Forming Community-Based Organizations/ School Partnerships

1/31/2003 Osterling NABE 2003 1

Forming

Community-Based Organizations/

School Partnerships


Strengthening Latino Parental Involvement

by

Forming Community-Based Organizations/

School Partnerships

Jorge P. Osterling, Ph.D.George Mason University

Fairfax, VA


Session Objectives

Participants will engage in a Freirean

participatory dialogue about the alternative

ways bilingual educators can develop

partnerships between community-based

organizations and schools in order to

strengthen parental involvement.


Participatory Dialogue

Problem-Posing and

Critical Thinking


Our Tool for Today’s Dialogue:

Freire’s Educational Model

Three stages of educational process

Listening


Praxis/action


OverviewChanging Times – New Challenges

Empowering Parents: Expanding Beyond Traditional Parental Involvement Activities

School Culture: Barrier for Change or Bridge for Improvement.

Broadening American school’s community partnerships: Engaging people from all cultures and walks of life.


Overview Changing Times – New Challenges

Involving parents and members of the larger community in the school's decision-making processes.

The Latino Population in the United States.

How do you form community-based organizations and school partnerships which strengthen Latino parental involvement?


School CultureBarrier or Bridge?

When schools seek to improve while adapting

to the new demographics, it is necessary to

focus on the values, beliefs, and norms of both

the school and the community. (Sarason, 1982; Deal and

Peterson, 1990).


School CultureBarrier or Bridge?

(Southwest Educational Development Laboratory, 1992).

The culture of the school can be described as the existence of an interplay between three factors: – The attitudes and beliefs of persons both

inside the school and in the external environment,

– The cultural norms of the school, and – The relationships between persons in the

school. Each of these factors may present barriers to

change or serve as a bridge to long-lasting implementation of school improvement.


Community-based OrganizationsCBOs

CBOs represent a natural, yet largely

untapped, source of leadership for

community-based efforts to:

– Support English Language Learners.– Strengthen Latino parental involvement.

Cf. Carolyn Temple Adger (2000). School/ Community Partnerships to Support Language Minority Students. CREDE


Building Bridges with CBOs


Changing Times New Challenges

During the latter part of the 20th Century major

demographic changes have taken place throughout the

United States.

As a result, traditional parent associations have been

less able to play their traditional role.

Need to engage more members of the larger

community in the school's decision-making processes.


Changing Times New Challenges

Minority parents often find it difficult to guide

their children through the American

educational process:

– Many parents do not understand the process;

– Communication problems with teachers and

administrators due to cultural, linguistic barriers.

– Many schools lack parental outreach programs to

combat these difficulties.


CBO – School Partnerships

CBOs already have a variety of relationships

with the children and parents in their

neighborhoods (i.e., the core constituency of

public schools).

Many already collaborate with local schools in

after-school activities.


CBO -- School Partnerships

CBOs’ neighborhood focus enables them to

relate to, know, and thus be more responsive

to the needs of local or special populations

than mainstream institutions.


Latino CBOSchool Partnerships

Existing Latino CBOs can be invited into

partnerships with local schools.

When schools partner with these local

organizations, it can be a catalyst to

developing parental involvement.


Latino CBOs

In our communities there are Latino CBOs

and community leaders who with very limited

resources play a pivotal role in meeting unmet

needs and pushing for quality services.

Many are not yet involved with our schools.


Latino CBOs

There are also groups that no one considers at all (on either school or Latino parent side) that are NOT pushing for quality services and that do not see themselves as resources. Many of them may be informal.

A men’s soccer group, a women’s quilting group, a group that teaches national dances to kids … all of these operating in the REAL Latino world)


Latino CBOs

It is just as essential to find them and

help them see how they can be resources


Empowerment

An intentional, ongoing process centered in the local community, involving mutual respect, critical reflection, caring, and group participation, through which people lacking an equal share of resources gain greater access to and control over those resources.

cited in D.D. Perkings & Zimmerman, 1995, p. 570, and by Rappaport, 1999).


Expanding Beyond Traditional Parental Involvement Activities

Schools must give all parents –

including those from culturally and

linguistically diverse groups-- the

power to become involved in the

schools their children attend.


Latino Population The United States

Latinos now number 37 million (Census, 2003)

During the 1995 – 2050 period, the percentage of Latino residents age 5-24 is projected to increase by 222 percent.


A Word of Caution

Latinos are: – An unusually diverse community;– Share a common language, – But, there are many differences:

• Socioeconomic and academic backgrounds;

• Culture and ethnicity;• Nationality


Latino High School Completion Rate

In 2000, the Latino high school completion

rate was 64.1 % [1972, was 56.2%].

