Reimagining Latinx Family Engagement in Schools Through Technological Equity, Culture and Linguistic Assets

ABSTRACT

Research related to the engagement of parents in education continues to perpetuate critical misconceptions in the education of English Learners (ELs), as ideological mind-sets and mislabeling of Latinx families intentionally diminish their roles, importance, participation, and histories. The effects of COVID-19 pandemic on mitigating online instruction, exposed the magnitude of the technological inequities for Latinx families already marginalized by systemic discrimination and social injustices. Schools not only need to commit to training all educators on how to engage all families but to also consider providing technology training to parents of ELs. This five-year study aimed to improve the education of ELs by increasing the engagement of parents through technology. The research presented how the parents’ confidence levels on the use of technology remained moderate to low, even after participating in teacher-parent workshops targeted at increasing their skills. However, the study also demonstrated steady gains in confidence over time in using technology at home with their children. Findings indicate that parents need access to ample internet connectivity, basic knowledge of online communication, access to platforms used by schools, and ways they can monitor and support their children through technology. Trusting teacher–parent relationships served as a unifying element in cultivating community-school relations.

KEYWORDS:

• Latinx parents
• mobile technology
• English learners
• family engagement
• online learning

Acknowledgments

Involving parents in meaningful interactions with family and teachers, strengthened the engagement in their children’s education. This partnership between the university’s National Professional Development (NPD) grant from the US Department of Education and three local districts improved parents’ use of technology, and dispelled deficit-oriented believes about Latinx families’ lack of contribution to the education of their children. The parent/family workshops under Project ACCEPT - Aligning the Common Core for English Learners, Parents and Teachers: A Professional Development Community in Dual Language Education (NPD, 2016-2021) aimed to dismantle the ideological orientation of Latinx stereotypes for parents of ELs and served as a unifying element in cultivating parent and community—School relations. The project created a welcoming environment in the home language with lessons designed to improve the families’ use of mobile technology with bilingual teacher trainers and teacher candidates. In addition, involving parents in meaningful interactions with teachers, strengthened their engagement of their children’s education during the COVID-19 transition to online/distance learning. The research not only examined how families of ELs were affected during the pandemic but also how they utilized the mobile technology during the school closures to stay connected and engaged with teachers. The project used e-journals and surveys to document families’ experiences, which served as a unifying element for the community. Parent education designed around the tenets of Latino Critical Theory embraced the assets of parents, and the potential for teachers to reframe the purposeful engagement of Latinx parents with technology – owning their voices, celebrating bilingualism, and eradicating stereotypes to disrupt systemic inequities. Latinx parents gained knowledge on creating presentations and engaging with their children on projects. They learned how to access materials and resources for their children’s education. They also obtained information on health-related topics during the pandemic, including information to further their own educational journeys.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

Funds were awarded to the university by a federal grant. We confirm that we have followed the regulations of our institution concerning intellectual property and research has been conducted with the ethical approval of the US Department of Education and the university’s Institutional Review Board.