Mixtecos, members of an Indigenous group from Mexico, have settled in large numbers in New York. Their children are found in bilingual classrooms (Spanish-English), but little is known about parent-school interactions. This work describes the educational ideologies that 23 Mixteco mothers shared during 5 focus group interviews distributed across 9…

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…

Culturally and linguistically appropriate strategies for family involvement are essential to ensure successful home-school partnerships. This article explores the use of "dichos," or popular sayings in the Spanish language, as tools that may have the potential to enhance school-home communication. Given their authenticity as constructs of the…

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…

The promise of dual language education has spurred a movement in the field of bilingual education to shift from remedial programs to enrichment forms of bilingual education. Although research supports the effectiveness of such programs, many programs do not maintain their level of implementation and quickly revert to their original remedial form.…

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…

Deficit views of Mexican parents are pervasive and hinder both parents and school staff from effectively supporting student achievement. Analysis of the qualitative results from a larger study of school-based adult ESL classes yielded findings about the motivations and capacities of Mexican mothers that critique these deficit views and illuminate…

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,…

This study explores the relation between Mexican American parents and the special education system, especially the Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) meetings. Within this narrative account, 10 Mexican American women were interviewed throughout a school year to comprehend how they felt about their experiences during IEP meetings concerning…

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…

An educator observing her biracial, bilingual daughter's first-grade classroom for a study of gender relations was horrified by school and classroom practices that enforced mindless conformity and were insensitive to negative racial images. Her daughter's attempts to make meaning from her experiences are described. (SV)