Working with First Generation Students and Families

Kaitlyn Bradley, Sara McManus, Koy Saechao, Tiffany Smith

Seattle University

Agenda

Identify strengths of your program and barriers to first generation engagement Introduce new vocabulary that reframes engagement barriers Brainstorm interventions that positively impact post-secondary readiness

 Regardless of race, students at all levels do better

academic work and have more positive behaviors if they have parents who are aware, knowledgeable, encouraging, and involved (Roulette-McIntyre, Bagaka, & Drake, 2005).

Parental Involvement

Studies find foreign-born parents as less likely to be

involved in their children's education as compared to US-born parents (Thao, 2009): o Visit children's school o Participate or attend school activities and events o Help with homework o Talk to teachers and school staff

First Generation Parents

Schools misperceive foreign-born parents to not care about their children's education due to lack of "active" involvement in their children's school Education is actually highly valued by these parents, but barriers limit them from being involved in their children's education: o lack of formal education & English proficiency o feel embarrassed, uncomfortable, or intimidated to attend school events or talk to teachers/staff o unfamiliar with how US school systems work & concept of parental involvement o have limited knowledge of opportunities to get involved o cultural clash - don't want to interfere with teacher's role o socioeconomic situation - struggling to fulfill basic living needs

Essential Vocabulary First generation

o Families where parents and/or children were born in another country; could be first to attend college

Self-efficacy o Confidence that your skills will help you achieve your desired outcome Role connection o Parent/guardians beliefs about how and to what degree they are supposed to be involved in their childs education Social capital o Knowledge to navigate the various systems in place within the school as well as post-secondary opportunities

Working Thesis
Self-efficacy and role connection are key to giving first generation students and families the social capital they need to be successful in higher education.

Self-efficacy and Family Engagement

Self-efficacy is the confidence that your skills will help you achieve your desired outcome In order to achieve at high levels, schools in America expect parents to have high efficacy when it comes to helping students navigate academia o Expectation is that families will build skills like reading, writing, and math at home with their child

o First generation families often do not have time or resources to work on these skills at home

Parents are the most influential to building positive attitudes about school and achievement (Epstein, 2008)

Self-efficacy and Family Engagement Parents feel more connected to their role in academic
achievement when they have confidence in their skills o Positive opinions of efficacy are linked with an increase in parental involvement at all grade levels (Green, Walker, Hoover-Dempsey, & Sandler, 1997)

o Increase in parental self-efficacy has a positive impact on achievement (Hoover-Dempsey, 2005)

With all families, knowledge is power

o Information can help build positive beliefs about parents' ability to affect academic success
Targeted interventions build relationships that schools can use to connect families to higher education

Self-efficacy and Family Engagement

Self-efficacy is influenced by the success a parent experiences through their own involvement and encouragement by others o Relationships with educators are the primary motivator behind involvement (Green, et al., 2007)

Positive opinions regarding efficacy are linked with an increase in parental involvement among all grade levels Parental involvement has a profound impact on achievement and influences student characteristics that lead to postsecondary education

Role Connection & Its Impact on First Generation Families

Role Connection: Parent/guardians beliefs about how and to what degree they are supposed to be involved in their childs education (Hoover-Dempsey & Sandler, 1997). First generation families who are unfamiliar with cultural norms of parental involvement may not know what their role should be in preparing their child for post-secondary education. Schools that rely on traditional methods of relaying college information can disadvantage first generation families. Parents have the biggest influence when it comes to creating positive beliefs about school related work.

First Generation Families' View of Their Role in Their Child's Education

Gender roles and patriarchal cultural values in educational decision making. Schools should provide opportunities for families to find out more about their legal rights surrounding post-secondary education. o Dream Act o House Bill 1079 o Paper copy of FAFSA

Latino Families' View of Their Role in Education

Most Latino families highly value their childs education and want to support their child in their education. o The way families are involved may differ from the traditional societal norms.

Latino parents may see too much parental involvement as disrespectful to the educators' expertise.

(Walker, Ice, & Hoover-Dempsey, 2011) Schools need to find creative ways of capitalizing on the strengths in this community. Example: Natural leaders

DEFINING SOCIAL CAPITAL

Social capital means building an understanding of the social systems in place that first generation families are unaware of. School counselors can build social capital by communicating with families in two ways: o Clearly communicating the systems within the school that they may be unfamiliar with o Provide them resources necessary to navigate these systems Example: Partnering with the community college to help provide specific information based on the needs of the families in your school

UNDERSTANDING SOCIAL CAPITAL

When families enter schools without knowledge about how to navigate the various systems in place, there are barriers to student achievement (Bryk, 2010) o Families need to be informed about graduation requirements and college readiness

There are cultural miscommunications that occur between the school and first generations families due to the systems in place that reinforce the dominant culture o Clear systems of communication using family advocates, translators, and natural leaders

BUILDING SOCIAL CAPITAL

WHAT IS THE DOMINANT CULTURE SYSTEM? Open House WHAT IS THE IMPACT ON FIRST GENERATION FAMILIES? Information Overload WHAT DO OUR FAMILIES NEED? Time to Dialogue with School Staff

Using Students as Translators

Creates Imbalances in Family Structure

To Feel Empowered to be Connected to the School

Navigating Online Educational Systems

Often Families Lack Tech Proficiency

Deliberate Delivery of Targeted Information to Parents Explicit Information about Funding Sources for Undocumented Students

College Goal Sunday

Undocumented Students & Families may not Attend

References
Bryk, A.S. (2010). Organizing schools for improvement. Phi Delta Kappan, 9(7), 23-30

Epstein, J. L., (2008). Improving family and community involvement in secondary schools. Educational Digest, 73(6), 9-12.
Green, C.L., Walker, J. T., Hoover-Dempsey, K. V., & Sandler, H. M., (2007) Parents' motivations for involvement in children's education: An empirical test of a theoretical model of parental involvement. Journal of Educational Psychology, 99(3), 532-544. Hoover-Dempsey, K. V., (2005). The Social Context of Parental Involvement: A Path to Enhanced Achievement. Nashville, TN: Vanderbilt University. Hoover-Dempsey, K.V., and Sandler, H.M. (1997). Why do parents become involved in their childrens education? Review of Educational Research 67, 342. Roulette-McIntyre, O., Bagaka's, J.G., & Drake, D.D. (2005). Identifying aspects of parental involvement that affect the academic achievement of high school students. ERS Spectrum. Shields, M.K., & Behrman, R.E. (2004). Children of immigrant families: Analysis and recommendations. Children of Immigrant Families, 12(2), 4-15. Walker, J.M., Ice, C.L., Hoover-Dempsey, K.V., & Sandler, H.M. (2011). Latino parents motivations for involvement in their children's schooling: An exploratory study. The Elementary School Journal, 111(3), 409-429.