Screaming to Be Heard! The Perceptions of Family Engagement in Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 65
  In Roundtable Session: Parent Empowerment and Involvement in Secondary and Postsecondary Settings

Abstract

This study examined how the family structure can be used as a true partnership. Through the lens of the existing literature and a new theoretical framework, the researcher identified the intersections between family engagement and postsecondary and workforce readiness. Using a case study design, the results revealed that families perceived their engagement as occurring all the time in various ways outside of school. While families encountered barriers to engagement in postsecondary and workforce readiness at the school level, they still had high aspirations for their children to succeed regardless of age of children, ethnicity, or socio-economic status. The study outlines the implications for schools if stakeholders do not begin to understand and value the multiple representations of family engagement.

Author

• Keisha Kayon Morgan, University of Denver