge of parent involvement and with effective strategies to enhance parent
involvement among ESL students. With the diversity of languages and cultures in
California schools, future research should continue to focus in continuing improving
34
teachers’ understanding of parent involvement among English as Second Language
(ESL) students and overall cultural awareness to better serve such population.
Recommendations
This project serves as a guide for understanding the basics of parent involvement,
increasing awareness of the effect of such involvement as well as providing strategies for
increasing parent involvement of ESL families in schools. The goal of this project is that
the workshop produced provides a starting point for both general education and special
education teachers, especially those who have diverse classrooms. It is recommended that
school personnel view the contents of this project with the understanding that the
workshop is intended for use along with school/district current efforts and practices to
increase parent involvement.
35
APPENDIX A
Presenter’s Manual
36
STRATEGIES FOR TEACHERS TO INCREASE PARENT
INVOLVEMENT AMONGST ESL FAMILIES
Presenter’s Manual
A Training Workshop for Teachers
37
Introduction
With the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, the Federal
government defined parent involvement as the active participation of parents in
reciprocal communication with schools regarding the learning of their children. In
addition, research has shown that the earlier in a child’s educational process parents
become involved, the more powerful the effects (Michigan Department of Education,
2002). It has been found that parents who are involved in their child’s education via
direct or indirect involvement are more likely to have children performing well
academically (Cassity & Harris, 2000). Such findings have led educators to call attention
to the importance of parent involvement at higher grade levels (high school) and also
with Limited-English proficient (LEP) students (Simich-Dudgeon, 1986). Some have
predicted that by the year 2030 one-fourth of K-12 students will be Hispanic (Smith,
Stern, & Shatrova, 2008). Furthermore, current statistics suggest that the percentage of
immigrant children is equivalent to approximately one in four of U.S. children (Child
Trends Databank, 2010).
With the increasing numbers of LEP or English as a Second Language (ESL) students
teachers are in a prime position to work with these students and play a key role in
facilitating parent involvement in these families. With the effort to enhance parent
involvement these children may benefit both academically and social-emotionally. This
manual and complementary PowerPoint presentation and handouts are designed to
prepare teachers to better work with ESL students and their families to support them and
38
increase their involvement in the schools. The information is based on a literature review
completed in the Fall 2011semester (between September and December of 2011).
The Presentation
The presentation is designed for an audience of teachers. Other school personnel
who work directly with parents may also find this workshop useful. The presentation is
designed to last approximately three hours. One ten minute break is incorporated;
however, based on the audience a second short break may be given. The presentation is
intended to have the audience by asking questions and by doing several short group
activities. Presenter(s) must use presentation techniques such as pausing for questions and
allowing the audience to provide their input. Presenter(s) must also validate any view
points and opinions of the audience. It is recommended that presenter(s) provide name
badges and that these be worn throughout the workshop by presenter(s) and by the
audience. It is recommended that the presenter makes copies of the PowerPoint slides for
each participant before beginning the workshop. If for any reason this is not feasible
make sufficient copies of the three handouts that are attached to this manual. These
handouts are titled “Checklist for Enhancing Parent Involvement,” “Obstacles or Barriers
to Direct Parent Involvement,” and “Obstacles or Barriers to Indirect Parent
Involvement.” Be sure to prepare for this workshop by reading over the slides and
accompanying notes beforehand. In addition it is recommended that presenters become
overall familiar with the topic of parent involvement; it is possible audience may ask
questions which are not directly answered within the presentation. Presenter(s) may
39
personalize the slides by adding their own names and contact information to the initial
slide, by changing the font or by adding pictures.
Guidance for Presenters
Recommended outline for the workshop:
Slides 1-4
Intro, Ice Breaker, Objectives 25 minutes
Slides 5-12
Overview of Parent Involvement 35 minutes
Slides 13-17 Direct Parent Involvement 25 minutes
Slides 18-23 Indirect Parent Involvement 25 minutes
Slide 24
Break  10 minutes
Slides 25-33 Strategies for Schools and School Districts  30
Slides 34-43 Strategies for Teachers  30 minutes
Slide 44
Individual Activity  5 minutes
Slides 45-46 Conclusion/Questions 5minutes
40
This workshop is presented as Microsoft PowerPoint slides. The slides are prepared with
all necessary information for presenting the workshop. The notes section on each slide
provides general information about the slide and its purpose. Sample language has been
provided in italics, however, the presenter(s) may use their own language when
presenting. Some slides include different questions that are intended for small discussion
points or to engage the audience by a simple raise of hands. These questions are in the
notes section and are indicated with the word “ASK” in bold and italics. Other activities
are embedded throughout the slide notes with directions on how to carry out the activity
including the duration of it. Handouts are available for all activities. This workshop is
intended to be presented by one individual; however, if there are two presenters, a natural
place to switch presenters is after the break. It is recommended that the second presenter
introduce his or herself prior to resuming the presentation.
41
APPENDIX B
Presentation Slides
42
STRATEGIES FOR TEACHERS TO INCREASE PARENT
INVOLVEMENT AMONGST ESL FAMILIES
Presentation Slides
A Training Workshop for Teachers
43
Slide 1
Increasing Parent
Involvement Amongst ESL
Families
A training workshop
By presenter (s)
Note for the presenter(s):
Present this first slide while teachers arrive and everyone gets comfortable in the room. It
should be displayed until the audience and the presenter(s) are ready to begin the
workshop.
44
Slide 2
Increasing Parent Involvement Amongst ESL
Families
Welcome/Introductions
Icebreaker
Note for the presenter(s):
Presenter(s) welcome the audience by greeting them and introducing themselves. At the
beginning of the workshop state:
Good afternoon my name is___________________ and I want to welcome you to today’s
workshop.
Presenter(s) may add a brief history of themselves (i.e., what they do, how long they have
been at the job, education, etc.). This should take no more than 4 minutes.
45
Slide 3
Ice Breaker
True or False
You have just entered a new society of truth-tellers and liars. You and the
others sometimes tell the truth and sometimes lie. The key to this society is
knowing when you are being lied to and when you are being told the truth.
 Find a partner
 Partners must guess if a statement is the truth or a lie. If both players are
correct, move on. If both are incorrect, move on. If one is correct and one
is wrong, the wrong person is out.
 First, flip a coin. If it reveals “heads,” you tell truth; if “tails,” you lie.
 Find a partner, swap stories. Your partner must then guess if you told the
truth or a lie. If both are correct, move on. If both are incorrect, move
on. If one is correct and one wrong, the person who guessed incorrectly is
out.
 Move on and repeat steps one and two until one person remains and is
declared the winner.
Sample Language for Presentation:
We will begin today’s workshop training by playing a game. You need to find a partner,
anyone who is sitting next to you. We will all be standing up, when one person is out s/he
must sit down while the rest of the group continues playing. The person that wins will be
the last one who is standing up.
Materials Needed
Prize (optional)—such as classroom supplies, coins, time (about 10-20 minutes
depending on group size)
Presenter (s) may walk around the room while participants are interacting with one
another. At the end award a prize to the person who remains standing and congratulate
everyone for participating in the activity.
46
Slide 4
Learning Objectives
“Parent Involvement” overview
increase awareness of benefits of and lack of
parent involvement in ESL families
 Review & discuss effective strategies to increase
involvement
 Provide teachers with resources & materials