Trend has been fairly similar over the past

three decades.


Angela Valenzuela’sSubtractive Schooling

Subtractive schooling is a process by which

schools "subtract resources" from U.S.-

Mexican youth.

Mexican-born students academically

outperform students from families with a

longer history in this country. Valenzuela, Angela.(1999). Subtractive schooling: U.S./Mexican youth and the

politics of caring. Albany: State University of New York Press.


Angela Valenzuela’sSubtractive Schooling

The decline in the academic achievement of

Mexican-descent students across the

generations is a perplexing phenomena that

contradicts the pattern of upward academic

mobility thought to be characteristic of other

student groups in the United States.


Many Latinos Excel Academically

Many Latino students are doing very well in

school, and go on to complete college.


Is it possible to reverse the trend of Latino failure?

Sí, se puede!Sí, se puede!UFW Slogan, 1960s


How can American Schools Successfully meet the needs its

Latino students?

There is No Silver Bullet!!!

Schools Need a High Level of

Community, Family, and Parental Involvement


Building Bridges with CBOs


Parent Involvement School - Families

People have different views of what parent involvement is.

There are also differences in the perceived roles of teachers and parents.


Parental InvolvementDifferent Views & Goals

Parents participating in formal

school activities/ events;

Parents serving as classroom aides

or working on fund-raising

projects.

Parents also participate in

decision-making bodies, in school

governance, in creating programs

to help teachers and

administrators meet needs.

Parents being involved at home

in informal activities:

– Creating a learning environment;

– Reading and listening to children read;

Instilling cultural values;

Sending them to school well fed,

clean, and rested.Cf. Sribner, Young, and Pedroza (1999).

Jorge P. Osterling


Exploring Cultural ExperiencesDiverse Schools and Classrooms

Educators should explore their own cultural experiences, values, and attitudes as they relate to child rearing practices in school.

Educators should learn as much as possible from parents about their cultural experiences, values, and attitudes (i.e., image of authority figures, views about schools, etc.).


Is this a Cultural Issue?

Latino parents tend to separate the school

system and home and treat them as different

domains:

The role of schools is to instill knowledge and

teach their children.

The role of parents is to provide nurturance,

and teach morals, respect and good behavior,


Empowerment in CarpinteriaConcha Delgado-Gaitan’sCenter for Research on Effective Schooling for Disadvantaged Children

Schools, knowingly or unknowingly, often

assume that Latino parents know how to

interact with school personnel.

However, because they come from very

different educational traditions, most of these

parents do not. As a result, they feel powerless

to participate in the school.


Empowerment in CarpinteriaConcha Delgado-Gaitan’sCenter for Research on Effective Schooling for Disadvantaged Children

When Latino parents are "empowered" with

the knowledge of how to work cooperatively

with school personnel to resolve issues

pertaining to their children, they become more

active in the school.


21st Century Challenge

Giving Meaningful Voices to All Parents


Partnering with CBOs An Option or an Alternative?

Traditional, bureaucratic, parent involvement mechanisms established by school systems.

Latino CBOs.


Successful PartnershipsIssues

School EnvironmentCreating a friendly, welcoming environment

School CultureValuing home and community culture

Teachers as Cultural-BrokersOvercoming Misperceptions and Stereotypes

Overcoming Linguistic & Cultural BarriersDisconnect between home, community, and school

ParentsEducational Level and Previous Experience


Best Practices

Establishing community networks and

partnerships with other CBOs and agencies

already serving Latino families.

Building trust and personal relationships;

When publications are translated, making sure they are culturally acceptable. Attention to literacy is important.



Brainstorming

Strengthening Latino Parent Leadership

Through Partnerships


Theme One: Community Involvement

How can community leaders and faith-based organizations:– Inform and educate parents about the

educational opportunities available for every child?

– Encourage their local officials to take advantage of all federal, state, and local educational opportunities?


Theme Two: Developing Partnerships Community

Where can schools look for CBOs and informal groups?

How can they engage them?How what the CBO is already doing can

be of benefit to the school and children?


Theme Three: Developing Policies

How can State Educational Agencies (SEAs) develop policies that encourage and enable their school districts (LEAs) and schools to promote successful school-community partnerships that are responsive to the diverse populations they serve?


Theme Four: Reciprocal Partnerships

How can SEAs and LEAs establish true partnerships in which both the leadership of CBOs and school personnel learn from each other and find ways in which they can mutually support their efforts of educating all children?


Thank you!

Thank you for this rich opportunity to explore new ways to strengthen Latino parent leadership through the development of community-based/ school partnerships.

Jorge P. Osterling<[email protected]>

Documents

Forming Community-Based Organizations/ School Partnerships