The Ties That Bind: The Ties That Bind: Building and Building and

Strengthening the School-Strengthening the School-Home-Community Home-Community

Connection for Connection for English Language English Language

LearnersLearners

Robin AdamopoulosRobin AdamopoulosEDUC 591: School in a Diverse EDUC 591: School in a Diverse Society Independent Graduate Society Independent Graduate

Study ProjectStudy ProjectSpring, 2004Spring, 2004

Challenges to Education in Challenges to Education in the the

2121stst Century Century• The United States The United States

has experienced the has experienced the largest wave of largest wave of immigration since immigration since the last turn of the the last turn of the century.century.

• More than 9 million More than 9 million immigrants entered immigrants entered the U.S. between the U.S. between 1991-2000.1991-2000.

• U.S. Census DataU.S. Census Data

Growing Population of Non-Growing Population of Non-Native English SpeakersNative English Speakers

• According to the U.S. According to the U.S. Department of Department of Education: In 1992, Education: In 1992, approximately approximately 2.3 million children were 2.3 million children were living in households living in households where English was not a where English was not a first language.first language.

• It is estimated that 3 out It is estimated that 3 out of every 10 Hispanics of every 10 Hispanics between the ages of 16 between the ages of 16 and 24 are without a and 24 are without a high school credential.high school credential.

Implications for the Implications for the SchoolsSchools

““In particular, language minority In particular, language minority students, including immigrants and the students, including immigrants and the U.S.-born children of immigrants, may U.S.-born children of immigrants, may not receive appropriate educational not receive appropriate educational services due to a mismatch between the services due to a mismatch between the languages and cultures of the schools languages and cultures of the schools and those of their communities.”and those of their communities.”

Carolyn Temple Adger (2000)Carolyn Temple Adger (2000)

School/Community Partnerships to School/Community Partnerships to

Support Language Minority Student SuccessSupport Language Minority Student Success

Benefits of School-Home-Benefits of School-Home-Community PartnershipsCommunity Partnerships

• Improved academic Improved academic achievementachievement

• Increased language Increased language achievementachievement

• Improved overall school Improved overall school behaviorbehavior

• Sustained achievement Sustained achievement gainsgains

• Improved parent-child Improved parent-child relationshipsrelationships

• Gains in parental self-Gains in parental self-confidence and confidence and expertiseexpertise

• Improved Home-School Improved Home-School relations.relations.

Barriers to Parental Barriers to Parental InvolvementInvolvement

• Feelings of low self-worth and alienation from a Feelings of low self-worth and alienation from a system that does not understand them.system that does not understand them.

• Cultural values: Parents view the teacher as the Cultural values: Parents view the teacher as the authority on learning and do not question the policies authority on learning and do not question the policies of the school, the teacher, and the academic of the school, the teacher, and the academic programs. Parents blame themselves for their programs. Parents blame themselves for their children’s problems instead of seeking support.children’s problems instead of seeking support.

• Lack of English language skills make it difficult to Lack of English language skills make it difficult to communicate with school and teachers.communicate with school and teachers.

• Lack of trust in the school system: English-only Lack of trust in the school system: English-only policies, meeting schedules that are inconvenient for policies, meeting schedules that are inconvenient for working parents.working parents.

• Negative past experiences with school and Negative past experiences with school and educational environments.educational environments.

Welcome and Welcome and CommunicateCommunicate

““It is incumbent upon schools to create a It is incumbent upon schools to create a welcoming environment for the parents and welcoming environment for the parents and families of ESOL Students, and also to families of ESOL Students, and also to communicate with them in a meaningful way communicate with them in a meaningful way about academic programs, services, and their about academic programs, services, and their children’s progress.” children’s progress.”

Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages

TESOL (June, 2000)TESOL (June, 2000)

How Can We Help?How Can We Help?The role of The role of

Administrators and Administrators and School PersonnelSchool Personnel

Create a Culture of Create a Culture of CaringCaring

• According to Beck (1995) According to Beck (1995) a definition of a caring a definition of a caring paradigm involves three paradigm involves three activities:activities:

1.1. Empathy --“receiving the Empathy --“receiving the other’s perspective.”other’s perspective.”

2.2. Response— “responding Response— “responding appropriately to the appropriately to the awareness that comes awareness that comes from this reception,” andfrom this reception,” and

3.3. Commitment— Commitment— “Remaining committed to “Remaining committed to others and to the others and to the relationship.”relationship.”

(Casbon,Schirmer and Twiss, (Casbon,Schirmer and Twiss, 1997)1997)

Collaborative Models of Collaborative Models of LeadershipLeadership

• ““Horizontal” management– based on Horizontal” management– based on collaboration and cooperation works collaboration and cooperation works best in multicultural environments.best in multicultural environments.

