ERIC Number: ED545650
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2014-May
Pages: 31
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Creating a Successful Educational Environment for the Latino/a Community: Building Home-School Communication
Romo, Talyha
Online Submission, B.A. Thesis, Dominican University of California
California has a large population of Latino/a students, and for most of them Spanish is their native language. The problem is the miscommunication between Latino/a families and educators in the school setting. Teachers often do not understand Spanish and are unable to communicate with parents or students. Latino/a families are not aware of the ways to support their children, given this lack of ability to communicate. A review of the literature reveals the cultural and language barriers that teachers face. Teachers also lack support within their school in providing appropriate instruction for Latino/a students and in communicating with Latino/a families. This study follows qualitative design using classroom observations in a field placement and school setting as well as interviews with teachers who have a majority of students in their classrooms who are Latino/a. Purposively elected teachers with experience in working with English language learners were recruited for interviews. Parents of Latino/a students were interviewed about the quality of the communication between school and home that is provided by the school. They were interviewed for an hour responding to a series of open-ended questions. Interviewees were purposefully selected because they are part of the Latina/o community who try to create home-school communication. Results indicated that having home-school communication with Latino/a students increased their academic performance. Students felt they had support from their parents. Parents were also more inclined to be a part of their child's education if they could communicate with the teacher. Implications from the results include the need for teachers to make home-school communication a priority for Latino/a students and their families.
Descriptors: Interviews, English (Second Language), Second Language Learning, Hispanic American Students, Student Attitudes, Family School Relationship, Teacher Attitudes, Teaching Experience, Barriers, Parent Attitudes, Parent Teacher Cooperation, English Language Learners, Cultural Differences, Academic Achievement, Parent Participation, Qualitative Research, Observation
Publication Type: Dissertations/Theses
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: California
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A