A Place in Between: Navigating Community-based Language Education and K–12 Schools as Iranian Immigrant Parents

• In Event: Preparing Educators to Work with Culturally Diverse and Multilingual Families

Abstract

This study examines how Iranian American parents engage with both K–12 schools and community-based Persian language programs to support their children’s educational, linguistic, and cultural development. Drawing on a sequential mixed-methods study involving a survey of 110 parents and interviews with 18, we examine how race, language, and socioeconomic status influence their involvement. Findings reveal that while K–12 schools offer more formal engagement structures, parents often feel culturally marginalized. In contrast, Persian language programs, although less institutionally robust in family engagement structures, serve as culturally affirming spaces where families co-construct learning. These dynamics highlight how intersecting forms of privilege and exclusion influence immigrant family engagement across contexts, offering implications for equity-centered practices in both mainstream and community-based education.

Authors

• Yalda M. Kaveh, Arizona State University

• Sepide Pazhouhi, Arizona State University

• Roya Fathalizadeh, Arizona State University

• Yaxin Wang, Arizona State University