Accepting Responsibility for Teaching All Multilingual Students: Structure and Agency in Community-School Partnerships During COVID-19

• In Event: Community School Partnerships

Abstract

This study explores family/community engagement in the Teachers Educating All Multilingual Students (TEAMS) project during COVID-19 remote learning. Research shows that family engagement enhances the success of English Learners in school. Questions include: (1) How did TEAMS teachers understand and support family/community engagement? (2) How did district facilitators and administrators understand and support family/community engagement? The structure-agency dialectic framed analysis of participants’ work across levels: local schools and broader district systems. Using grounded theory and case study methodologies, findings demonstrated (1) Racial and socioeconomic differences in meeting basic needs and engagement, (2) Altered systems for communicating with families, (3) Blurred boundaries between parents and teachers, and (4) Communication challenges as systems became less functional.

Authors

• Kathryn Esther Mcintosh, Oregon State University

• Cory A. Buxton, Oregon State University

• Jamey Burho, Oregon State University

• Barbara Ettenauer, Oregon State University

• Flor Lizbeth Hernandez, Oregon State University