Examining Latina/o Parents' Decision-Making Processes Regarding Enrollment in a Parent Academy

• In Event: 66.058 - Roundtable Session 28
  In Roundtable Session: 66.058-9 - Parents, Communities, and the Negotiation of Complex Power Relationships

Abstract

Schools continue to struggle with increasing parental engagement with families of color from low and working-class backgrounds. Research has found that by building parents’ capacity to effectively navigate school systems and advocate for their children, parents can increase their participation in school-related activities. Yet, we know little about the decision-making process of working class Latino/a parents’ who enroll in school-based parent programs that build their capacity to effectively navigate educational systems. This study will use concepts from Hoover-Dempsey and Sandler’s parental involvement model and community cultural wealth to examine the factors that contribute to working-class Latino/a parents enrolling into a nationally recognized parent academy in a high-poverty, majority Latino/a school district located in South Texas along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Author

• Joanna Dolores Sanchez, Howard University