 To
Sample Language for Presentation:
The goals for today’s presentation is to overview “parent involvement” including a
definition, reviewing Epstein’s framework model, addressing the need for parent
involvement in ESL families, addressing barriers inhibiting parent involvement in these
families, and to discuss effective strategies to overcome those barriers and increase
parent involvement.
47
Slide 5
Sample Language for Presentation:
I/We will start by defining parent involvement and explaining the two main categories or
types of involvement. Parent involvement is the participation of parents in the education
of their children. For the purpose of this workshop parent involvement has been divided
parent involvement in two groups or types ‘direct’ and ‘indirect.’
Direct involvement is when parents are actively participating in the schools.
Indirect involvement is when parents provide support at home
The presenter should provide an example for each type of involvement (e.i., attending
meetings or fieldtrips, volunteering in the classrooms, helping students with their
homework, communicating with the teacher).
ASK: Who can share other ways parents can get involved?
48
Slide 6
Note to the presenter(s):
Explain each type of parent involvement and provide an example for each.
Sample Language for Presentation:
Read the slide and say: An example of Type 1 teachers can help parents set up a positive
learning environment in their homes by selecting a work area and minimizing
distractions.
In Type 2 involvement the teacher sets up a system for communications with parents such
as e-mail, flexible conference schedules, etc.
ASK:
what are some other examples by which parents can be involved in the education of their
children in these types of involvement?
49
Slide 7
Note to the presenter(s):
Explain each type of parent involvement and provide an example for each.
Read the slide and say:
Sample Language for Presentation: An example of Type 3 involvement is by organizing a
bilingual parent group to reach out to the community.
An example of Type involvement is when the teacher provides parents with worksheets to
do at home that compliment what students are learning in the classroom.
ASK:
What are some other examples by which parents can be involved in the education of their
children in these types of involvement?
50
Slide 8
Note to the presenter(s):
Explain each type of parent involvement and provide an example for each.
Read the slide and say:
Sample Language for Presentation: An example of Type 5 involvement is when parents
are committed and active members of the school board, etc.
An example of Type 6 involvement is when the schools are working with community
agencies such as working together with clinics to provide free o low cost dental exams,
etc.
ASK:
What are some other examples by which parents can be involved in the education of their
children in these types of involvement?
ASK:
What are some other examples by which parents can be involved that we failed to
mention? (allow time for participants to share). Raise your hand if you have worked with
parents at any of these 6 levels.
51
Slide 9
Sample Language for Presentation:
There is a rapid increase in diversity in our classrooms. Statistics have shown that
between 2000 and 2009 population of first and second generation immigrants children in
U.S. grew by 28 percent. This is about one in four U.S. children.
While our classrooms are increasing in diversity developing relationships with ESL
students and their families continues to be a difficult task for many teachers. Also studies
have found that parent involvement is related to better academic results (Cassity &
Harris, 2000) and children show more dedication in school.
52
Slide 10
Sample Language for Presentation:
Children of those parents who are involved tend to show more dedication toward their
education.
Also, it was found that parents who are economically advantaged are more likely to get
involved. Thus immigrant families who tend to be economically disadvantaged are more
likely to face more risks and challenges and thus are less involved in the schools.
53
Slide 11
Sample Language for Presentation:
Next, let us look at the benefits of parent involvement.
Research has shown that students perform better academically when their parents are
involved in their education. It has also been found that there’s an overall improvement in
student behavior. When parents are involved, the relationship with teachers improves as
does the communication between home and school.
ASK:
Who has experienced any of these changes/improvements in your classroom or school?
Note for the presenter(s):
Acknowledge those who raise their hand.
54
Slide 12
Sample Language for Presentation:
When parents collaborate with schools teachers set higher expectations for students and
thus students exhibit an overall positive attitude In addition, students observe their
parents being advocates and they learn this behavior. Being actively involved in schools
gives parents an opportunity to meet and to connect with other parents forming social
networks.
55
Slide 13
Sample Language for Presentation:
Many ESL families are not familiar with the concept of direct involvement in schools. For
example, Latino parents view educators as experts and parents feel they are being
disrespectful if they make suggestions regarding school matters.
In southeast Asia schools and homes have different roles and work separately, at home
children learn their role in society, whereas schools teach them the educational
component and also morals and values.
In order to increase direct parent involvement in the ESL population educators must first
be aware of and understand this cultural perception of schools and teachers.
56
Slide 14
Sample Language for Presentation:
Many culturally diverse families hold a different perception of schools from what most of
us may be used to. In addition, these families are challenged with different barriers that
make it very difficult for them to participate and collaborate with the schools.
57
Slide 15
Activity

