A Community-Based Approach to Fostering Community-School Partnerships in Mexican-Origin Communities

• In Event: Community-Engaged Research and Practice in Education: Conducting Research in Latinx Communities With Cultura and Corazon

Abstract

This qualitative study focuses on the parental strategies of Mexican-origin parents to create community-school partnerships in a rural community. Latinx parents are often documented in the mainstream literature as not valuing education (Valencia & Solorzano, 1997) or not being actively engaged in their children’s education. Previous research examining the parent involvement of Latinx parents indicates that parents become involved in their children’s education by engaging in practices that are not recognized by mainstream models of parent involvement (Lopez, 2001; Delgado-Gaitan, 1992; 1994; & Manzo, 2016). This study employs a community cultural wealth framework (Yosso, 2005) and civic capacity model (Stone, 2001) to build on the community-based participatory action research (CBPAR) literature. Furthermore, this study challenges the deficit approaches to parent involvement. This study draws from ethnographic data collected in a rural community in Central California. Findings demonstrate that building on parents’ practices can contribute to more inclusive models of parent involvement, and contribute to the development of community-school partnerships. Finally, this study presents implications for educational researchers to engage in CBPAR methodologies to create empowerment and sustainable change within the field of education.

Author

• Rosa Manzo, University of California - Merced