CHAPTER 9: Welcoming and Latino/A Engaging Immigrant Families: Improving Student Success

Positive school-home connections are vital for promoting family engagement, and the literature shows that family engagement is correlated with successful schools and successful students. Embedded within the interactions are relations of power, with school personnel holding the power. As described in this chapter, the school has the opportunity to use its authority positively within an environment that facilitates opportunities for immigrant students and their families. A culture of respect in which families are considered individually, not monolithically, is crucial. Effective teachers value and incorporate the families’ funds of knowledge into classroom activities. Effective districts provide learning opportunities for teachers and staff to heighten cultural responsiveness. This chapter provides examples of practices and programs that foster cultural responsiveness in a teacher preparation program and at the district and school level. Descriptions of culturally responsive practices are gleaned from a case study of Latin American immigrant families and their sense of connection to their children’s schools.