In small groups discuss possible obstacles or barriers ESL parents may
face when participating in direct involvement.

Whole group sharing
Sample Language for Presentation:
We will take a few moments to discuss the possible barriers and challenges that ESL
families may face. Please get in small groups of 3 or 4 and discuss possible barriers to
direct parent involvement. You may use the sheet titled “Obstacles or Barriers to Direct
Parent Involvement” to write down your ideas and to be able to revisit these later.
Note to the presenter(s):
Allow 5 minutes for group discussions. After 5 minutes ASK: Are there any volunteers
who want to share their ideas?
58
Slide 16
Sample Language for Presentation:
We will now discuss some of the barriers that inhibit direct involvement. Most immigrant
parents find no time to visit schools given they may hold two jobs, work over time or have
work schedules that are not flexible.
Parents may feel they do not have the basic knowledge and education to participate in
the schools. In addition there are cultural differences, as were mentioned earlier, that get
in the way of their participation. Others may perceive discrimination and racism while
many may have had negative experiences with the education system.
Note to the presenter(s):
To engage your audience ASK: Has any of you have any experience with a parent who
held a negative view of schools and teachers? How did you handle that situation?
59
Slide 17
Sample Language for Presentation:
These are more barriers that inhibit direct involvement. Most immigrant parents may
lack English skills, this is one of the biggest challenges for most ESL parents. Others
have difficulty with transportation and childcare, in addition parents may not understand
how the school system functions in the United States. There may be an overall lack of
resources that may make it difficult to visit schools.
ASK:
Does your schools offer bilingual services such as an interpreter or printed material in
their native language?
60
Slide 18
Sample Language for Presentation:
Indirect parent involvement is the encouragement and support that parents provide at
home.
Often times the lack of direct involvement in the schools may be misinterpreted as lack of
interest in engaging in the education of their children. However, parents may be involved
in ways that schools may not perceive. Parents teach social skills in the home, this is a
type of involvement that many may not be aware of. ESL parents tend to set high
educational expectations for schools. In addition, parents make sure their children get
ready for school each morning and this is their way of participating in their education.
61
Slide 19
Sample Language for Presentation:
Indirect parent involvement also involves parents proving their children with an
environment to complete assignments. Many parents excuse their children of doing
household chores so they can complete their homework assignments instead (Nelson &
Guerra, 2009). Others encourage and motivate their children and may provide academic
support in the native language. These are all efforts of being involved that should be
recognized.
62
Slide 20
Activity

In small groups discuss possible obstacles or barriers ESL parents may
face when participating in indirect involvement.

