A Community-Based Organization as Cultural Broker: Bridging Gaps Between Recent Immigrant Families and Schools

• In Event: Community Counts With Family Involvement Practices

Abstract

This qualitative case study delves into the cultural brokering work that one community-based organization (CBO) does with recent immigrant families and schools in low-income communities. To better connect families and schools, CBO staff enlist three different, yet related mechanisms. They cultivate insider status within community contexts; position themselves as a resource for schools; and empower families and equip schools with the tools to engage productively and contribute to school improvement. Understanding the organization’s approach to the work and the various conditions that create and shape the work demonstrates the critical role that community-based organizations can play in bridging existing gaps between schools and immigrant families in low-income communities.

Author

• Cate Samuelson, Napa County Office of Education