Immigrant parents are not all alike. They vary in language skills as well as their understanding of U.S. culture. All of this affects their ability, if not inclination, to become engaged in their children's education. Educators can assist families by understanding the stages of immigrant parent involvement, which identifies parents' needs, skills,…

Mainstream education often misunderstands the ways that some rural black families display involvement in their children's lives. Teachers may tend to attribute children's academic struggles to what they perceived as a lack of care, concern, and involvement of the families. Such views could keep children from reaching and exceeding their potential,…

Educators sometimes misjudge immigrant families' ability to contribute to their children's school success, especially those of English learners (August and Shanahan 2006). However, families powerfully influence the academic achievement of their children, and most take a strong interest in what happens in schools (Au 2002). Cummins (1986, 2003)…