Culturally Responsive Education Isn't Only for the Beginning of the School Year

This fall, we discussed questions to ask families who are new to the country to begin your partnership for their child's education. As quarter four approaches, it may be easy to forget those early conversations you had with families. However, family engagement continues through all parts of the school year.

Understanding Barriers to Engagement

As one researcher found , there are a variety of reasons parents may not be fully engaged:

• Cultural differences between home and school : Beyond language barriers, cultural differences from the way schools operate in their home country may impact your partnership with families. For example, “in many Latin American countries it is considered rude for a parent to intrude into the life of the school. Parents believe that it is the school’s job to educate and the parent’s job to nurture and that the two jobs do not mix.”
• Constraints on parents' availability : Transportation issues, working multiple jobs, or caring for other kids can get in the way of being available to show up at the school.
• Not fully understanding the system : Families may not understand the school's systems, such as how to read a report card or a grade point average. This can lead them to being uncomfortable asking questions to teachers and staff.
• Feelings of Inadequacies : If a family doesn't speak the language or hasn't completed the same level of education as their child, they may feel they are unable to support learning at home.

We dove into two research studies for proven methods of overcoming family engagement barriers:

• Use an online platform with translation ability , like Flyer Connect, to provide information on upcoming events, assignments, and a way to answer any questions.
• Sending three messages a week is proven to increase early childhood literacy. One message a week wasn't enough, and messages should be informational, actionable, or provide encouragement.
• Assign interactive take-home projects that engages both parents and students. This can help families realize that they can be a part of learning at home.
• Know the countries, languages, and religions that are represented in your classroom. Invite families to multi-cultural days or events where your class celebrates their holidays.
• Keep important holidays in mind when planning tests or other activities. For example, don't plan a kickball game as a reward for your class during Ramadan when your Muslim students are fasting during the day.
• Invite families to speak to the class.
• Invite guest speakers to talk to parents about topics of interest, such as health benefits coverage, homework help, internet safety, etc.