Whole group sharing
Sample Language for Presentation:
Let us us now discuss possible obstacles to indirect parent involvement. Please get in
small groups of 3 or 4, it can be the same group you were in before and discuss possible
barriers. You may use the sheet titled “Obstacles or Barriers to Indirect Parent
Involvement” to write down your ideas to be able to revisit these later.
Note to the presenter(s):
Allow 5 minutes for group discussions. After 5 minutes ASK: Are there any volunteers
who want to share their ideas?
63
Slide 21
Sample Language for Presentation:
We will now discuss some of the barriers that inhibit indirect involvement.
Most immigrant parents may want to help their children at home but they may not know
how, they may lack the academic skills and the resources to do so. Language has already
been mentioned as a main barrier and parents often fear that they may confuse children
if they help them in their native language. They fear their instruction in their first
language may negatively affect acquisition of skills of the second language.
64
Slide 22
Sample Language for Presentation:
In addition, many parents may lack basic skills in their native language making it very
difficult to help their children with their assignments. Due to job and other
responsibilities parents may lack the time to tutor their children at home or supervise
they are completing assignments.
65
Slide 23
Activity
With a partner brainstorm possible strategies you can use to help ESL parents
overcome some of the barriers discussed.
Sample Language for Presentation:
Next we will brainstorm possible strategies we can use in our classrooms or within our
schools to help parents overcome some of the barriers we have discussed. Please include
strategies to overcome barriers for both direct and indirect involvement. You may write
down your ideas in the “Obstacles or Barriers to Indirect Parent Involvement” handout
to revisit these later.
Notes to Presenters:
Allow 3-5 minutes for brainstorming. After 5 minutes ASK: Who would like to share the
strategies they came up with? Allow sufficient time for volunteers to share.
66
Slide 24
Increasing Parent Involvement Amongst ESL
Families
10 minute break
Sample Language for Presentation:
We will now break for about 10 minutes. I will be available for any questions you may
have thus far. When we come back we will cover strategies to increase parent
involvement and that will conclude today’s workshop. Thank you.
67
Slide 25
Increasing Parent Involvement Amongst ESL
Families

School and district-wide strategies

Strategies for teachers to use within their classrooms
Sample Language for Presentation:
Welcome back everyone, next we will continue the second half of this workshop by
reviewing some strategies we can use when working with ESL families to increase parent
involvement.
68
Slide 26
Increasing Parent Involvement Amongst ESL
Families
Strategies for School Districts & Schools

Offer ESL classes
• Free or low cost
• Flexible class schedules

Parenting training/workshops
• Explain education system in U.S.
• Provide tools/lessons to be implemented at home
Sample Language for Presentation:
We will begin by reviewing some strategies for school districts and schools to consider.
One way of helping parents improve their English skills is by offering ESL classes. These
should offer flexible schedules and be affordable or free of cost.
The district may also offer training or workshops aimed at explaining how the education
system works and what are the roles, expectations and responsibilities of parents.
Parents may be empowered by learning to implement lessons and be provided with the
tools to carry out those lessons at home.
69
Slide 27
Increasing Parent Involvement Amongst ESL
Families
Strategies for School Districts & Schools

Professional development workshops/Staff trainings

Offer multicultural courses for teachers
Sample Language for Presentation:
Schools and districts should offer continuous professional development workshops or
courses targeting enhancing teachers’ skills and promoting cultural awareness.
70
Slide 28
Increasing Parent Involvement Amongst ESL
Families
Strategies for School Districts & Schools

Bilingual Staff
• Translation services
• Interpreters

Collaboration/Consultation
• Hold district wide meetings
• Department meetings
Sample Language for Presentation:
School districts should make an effort at hiring bilingual staff to meet the need of ESL
families. Schools should have interpreters and printed materials in the native language
whenever possible.
District wide meetings should be held to discuss ways of meeting the needs of ESL
students and their families. Schools may also hold department meetings to share ideas
regarding parent involvement and teachers can collaborate and share ideas of the
specific strategies they are utilizing in their classrooms.
71
Slide 29
Increasing Parent Involvement Amongst ESL
Families
Strategies for School Districts & Schools

