Caring and Reciprocity: Family Literacy Engagement Through University-School Partnerships

• In Event: Home, School, and Communities: Promoting Language and Literacy Development

Abstract

The collaborative action research examined how a university-school partnership with two school districts collaborated to increase family literacy engagement. In addition, the impact of the partnership on teachers and families of emergent bilingual students is explored. Data sources included surveys, semi-structured interviews, field notes from observations, video and audio transcriptions, and artifacts. Key findings reveal that the university listened to the districts as they identified their family literacy engagement needs and collaboratively brainstormed ways to address them; parents were highly engaged during the family literacy events and noted an increased awareness of local community resources that were readily accessible to them; and that the family literacy events impacted the teachers and students throughout the academic school year.

Authors

• María G. Leija, University of Texas - San Antonio

• Gilberto P. Lara, University of Texas - San Antonio

• Kristen Lindahl, University of Texas - San Antonio

• Bedrettin Yazan, University of Texas - San Antonio

• Jorge L. Solis, University of Texas - San Antonio

• Amanda de Oliveira Silva, University of Texas - San Antonio