What Does it Take to Form Meaningful Connections between Cultural Brokers, Parents, and Teachers? Lessons from the i3 We Are A Village Grant

• In Event: 73.052 - Lessons From the Federal Investing in Innovation (i3) Grants for Building and Sustaining Meaningful Family, School, Community Partnerships

Abstract

Objective: This paper examines how the We Are A Village (WAAV) project in Central Falls, RI has increased social capital between and among families and school staff, resulting in positive outcomes for families, schools, and the community. WAAV has funded a full-time bilingual “Collaborator” in each of the five pre-K and elementary schools, “Parent Peer Navigators” (PPNs; i.e. paid parent leaders), and family engagement activities such as parent workshops, coffee hours, and school-based parent resource centers.

Theoretical framework: Research indicates that strong social capital between teachers and parents and between parents benefits middle-class children to a greater extent than children from low-income families, reproducing social inequality (Bourdieu, 1979; Lareau, 1987). Several studies have examined how expanding social capital and opportunities to share cultural wealth (Yosso, 2005) between low-income families has promoted positive outcomes for families, students, and schools (Dyrness, 2011; Hong, 2011; Lawson & Alameda-Lawson, 2011; Noguera, 2001; Sheldon, 2002). This study expands this work by examining how increased social capital and opportunities to share cultural wealth between and among families and other adults in the school (e.g. Collaborators, teachers, PPNs) enhances the “Four Cs” identified in the Dual Capacity-Building Framework. How and under what conditions do expanded connections between and among families and school staff promote changes in the capabilities, confidence, and cognition of these groups?

Methods and data sources: During the 2013/14 school year, across the five schools, we conducted over 30 semi-structured focus groups with English and Spanish speaking parents, paid parent volunteers, and teachers; interviews with Collaborators, school leaders, and i3 project staff; and observations of i3 activities. Focus groups and interviews included many of the same respondents in the fall and the spring in order to assess change. Our research team systematically coded the transcripts using qualitative data analysis software. We supplement these data with quantitative data tracking parent participation in i3 activities.

Results: Through nurturing trusting connections between and among Collaborators, PPNs, parents, and teachers, WAAV is enhancing the capacities of school staff and families to promote meaningful family engagement. Families have become more capable of utilizing resources available in the schools and the community, such as job training and English classes. Additionally, parent leaders have developed greater confidence in their abilities to support one another, advocate for their children, work with teachers and students, and outreach to other families. Finally, assumptions held by school staff and community members about low-income families and families of color – cognition – are slowly changing. Due to high levels of mistrust between and among these groups, as a result of racial, linguistic, and class differences, deliberate efforts to develop such connections have advanced these outcomes.

Significance: This study illustrates the benefits that can accrue to families, school staff, school cultures, and neighborhoods with deliberate effort to enhance social capital between and among the multiple groups of adults children encounter in school and at home. Practical lessons will be shared for other communities aiming to improve family and staff capacity for engagement.

Authors

• Joanna D. Geller, Annenberg Institute for School Reform

• Vianna Alcantara, Annenberg Institute for School Reform

• Danielle Boucher, Brown University

• Ruth María López, Brown University

• Elizabeth Joy Harris, EduMetrics

• Keith C. Catone, Brown University

• Jaein Lee, Harvard University

• Rosann Tung, Annenberg Institute for School Reform