Create a welcoming school environment
• Friendly office staff
• Bilingual forms
• Accepting of diversity

Offer classes for teachers
• Learn a second language
Sample Language for Presentation:
School must create a positive and welcoming school environment where all parents feel
comfortable and accepted.
Office staff should be friendly, there should be bilingual forms and information available.
In addition, district may offer classes or pay for continuing classes for teachers.
72
Slide 30
Sample Language for Presentation:
School districts may offer incentives for teachers who perform home visits.
In addition, district may offer transportation and childcare for parents.
73
Slide 31
Increasing Parent Involvement Amongst ESL
Families
Strategies for School Districts & Schools

Parent Room or Resource Center

Facilitate Information
• Parent handbook in native language
Sample Language for Presentation:
Schools should have a resource center or a room assigned for parents where they can
meet to discuss several topics of interest and where community and school information is
available.
In addition, having a parent handbook available in the native language of families can
facilitate home-school relationships.
74
Slide 32
Increasing Parent Involvement Amongst ESL
Families
Strategies for School Districts & Schools

Interpreters

Flexibility with Time and Location
• Being flexible with meetings, classes, and activities
Sample Language for Presentation:
Interpreters should be available whenever possible especially at meetings.
Parents should be offered with flexible schedules for meetings and any other activities
and should have the possibility to reschedule when needed.
75
Slide 33
Increasing Parent Involvement Amongst ESL
Families
Strategies for School Districts & Schools


Others
Strategies your district employs
ASK:
Are there any other strategies for schools and school districts that you would like to
share? Are there any strategies you have found useful in your school district?
76
Slide 34
Sample Language for Presentation:
We have reviewed strategies that school districts and schools can employ, we will now go
over strategies you can implement within your classroom to increase the involvement of
ESL parents in your classroom.
First of all you need to know your students and the needs their families have. You can do
this through a variety of ways; one such is by visiting their community.
Appreciate each culture and incorporate their culture into your lesson plans.
77
Slide 35
Increasing Parent Involvement Amongst ESL
Families
Strategies for Teachers

Celebrate diversity in your classroom

Celebrate diversity in your school (cultural week at school)
Sample Language for Presentation:
It is vital that you celebrate diversity in your classroom. This can be as simple as
acknowledging holidays, traditions, and celebrations. Other way to celebrate diversity is
by holding a cultural day in your classroom or a cultural week in your school where each
day a different culture is celebrated by having different activities related to that culture
during lunch/recess time. You can also play music from different cultures once a week.
78
Slide 36
Increasing Parent Involvement Amongst ESL
Families
Strategies for Teachers
 Create
a welcoming classroom environment
 Provide parents
with lessons/tools to use at home
Sample Language for Presentation:
Having a welcoming classroom is another way of inviting parents to participate. There
are many ways to go about doing this, one can incorporate culture as part of the
decorations, by having the door open and being available before and after school, and by
making parents aware they are invited to volunteer in classroom activities.
Whenever possible provide parents with materials they can do at home such as math
worksheets, math facts flash cards, lessons for learning games, etc.
79
Slide 37
Sample Language for Presentation:
It is recommended that you connect with each parent personally at the beginning of the
school year. It is ideal to meet them in person, but also a personal letter or a phone call
can be very helpful. This will help establish a relationship from the start.
Whenever possible acknowledge cultural differences. You may do this in informal ways
or by integrating culture in your lesson plans. It is very important that students’ cultures
and languages be seen as assets.
80
Slide 38
Sample Language for Presentation:
In some cases it may be necessary to go the extra mile and invest part of your personal
time visiting your students’ families. Keep in mind that some visits will have to be late in
the evening due to parents’ work schedules.
Having a two-way communications system is important. This may have to be different for
each parent, some may prefer e-mails, other phone calls and others may choose notes. Be
sure to contact parents with good news of progress and accomplishments. Parents will
appreciate your sharing of the good news given they are used to being contacted only for
bad news (low grades, behavior, etc).
81
Slide 39
Increasing Parent Involvement Amongst ESL
Families
Strategies for Teachers

Attend professional development workshops
• Offered by school district or community

Take a multicultural or a foreign language class
• Within the district
• Community college
Sample Language for Presentation:
Continuous training and furthering your education are great ways to gain more skills to
work with parents. Whenever possible attend workshops when offered by your district or
by community agencies. If it is within your possibilities take a foreign language course.
82
Slide 40
Strategies to Increase Parent Involvement in
ESL Families
Strategies for Teachers

