Experiences of Young Latino Children and their Families in School Settings

• In Event: 2-074 - Building on Family Strengths to Promote the Academic Development of Young Black and Latino Children

Integrative Statement

Low-income Latino families bring many strengths to the educational experience of their children, but these are often undermined by the challenges families experience as they navigate schools (Garcia & Frede, 2010). Research has documented that Latino children who are classified as English Language Learners (ELLs) lag behind in academic and self-regulation skills compared to their peers. However, less research has focused on ELLs as they enter kindergarten and their parents’ experiences as they access services and supports for their children. Using data from two studies, this presentation explores, 1) how low-income Latino ELLs perform on statewide Kindergarten Assessments in Oregon compared to low-income non-ELLs, and 2) the experiences of Latino families as they navigate school settings.

To answer the first question, data from the statewide Kindergarten Assessments (KA) in Oregon, low-income Latino ELLs included 24% of low-income kindergarteners (n= 21,623) and were 50% female. Non-ELLs (n=16,398) entering kindergarten were 49% female and 69% White (others included 17% Latino, 7% Multi-Ethnic, 4% African American, 2% Native American; 2% Asian/Pacific Islander). Early math was measured in English or Spanish using the easyCBM Mathematics (Anderson et al., 2014), early literacy was measured in English using the easyCBM letter names and letter sounds (Anderson et al., 2014), and teacher-rated self-regulation was measured using the Child Behavior Rating Scale (Bronson, Tivnan, & Seppanen, 1995).

To answer the second question, qualitative data from interviews were used from 33 Latino parents and 13 key informants (teachers, school administrators and staff) living in a rural community in Oregon. Latino parents participated in focus groups and were 81% female, had an average education of 9.1 years, and had lived in the U.S an average of 14.4 years. Parents and key-informants were asked to describe and share the experiences of Latino families in their local school and community.

For the first research question, results indicated that low-income non-ELLs in Oregon scored significantly higher than low-income ELLs on early math and early literacy (letter sounds & letter names) after controlling for gender and ethnicity. For early math, non-ELLs scored significantly higher than Latino ELLs F(1,8)= 200.43, p=.001. For literacy: letter names, non-ELLs scored significant higher F(1,8)= 725.13, p=.001 than Latino ELLs. For literacy: letter sounds, non-ELLs scored significant higher than ELLs F(1,8)= 252.76, p=.001. Finally, for teacher-rated self-regulation, there were no significant differences between non-ELLs and Latino ELLs (F(1,8)= 3.50, p=.06). For the second question, qualitative results indicated that although schools are making improvements on services and programs, Latino families still experience challenges related to getting information about student services, language barriers, discrimination, and the negative effects of immigration policies.

These results highlight the need to provide support for Latino students as they enter kindergarten and leverage skills such as self-regulation to support academic achievement. Additionally, more work is needed to address the challenges that Latino families face in schools and their local communities as they work to support their children’s school success.

Authors

• Guadalupe Diaz, University of California, Irvine
  Presenting Author

• Megan McClelland, Oregon State University
  Non-Presenting Author