ParentInvolvementMatters.Org eNews Archive
Involving Latino Familes in Education We devote much of this newsletter to the topic of Latino family involvement. Why? Latinos are among the fastest growing populations in the U.S. and now its largest minority group. Our highlighted book and article is by Mariela Dubbah, nationally-known for her work as an advocate for Latino students and Latino parent involvement. Learn about her books, workshops, and other resources. Learn More In our search for recent research on how to better reach and engage Latino parents, we found two promising articles. First, Paul Springer of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln presents a multidisciplinary approach to engaging Latinos. Using research from the human service literature, he and his colleagues present a coherent model for engaging Latino families in outreach educational programs. Their recent article discusses common barriers to engagement, the need to understand various Latino cultures, professional misperceptions, and the need for culturally adapted programs. Read Full Article A recent study on Latino parent involvement was published in the Social Science Quarterly by Paru Shah of Macalester College in St. Paul, MN. The article, “Motivating Participation: The Symbolic Effects of Latino Representation on Parent School Involvement,” suggested that low Latino parent participation partly results from the fact that Latinos hold very few positions of power in schools. The study found that when Latino parents hold school council or board positions at schools, there is a symbolic effect that results in both increased Latino parent involvement and an increase in the number of Latino teachers. This points to an important need to develop Latino parent leaders who contribute to school governance and decision-making. The full article can be accessed through the paid-subscription Wiley InterScience database. However, you can learn more about Paru Shah’s research, read other articles, and contact her through Macalester College. Learn More Latino ParentNet Consider forming a Latino ParentNet program at your school. ParentNet is easily adapted to meet the needs of Latino families. And it builds Latino parent leadership! Any school can use or adapt ParentNet materials to meet the needs of your school population. The only requirement is that ParentNet remain free to all who use it and that any program adapted from ParentNet is provided free as a resource to other schools. Learn More Race to Nowhere: A New Documentary for Schools & Parents A new documentary, previewed in California over the past several months, is receiving rave reviews. Race to Nowhere is a close-up look at the pressures on today's students, offering an intimate view of lives packed with activity. Tackling the tragic side of an often achievement-obsessed culture, numerous parenting experts have been involved in its development, including: Denise Clark Pope, author of Doing School: How We Are Creating a Generation of Stressed Out, Materialistic, and Mis-educated Students; Madeline Levine, author of The Price of Priviledge: How Parental Pressure and Material Advantage are Creating a Generating of Materialistic and Unhappy Kids; and Deborah Stipek, Dean of Education at Stanford University. Get more information and how to pre-order for your PTA or parent-group viewing. Learn More. Please Spread the Word about ParentInvolvementMatters.Org Forward This Newsletter to a Friend or Colleague!		FEATURED BOOK & ARTICLE Help Your Children Succeed in High School and Go to College: An Essential Guide for Latino Parents by Mariela Dabbah. This book, and many others by noted author, speaker, and consultant, Mariela Dabbah is written for Latino parents. It is a practical guide to help parents navigate the difficult high school stage with an eye on college application. Dabbah writes and presents in both Spanish and English, making her a sought-after speaker and presenter. She has been featured on NPR's All Things Considered; Good Morning America; and many other TV and radio programs nationwide. We are pleased to bring you an excerpt from Dabbah's book, which has been reprinted with permission as an article on our website. READ ARTICLE Have an Article to share with our readers? FEATURED WEBSITE Supplemented with resources from Anne Henderson's best-selling book, Beyond the Bake Sale, SOLID FOUNDATION provides resources to improve parent involvement in your school. NEW RESOURCES Check out the growing number of resources to help build successful parent-school communities on our website! You can now read archived copies of the eNews too!

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