Collaboration/Consultation
• Consults with other teachers
• With appropriate school employees
• With parents

Facilitate a parenting skills seminar in your classroom
• Overall parenting skills
• Tips for setting work environment at home
• Teach establishing reward systems at home
Sample Language for Presentation:
Consultation, consultation, consultation. Talk to other teachers and school employees
regarding what they are doing to increase the involvement of parents. Share strategies to
increase involvement. Encourage and complement one another for the continuous efforts.
Consult with parents to learn their needs and gain insight on how to better meet those
needs to obtain the participation of more parents.
If possible facilitate a parenting skills seminar where parents can learn basic tips for
parenting as well as tips for helping their children at home. Keep in mind you need to be
flexible regarding time and may need to facilitate childcare. One idea in regards to child
care is to designate a classroom where high school students may lead activities for the
children as part of their community service.
83
Slide 41
Strategies to Increase Parent Involvement in ESL
Families
Strategies for Teachers

Offer incentives to students
• Extra credit for parent involvement
• Movie day
• Pizza party

Organize a family night in your classroom
• Information, games, culture celebrations
Sample Language for Presentation:
One simple effort at increasing parent involvement is by having teachers offer incentives
to students such as extra credit, or rewards such as a pizza party.
Another idea is for teachers to organize a family night in their classroom where parents
can receive information in regards to their students’ performance. Parents can also
obtain other useful information about community events. It is important that these types
of classroom family nights be fun for all to continue increasing parents’ attendance.
84
Slide 42
Strategies to Increase Parent Involvement in ESL
Families
Strategies for Teachers

Learn basic vocabulary words from your students
• Greet parents/students in native language
• Incorporate such vocabulary words into your lessons

Connect families with community agencies
• Know individual needs
• Know available community resources
Sample Language for Presentation:
One simple strategy teachers can use is to learn how to greet parents and students in
their native language.
Teachers should try to learn vocabulary words and integrate them in their lesson. One
such way can be by assigning a specific time of the week for the whole class to learn a
new word. Teachers can be creative and make this a fun game.
Teachers should be aware of the different resources available in the community and
create a handy reference guide. In occasions it may be appropriate for teachers to make
referrals to community agencies. It is very important teachers are aware of the needs and
the available resources.
85
Slide 43
Strategies to Increase Parent Involvement in ESL
Families
Strategies for Teachers


Others
Strategies you are already using
ASK:
Are there any other strategies for teachers that you would like to share? Are there any
strategies you have found useful?
86
Slide 44
Activity
Checklist for Enhancing Parent Involvement
Sample Language for Presentation:
Please take a few moments to complete the Checklist for Enhancing Parent Involvement
hand out. This is a self evaluation of your current efforts to improve parent involvement
in your classroom.
ASK: Does anyone want to share any thoughts about this activity with the rest of the
group?
ASK: Were you surprised with your answers?
87
Slide 45
Conclusion

