Parent Involvement as Ritualized Practice

• In Event: Which Public Do Public Schools Serve? Critical Ethnographic Perspectives on Home-School Connections in Schooling

Abstract

In order to understanding what counts as parent involvement (PI), this paper examines the highly ritualized nature of PI in schools. I consider: How might the ritualization of PI practices among mainstream parents create static parent/school identities that marginalize families of the heterodoxy? I argue that the rituals of PI, and the solidarity they foster among mainstream parents, limit a greater imagination for PI—one that might include new rituals and practices, new ways of belonging and participating (Doucet, 2008). I explore three root paradigms (Turner, 1979) underlying the ritualized system of PI and provide empirical examples of each: (1) A Cult of Domesticity, within which the “proper” ways of performing involvement are best carried out by (white, middle-class) mothers; (2) A Cult(ure) of Capital, which assumes that parents will and should activate all available resources to advance their children’s educational experiences as long as this activation is too aggressive or critical; and (3) A Cult of Pedantocracy, which prescribes that the best way for parents to participate in their children’s education is in a supportive role.

Methods
I draw from two related studies of immigrant adaptation to U.S. schools. A total of 54 Haitian parent participants of both Haiti-born and U.S.-born children, who were interviewed over the course of five years and two years, respectively, in relation to their experiences with their child(ren)’s schooling. Data consist of interview transcripts and, field and interview notes. I analyzed data using classic thematic analysis techniques (Ryan & Bernard, 2003).

Findings and Conclusions
I found that the Haitian immigrant parents interviewed displayed approaches to PI that often contrasted the mainstream root paradigms of PI in three specific ways: (1) They displayed Diverging Notions of Domesticity as opposed to mainstream ones. (2) Their approach to advocacy represented “Un-valuable” Capital as opposed to valuable capital. (3) Finally, they were aligned in many ways with the schoolcentric Cult of Pedantocracy.

The findings provide evidence of misalignment between the foundational principles of PI as constructed in U.S. mainstream, middle-class circles and the resources, needs, and priorities of Haitian immigrant parents. The consequences of and implications for such alienation are problematic, not only to the extent that they may make PI inaccessible for these families, but also insofar as they impact how teachers, schools, and mainstream parents come to view families of the heterodoxy.

References

Doucet, F. (2008). How African American parents understand their and teachers' roles in children's schooling and what this means for preparing preservice teachers. Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education [Special Issue on Multicultural Teacher Education in Honor of Leslie R. Williams], 29(2), 108-139.

Doucet, F. (in preparation). On the edge of hope: Haitian families, education, and the American dream.

Ryan, G. W., & Bernard, H. R. (2003). Techniques to identify themes. Field Methods, 15(1), 85-109.

Suárez-Orozco, C., Suárez-Orozco, M. M., & Todorova, I. (2008). Learning a new land: Immigrant students in American society. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Turner, V. (1979). Process, performance and pilgrimage. New Delhi: Concept Publishing Company.

Author

• Fabienne Doucet, New York University