Relatively little research has examined the ways in which immigrant Latino parents can effectively support their adolescent children's schooling. To address this gap, we conducted in-depth interviews with 32 Mexican-heritage 9th graders. Students identified parents' advice giving as the most salient form of involvement. Parental advice…

This article draws upon three years of interviews and participant observation research in the Chelsea Public Schools, to discuss the impact of the Chelsea Family Literacy Program on promoting Latin American immigrant mothers' involvement in their children's education. The authors present the voices of Latin American immigrant mothers who describe…

This article attempts to refute the deficit-thinking perspectives that permeate the parent involvement literature to better understand the micro-aggressions experienced by undocumented Latino immigrant fathers as they engage with their children. We explore the following 3 questions: (a) What types of micro-aggressions do undocumented Latino…

Family literacy has moved of late to the forefront of school reform, mostly because of the implementation of the No Child Left Behind policy. Family literacy has become a process of colonization: Standardization of the skill-based approach and Euro-American middle-class practices have become the norm for evaluating the involvement of all parents.…

This qualitative study grounded in critical inquiry and cultural-ecological theory explores barriers to academic achievement for Latino English language learners (ELLs). Parents and teachers were purposefully selected from a rural school district in the Rocky Mountain region to participate in focus group interviews. Findings included barriers…

This research project is a qualitative study of 4 White female elementary school teachers working in an urban school district populated by primarily Mexican American students. The data were collected through in-depth interviews, observations, and documents. This study examines the perceptions, beliefs, and life experiences of White female teachers…

Children from migrant agricultural families have some of the lowest socioeconomic and educational indicators in the American Southwest, and migrant parents are often characterized by school personnel as "hard to reach" and uninvolved in their children's education. This study analyzes the process of school participation among migrant parents who…

Grounded in J. L. Epstein's (2001) types of involvement, this literature review investigates family-school partnerships that (a) empower Latino families in the area of mathematics education, (b) promote student achievement in mathematics, (c) impact parent-child involvement in mathematics at home, and (d) support Family Math Nights. Family Math…

This article describes the significance of 3 entities--the family, the school, and the university--working together to assist young Latino children succeed in school. In an effort to increase parental and teacher communication regarding school expectations, the Family Institute for Early Literacy Development was created. It uses principles of…

Parental agency is examined in the creation of a dance performance by a group of Mexican immigrant mothers that combined a mixture of genres into an educational message. The "folklorico" performance resulted from a process of cultural appropriation involving linguistic, cultural, and experiential "translations." This process was concerned with…

Government programs currently mandate direct parental input in school governance. In comparing the actions of low-income Latino parents with those of middle-income White and Asian parents within the context of school governance, we found that although both groups actively sought and achieved reforms in order to improve their children's education,…

In this study we examined the perceptions of 16 Latino families regarding their views and experiences raising a child with special needs and their involvement in their child's schooling. Families talked about treating their child like a "normal child" regardless of the child's unique needs, but they also stated that their level of involvement was…

Much importance has been placed on the positive, academic effects of parent involvement in children's literacy development. However, for families of Hispanic/Latino backgrounds, parent involvement often results in disappointment. This disparity in academic achievement is often attributed to low literacy activity and parent involvement. Also,…

A study examined Mexican American parent-school interaction in two elementary schools in Orange County, California. Data from observations, document analysis, and interviews with parents, educators, and community members revealed that principals'"microacts" of leadership that are neither highly dramatic nor visible can be very effective in…

Examines the myth that Mexican American children have poor academic achievement because their parents don't value education. Focuses on the myth's origins in "deficit thinking" and concepts of "cultural deprivation" and "at-risk." Examines evidence to the contrary: Mexican Americans' long struggle for equal educational opportunity, studies…