It is hoped that this workshop has helped you better understand parent
involvement, the need for it, and the benefits it has in our ESL students to a
successful education.
Sample Language for Presentation:
This concludes today’s workshop.
Note for the presenter(s):
Presenter should read this slide, thank the audience and move to the next slide for
questions and comments.
88
Slide 46
Increasing Parent Involvement Amongst ESL
Families
Questions/Comments
THANK YOU!!!!
Note for the presenter(s):
Thank your audience for participating and allow the last 5 minutes for questions/answers
and any further comments or feedback.
89
Slide 47
90
Slide 48
91
Presentation References
Borba, M. (2009). Caring closes the language-learning gap. Phi D Kappan, 90, 681-685.
Retrieved from http://currentissues-languagedialectdiversity.wikispaces.com/file/view/CaringCloses the Language Gap.pdf
Cassity, J., & Harris, S. (2000). Parents of ESL students: A study of parental
involvement. NASSP Bulletin, 84(619), 55-62.doi:10.1177/019263650008461906
Epstein, J. L. (1987). Parent involvement: What research says to administrators.
Education and Urban Society, 19, 119-136.doi:10.1177/0013124587019002002
Epstein, J. L. (2008). Improving family and community involvement in secondary
schools. Education Digest, 73(6), 9-12.Retrieved from
http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy.lib.csus.edu/ehost/detail?sid=7d27cc9a-8c43417d-ac20cc6054442d4a%40sessionmgr111&vid=1&hid=111&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3
QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=31169485
Epstein, J. L., Sanders, M. G., Simon, B. S., Salinas, K. C., Jansorn, N. R., & Voorhis, F.
L. (2002). School, family, and community partnerships: Your handbook for action
(2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
Epstein, J. L. & Rodriguez Jansorn (2004). School, family and community partnerships
link the plan. Education Digest, 68 (6), 19-23.Retrieved from
http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy.lib.csus.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=ddaa
6ec8-a81e-4199-b0e3-59f735539472%40sessionmgr113&vid=2&hid=111
92
Franklin, C. G., & Soto, I. (2002). Keeping Hispanic youths in school. Children &
Schools, 24(3), 139-142. doi 10.1093/cs/24.3.139
Golbuff, M. (2006). Education in Southeast Asian communities. Des Moines, Iowa: Iowa
Statewide Parent Information Resource Center. Retrieved from
http://www.iowaparents.org/files/southeastasia.pdf
Henderson, A. T., Mapp, K. L., Johnson, V. R., & Davies, D. (2007). Beyond the bake
sale: The essential guide to family-school partnerships. New York, NY: The
News Press.
Kauffman, E., Perry, A., & Prentiss, D. (2001). Reasons for and solutions to lack of
parent involvement of parents of second language learners. Washington, DC:
U.S. Department of Education, Educational Resources Information Center
(ERIC). Retrieved from http://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/ED458956.pdf
Sheldon, S. B., & Epstein, J. L. (2005). Involvement counts: Family and community
partnerships and mathematics achievement. Journal of Educational Research, 98,
196-206. doi:10 .3200/JOER.98.4.196-207
Lin, M., & Bates, A. B. (2010). Home visits: How do they affect teachers’ beliefs about
teaching and diversity? Early Childhood Education Journal 38, 179-185. doi:
10.1007/s10643-010-0393-1
Mendez, J. L. (2010). How can parents get involved in preschool? Barriers and
engagement in education by ethnic minority parents of children attending head
start, Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology 16, 26-36. doi:
10.1037/a0016258
93
Mendez, J. L., & Fogle, L. M. (2002). Parental reports of preschool children’s social
behavior: Relations among peer play, language competence and problem
behavior. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 20, 374–389. Retrieved from
http: http://jpa.sagepub.com/
Nelson, S. W., & Guerra, P. L. (2010). Empowered parents partner with schools to meet
student needs. Journal of Staff Development, 31, 67-68.Retrieved from
www.nsdc.org
Quezada, R. L., Diaz, D.M., & Sanchez, M. (2003, Sept-Oct). Involving Latino parents.
Leadership, 33(38), 32-34.
Ramirez, A., & Soto-Hinman, I. (2009). A place for all families. Educational Leadership,
66(7), 79-82.Retrieved from
http://www.ped.state.nm.us/QualityAssuranceSystemsIntegration/dl09%20/ELL%
20Summit/A%20Place%20for%20All%20Families.pdf
Rodger, E. B. (2011). Parents as partners: Tips for involving parents in your classroom.
Child Education, 87(5), E7-E8. Retrieved from
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/article/Childhood-Education/259460559.html
Salinas Sosa, A. (n.d.). Involving Hispanic parents in educational activities through
collaborative relationships. San Antonio, TX: University of Texas. Retrieved
from leadershipmega-conf-reg.tadnet.org/…/original_INVOLVING-HISP
Simich-Dudgeon, C. (1986). Issues of parent involvement and literacy. Washington, DC:
Trinity College.
94
Smit, F., Driessen, G., & Sleegers, P. (2001) Relationships between parents of ethnic
minority children, schools and supporting institutions in the local communitysome ideas for the future. A Bridge to the Future, 255-258. Retrieved from
http://www.ernape.net/articles/2001/session3/Smit,%20F.pdf
Tableman, B. (2004). Why parents involvement is important to school performance. East
Lansing, Michigan: University Outreach and Engagement, Michigan State
University. Retrieved from http://outreach.msu.edu/bpbriefs/issues/brief30.pdf
95
APPENDIX C
Handouts
96
Obstacles or barriers to Direct Parent Involvement
Please list some barriers ESL parents may face:
I.
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
II.
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
III.
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
IV.
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
V.
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Now brainstorm possible strategies to overcome each barrier listed above:
I.
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
II.
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
III.
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
IV.
