Bridging the Divide: Examining Family Engagement From Family and Provider Perspectives Across the Early Childhood Spectrum

• In Event: 66.080 - Roundtable Session 26
  In Roundtable Session: 66.080-5 - Family Engagement Strategies and School–Community Partnerships That Support Latina/o Students and Families

Abstract

This paper presents findings from a mixed methods survey study illuminating families’ and elementary and pre-K providers’ experiences with family engagement efforts across six low-income, predominantly Spanish-speaking immigrant communities in California. Specifically, we attempt to disentangle 1) the resources families indicate they need to better support their children’s learning and development; 2) the programs, practices, and resources community/educational institutions offer to bolster families’ engagement; and 3) the alignment and disjunctures between the two. We frame these findings in the scholarship on family engagement, community-based research, and immigrant educational experiences. By conducting research that addresses “persistent problems of practice”, we seek to contribute to the field’s understanding of school-community partnerships. (4b)

Authors

• Kendra Fehrer, John W. Gardner Center

• Graciela Borsato, Stanford University