• The administrator is in a collaborative, The administrator is in a collaborative, consensus-building relationship with teachers, consensus-building relationship with teachers, staff, community and parents.staff, community and parents.

• Collaborative organizations tend to be “more Collaborative organizations tend to be “more caring, to affirm diversity,” and “to be more caring, to affirm diversity,” and “to be more successful in generating literacy among their successful in generating literacy among their multicultural students.”multicultural students.”

(Casbon, Schirmer and Twiss, 1997)(Casbon, Schirmer and Twiss, 1997)

Practical Adaptations for Practical Adaptations for School ManagementSchool Management

• Welcome Welcome multicultural parents by multicultural parents by providing for their basic needs:providing for their basic needs:

– Vary meeting times to accommodate the schedules Vary meeting times to accommodate the schedules of working parents.of working parents.

– Provide Child Care at meetings and Provide Child Care at meetings and Transportation to meetings, if necessary.Transportation to meetings, if necessary.

– Provide food and refreshments – creates a Provide food and refreshments – creates a welcoming atmosphere.welcoming atmosphere.

– Provide for sharing times when family members Provide for sharing times when family members and children work together. and children work together.

– Consider the entire family. Provide activities for Consider the entire family. Provide activities for extended family to come into the school: Family extended family to come into the school: Family Reading Night, International Night, Grandparents Reading Night, International Night, Grandparents and Special Friends days, for example.and Special Friends days, for example.

CommunicateCommunicate• Develop bilingual resources for parents: forms, Develop bilingual resources for parents: forms,

newsletters, school communications.newsletters, school communications.• Provide an orientation to the school specifically for Provide an orientation to the school specifically for

newcomer parents.newcomer parents.• Develop an “intake” process. Ask parents for Develop an “intake” process. Ask parents for

information about their family’s educational history; information about their family’s educational history; special talents and abilities they could contribute; special talents and abilities they could contribute; and their weekly schedule—times that they could be and their weekly schedule—times that they could be available for meetings or volunteer projects.available for meetings or volunteer projects.

• Provide support groups for newcomer parents; Provide support groups for newcomer parents; ideally, these groups will be coordinated by other ideally, these groups will be coordinated by other immigrant parents who are already established in immigrant parents who are already established in the school and community.the school and community.

Staff DevelopmentStaff Development

• Provide translation and interpretation Provide translation and interpretation services, drawing on the school’s services, drawing on the school’s population of immigrant parents – population of immigrant parents – parents helping parents.parents helping parents.

• Train staff specifically on issues of Train staff specifically on issues of cultural sensitivity. Ideal– bilingual staff cultural sensitivity. Ideal– bilingual staff members; Reality – staff that can members; Reality – staff that can accommodate the needs of non-native accommodate the needs of non-native speakers in non-judgmental, non-speakers in non-judgmental, non-threatening ways.threatening ways.

• RESPECT cultural values and beliefs.RESPECT cultural values and beliefs.

How Can We Help?How Can We Help?The role of TeachersThe role of Teachers

T.I.E.S.T.I.E.S.

TT—Teachers—Teachers

II—Involving—Involving

EE—Everyone—Everyone

InIn

SS—School—School

B.I.N.D.B.I.N.D.

• BB is for Background Knowledge— is for Background Knowledge—Teachers become Teachers become “ethnographers” of their students “ethnographers” of their students and communities.and communities.

B.I.N.D.B.I.N.D.II is for Initiate, Invite and Inform: is for Initiate, Invite and Inform:

• Initiate -- Contact parents frequently to check on their Initiate -- Contact parents frequently to check on their needs. Teachers need to meet more often with needs. Teachers need to meet more often with multicultural parents in face-to-face settings. multicultural parents in face-to-face settings. Immigrant parents may not always get the Immigrant parents may not always get the information they need from once-a-month PTA information they need from once-a-month PTA meetings. meetings.

• Invite—Ask the parents to come into the classroom to Invite—Ask the parents to come into the classroom to volunteer, and to share their stories, recipes, careers, volunteer, and to share their stories, recipes, careers, or a special talent.or a special talent.

• Inform– Inform– Always keep parents informed of their child’s Always keep parents informed of their child’s progress.progress. In addition: communicate with parents on In addition: communicate with parents on instructional goals and objectives and special instructional goals and objectives and special programs of interest to them – ESL for adults, programs of interest to them – ESL for adults, vocational programs, and for high-school aged vocational programs, and for high-school aged children—workshops on preparation for college.children—workshops on preparation for college.

B.I.N.D.B.I.N.D.

