“My mom seems to have a dicho for everything!”: Family engagement in the college success of Latina/o students

ABSTRACT

In the past decade, we have seen a significant growth in Latina/o college enrollment. Rarely is Latino families' engagement in their children’s educational aspirations acknowledged for this increase in the rate of Latinas/os attending college. I examined how first-generation Latina/o students reflected on and retold stories of how their families helped them persist on the college path through historias familiares (family stories), dichos (proverbs), and consejos (advice-giving narratives). Findings challenge deficit based generalizations of Latino families as unsupportive of their children’s college education. The article concludes with policy recommendations to improve college/university programming to create a more welcoming and affirming campus climate for Latina/o students and their families.

KEY WORDS:

• Latino students
• college success
• family engagement
• culturally responsive

Notes

¹ My work centers on family engagement rather than parental involvement because, when parents are involved, the activities, practices, and policies are usually developed without or with minimal input from families of color. In contrast, when schools engage parents, families, and communities, they have a stronger voice and influence in shaping the education of their children within and outside the school space. Olivos et al. (2011) defined parental engagement as a “process that is focused on building welcoming and trusting relationships, building leadership skills, and creating spaces of belongingness” (p. 11).

² The Bracero Program, established in 1942, was a binational labor agreement between the Mexican and U.S. government until its termination in 1964. UCLA’s Labor Center estimates that 4.8 million people from Mexico came under the Bracero Program. Many of the men were exploited by employers and subjected to inhumane working conditions (

³ Storytelling is also critical in teaching children and youth to respect and value the wisdom of elders in the family and community.

⁴ Translation of “Algo es algo, peor es nada y se casó con uno que tenía vacas”: Something is something, worse is nothing and got married with someone that had cows.

⁵ Translation of “El camarón que se duerme se lo lleva la corriente”: The shrimp that falls asleep, gets caught up by the tide.

⁶ Translation of “El que con lobos anda, a aullar se enseña”: The one who walks with wolves learns to howl.