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
V.
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
97
Obstacles or Barriers to Indirect Parent Involvement
Please list some barriers ESL parents may face:
 __________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
 __________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
 __________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
 __________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
 __________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Now brainstorm possible strategies to overcome each barrier listed above:
 __________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
 __________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
 __________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
 __________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
 __________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
98
Checklist for Enhancing Parent Involvement
Please answer “Y” for yes and “N” for no to the following statements as a self
evaluation of your current efforts to increase parent involvement in your classroom.
____ 1. There is a visible welcome sign in my classroom.
____ 2. My classroom is a positive and informal place (parent friendly).
____ 3. My assistant and other aids are friendly.
____ 4. Communication between parents and myself is effective.
____ 5. There is a homework policy in place and parents are aware of it.
____ 6. I have participated in past trainings addressing parent involvement.
____ 7. Families are a priority in my classroom.
____ 8. I constantly ask parents about their children's thinking and behavior at home.
____ 9. Parents volunteer in my classroom working with children on learning activities.
____ 10. Parents are advocates for their children in my classroom.
____ 11. Parents are promptly notified about problems with students’ academics or
behaviors.
____12. Parents are contacted with good news regularly.
____ 13. I am aware of cultural and language barriers of the families I work with.
____ 14. I am bilingual.
99
REFERENCES
Berger, E. H. (1991). Parent involvement: Yesterday and today. Elementary School
Journal, 91, 209-219. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/1001707
Borba, M. (2009). Caring closes the language-learning gap. Phi D Kappan, 90, 681-685.
Retrieved from http://currentissues-languagedialectdiversity.wikispaces.com/file/view/CaringCloses the Language Gap.pdf
Broussard, C. A. (2003). Facilitating home-school partnerships for multiethnic families:
School social workers collaborating for success. Children & Schools, 25, 211222. doi:10.1093/cs/25.4.211
California State Board of Education Policy (1994). Parent Involvement in the Education
of Their Children. Retrieved from http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/ms/po/policy89-01sep1994.asp
California State Department of Education. (1992). California Strategic Plan for Parental
Involvement in Education: Recommendations for Transforming Schools through
Family-Community-School Partnerships. Sacramento, CA: Author.
Cassity, J., & Harris, S. (2000). Parents of ESL students: A study of parental
involvement. NASSP Bulletin, 84(619), 55-62.doi:10.1177/019263650008461906
Chavkin, N. F. (2005). Strategies for preparing educators to enhance the involvement of
diverse families in their children’s education. Multicultural Education 13(2), 1620. Retrieved from http://www.freepatentsonline.com/article/MulticulturalEducation/141037885
100
Child Trends Databank. (2010). Immigrant children in the U.S. Washington, DC: Author.
Retrieved from http://www.childtrendsdatabank.org/?q=node/333
Davis, C., & Yang, A. (2006). Welcoming families of different cultures. The Responsive
Classroom Newsletter, 18(2). Retrieved from
http://www.responsiveclassrooom.org/article/welcoming-families-differentcultures
Delgado-Gaitan, C. (1991). Involving parents in schools: A process of
empowerment.American Journal of Education, 100, 20-46. Retrieved from
http://www.jstor.org/stable/1085651
Epstein, J. L. (1987). Parent involvement: What research says to administrators.
Education and Urban Society, 19, 119-136.doi:10.1177/0013124587019002002
Epstein, J. L. (2008). Improving family and community involvement in secondary
schools. Education Digest, 73(6), 9-12.Retrieved from
http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy.lib.csus.edu/ehost/detail?sid=7d27cc9a-8c43417d-ac20cc6054442d4a%40sessionmgr111&vid=1&hid=111&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3
QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=31169485
Epstein, J. L., Sanders, M. G., Simon, B. S., Salinas, K. C., Jansorn, N. R., & Voorhis, F.
L. (2002). School, family, and community partnerships: Your handbook for action
(2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
101
Epstein, J. L. & Rodriguez Jansorn (2004). School, family and community partnerships
link the plan. Education Digest, 68 (6), 19-23.Retrieved from
http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy.lib.csus.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=ddaa
6ec8-a81e-4199-b0e3-59f735539472%40sessionmgr113&vid=2&hid=111
Franklin, C. G., & Soto, I. (2002). Keeping Hispanic youths in school. Children &
Schools, 24(3), 139-142. doi 10.1093/cs/24.3.139
Golbuff, M. (2006). Education in Southeast Asian communities. Des Moines, Iowa: Iowa
Statewide Parent Information Resource Center. Retrieved from
http://www.iowaparents.org/files/southeastasia.pdf
Graham-Clay, S. (n.d.) Communicating with parents: Strategies for teachers. The School
Community Journal, 117-130. Retrieved from
http://www.adi.org/journal/ss05/Graham-Clay.pdf
Henderson, A. T., Mapp, K. L., Johnson, V. R., & Davies, D. (2007). Beyond the bake
sale: The essential guide to family-school partnerships. New York, NY: The
News Press.
Kauffman, E., Perry, A., & Prentiss, D. (2001). Reasons for and solutions to lack of
parent involvement of parents of second language learners. Washington, DC:
U.S. Department of Education, Educational Resources Information Center
(ERIC). Retrieved from http://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/ED458956.pdf
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