• NN is for newer approaches to literacy: is for newer approaches to literacy:– Immigrant parents are not only reluctant to Immigrant parents are not only reluctant to

participate in school because of language participate in school because of language barriers, but also, many immigrants have barriers, but also, many immigrants have limited experience with formal education and limited experience with formal education and are in need of literacy instruction themselves.are in need of literacy instruction themselves.

– Family Literacy programs are an essential part Family Literacy programs are an essential part of developing a love of reading and writing in of developing a love of reading and writing in young children from multicultural backgrounds.young children from multicultural backgrounds.

– Family Literacy involves both parents and Family Literacy involves both parents and children in the language learning process.children in the language learning process.

B.I.N.D.B.I.N.D.

• D D is for Develop:is for Develop:• Develop relationships with parents and Develop relationships with parents and

the community to support education and the community to support education and literacy.literacy.

• How do we do this?How do we do this?– One answer is Family Literacy ProgramsOne answer is Family Literacy Programs

• The Even Start Family Literacy Program is one The Even Start Family Literacy Program is one example of such programs that is funded by the example of such programs that is funded by the federal government under Title I legislation.federal government under Title I legislation.

• There are many models of Family Literacy There are many models of Family Literacy Programs, but all involve some of the same basic Programs, but all involve some of the same basic principles.principles.

What is family literacy?What is family literacy?

Family Literacy is:Family Literacy is:• Intergenerational Intergenerational

and bi-directional: and bi-directional: Children teaching Children teaching parents and parents parents and parents teaching children— teaching children— the community the community teaching each teaching each other.other.

Family LiteracyFamily Literacy

• Family Literacy is integrative, Family Literacy is integrative, communicative instruction in all communicative instruction in all language skills: reading, writing, language skills: reading, writing, listening and speaking. Family Literacy listening and speaking. Family Literacy programs provide opportunities to programs provide opportunities to exercise all of these literacy skills. exercise all of these literacy skills.

• Reading aloud togetherReading aloud together• Writing and illustrating personal narratives or a Writing and illustrating personal narratives or a

history of the family.history of the family.• Developing oral language skills through Developing oral language skills through

storytelling.storytelling.

Family LiteracyFamily Literacy• Family Literacy is multicultural.Family Literacy is multicultural.

– It embraces diversity and the culture of all It embraces diversity and the culture of all learners.learners.

– It allows students to learn about themselves It allows students to learn about themselves and each other.and each other.

Family LiteracyFamily Literacy

• Family Literacy is socially-Family Literacy is socially-constructed learning—constructed learning—– Students use authentic materials; share Students use authentic materials; share

from their background experiences, and from their background experiences, and add to their learning through add to their learning through interaction with others.interaction with others.

– The activities are creative, meaningful The activities are creative, meaningful and fun! Students and family members and fun! Students and family members create a meaningful product that can be create a meaningful product that can be shared with future generations.shared with future generations.

Family LiteracyFamily Literacy

• Family Literacy is Critical Pedagogy:Family Literacy is Critical Pedagogy:– Learners achieve literacy skills which can help Learners achieve literacy skills which can help

them to participate in American culture and them to participate in American culture and society.society.

How Can We Help?How Can We Help?The role of Parents and The role of Parents and

Community Based Community Based OrganizationsOrganizations

We can’t do it aloneWe can’t do it alone• The school needs the support of parents and The school needs the support of parents and

the community in order to function.the community in order to function.• Parents can organize groups to discuss issues Parents can organize groups to discuss issues

of concern to immigrant parents. These groups of concern to immigrant parents. These groups should be led by members of the same should be led by members of the same language/ethnic heritage. Parents helping language/ethnic heritage. Parents helping parents models work best.parents models work best.

• Community-based organizations can provide a Community-based organizations can provide a wealth of resources: much needed funding for wealth of resources: much needed funding for programs; bilingual materials and human programs; bilingual materials and human resources—translators and interpreters; and resources—translators and interpreters; and support services—homework helpers, support services—homework helpers, mentoring, before and after school care, mentoring, before and after school care, transportation, health and social services.transportation, health and social services.

PTA Standards PTA Standards

• The national organization of the The national organization of the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) Parent Teacher Association (PTA) has recently published standards for has recently published standards for parent involvement in the schools. parent involvement in the schools. Available at the PTA website: Available at the PTA website: www.pta.org/programs/pfistand.htmwww.pta.org/programs/pfistand.htm

“…“…our fears, our hopes, our our fears, our hopes, our aims are one, our comforts aims are one, our comforts

and our cares.”and our cares.”

Blest Be the Tie That BindsBlest Be the Tie That Binds John Fawcett 1740-1817John Fawcett 1740-1817