Educational Anthropology

1. ED 709 –
Educational
Anthropology
MILAGROS CALAGO STA. RITA, MA.Ed
Student
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2. Lesson 15: Communities, Families, & Educators Working Together for
School Improvement

3. * Diversity- the practice or quality of including or
involving people from a range of different social
and ethnic backgrounds and of different genders,
sexual orientations, etc.
* fester - (of a negative feeling or a problem)
become worse or more intense, especially through
long-term neglect or indifference.
DEFINITION OF TERMS

4. * Hostile - unfriendly; antagonistic.
* Prejorative - expressing contempt or disapproval.
* Microaggresion- Microaggressions are the
everyday verbal, nonverbal, and environmental
slights, snubs, or insults, whether intentional or.
unintentional

5. * Fictive kinship- is one that a child has with “an
individual who is not related by birth, adoption, or
marriage to a child, but who has an emotionally
significant relationship with the child.
* Noncustodial- not having custody of one's children
after a divorce

6. Lesson 15: Communities, Families, & Educators
Working Together for School Improvement
De Carvalho, 2009
* The diversity of parent and community groups, with their different concerns and issues, illustrates
one of the important complexities of parent and community involvement in schools.
* This complexity which may be reflected in different interaction styles, expectations, and concerns
complicates but does not negate the need for parent and community involvement in schools
DeSteno, 2000
* . Educators lose an important voice for school improvement when parents and community groups
are not involved in schools. They can give teachers unique and important views of their students as
well as help the school garner resources that are available in the community.
Henderson and Berla (2002)
found compelling evidence that parent involvement improves student achievement

7. .6 Different
Types of
Involvement
according to
Epstein &
her
colleagues
(1) Parenting
(2) communicating
(3) volunteering,
(4) learning at home,
(5) decision‐making,and
(6) collaborating with the community

8. Goodlad, 1984
Family and community members are the necessary coalition of contributing
groups. Educational reform needs their support, influence, and activism. Schools
are highly dependent on and vulnerable to citizens, who can support or impede
change. Family members and community leaders can validate the need for
educational reform and can provide an appropriate forum for exploring the
importance of education. They can also extend the discussion on school
improvement issues beyond formal educational networks and can help generate
support for schools in the community at large. Family members and community
leaders can help provide the rationale, motivation, and social action necessary for
educational reform.

9. Family-school-community partnerships are a shared responsibility and reciprocal
process whereby schools and other community agencies and organizations engage families in
meaningful and culturally appropriate ways, and families take initiative to actively support
their children’s development and learning. Schools and community organizations also make
efforts to listen to parents, support them, and ensure that they have the tools to be active
partners in their children’s school experience.
Partnerships are essential for helping students achieve at their maximum potential
and while parent and community involvement has always been a cornerstone of public
schools, greater recognition and support of these collaborative efforts is needed.

10. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND
PARENT & FAMILY INVOLVEMENT IN SCHOOL

11. • it acknowledges the importance of parents in the lives of their children,
• recognizes the diversity of values and perspectives within the community,
• provides a vehicle for building a collaborative problem‐solving structure
• increases the opportunity for all students to learn in school.
• benefits not only students & teachers but also the parents & family members themselves
Aikens , 2002
* When parents help their children at home, the children perform better in school
• allows parents and teachers to reinforce skills and provides an environment that has consistent
learning expectations and standards
• . Parents benefit because, through their involvement with the school, they become more
knowledgeable about their child’s school, its policies, and the school staff
Reasons why parent & family
involvement in school is important

12. Parents and family members are often children’s first and most important teachers. Students
come to school with knowledge, values, and beliefs they have learned from their parents and in
their communities
(Caspe, Lopez, & Wolos, 2006/2007)
Parents directly or indirectly help shape their children’s value system , orientation
toward learning, and view of the world .
(Hidalgo et al., 2004).
Schools can capitalize on the high value most parents place on education by working to create a
school environment that respects the students’ home and community . When schools are in
conflict with their students’ home and community, they can alienate students from their families
and communities
( Beger, 2015)
Teachers generally see involved parents as concerned individuals who support the school.
Parents who are not involved in schools are frequently seen as not valuing education

13. To create harmonious relations among the school, home, and community, parents
need information about the school. They need to know what the school expects their
children to learn, how they will be taught, and the required books and materials their
children will use in school. Most important, parents need to know how teachers
assess students and how they can support their children’s academic achievement.
Teachers need to understand their students’ community and home life. Teachers also
need to know about their students’ parents, homes, and communities. It would be
helpful for teachers to have a clear understanding of the educational expectations
parents have for their children, the languages spoken at home, the family’s values
and norms, and how children are taught in their homes and communities. Teachers
and principals who know parents treat them with greater respect and show more
positive attitudes toward their children

14. * In the early part of the nation’s history, families were often solely responsible for
educating children. Children learned values and skills by working with their families in their
communities.
• When formal systems of education were established, parents continued to influence their
children’s education. During the colonial period, schools were viewed as an extension of the home.
* The school reinforced parental and community values and expectations. Teachers generally came
from the community and often personally knew their students’ parents and shared their values.
• As society changed and education became more removed from the direct influence of parents,
responsibility for transmitting knowledge from generation to generation was transferred from the home
and community to the school.
Historical Overview

15. * Formal education was seen as a job for trained professionals. Schools became
autonomous institutions staffed by people who were often strangers in their students’ home
communities. Teachers did not necessarily live in their students’ neighborhoods, know their
students’ parents, or share their values. Schools were given more and
more duties that traditionally had been the responsibility of the home and community.
Schools operated under the assumption that they were in loco parentis, and educators were
asked to assume the role of both teacher and substitute parent.
• In a pluralist society, what the school teaches as well as whom and how the school
teaches can create tensions between parents and schools. Issues ranging from what the
school teaches about the role of women in our society to mainstreaming students with
disabilities point to the need for teachers, parents, and community leaders to work together.
However, parents, community leaders, and teachers do not always agree on meaningful
ways to cooperate and partner in the educational process (Anderson, 2006).
Historical Overview

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The
Changing
Face of the
Family

17. Parent/family diversity mirrors student diversity. As the student population becomes more
diverse, parent/family diversity also increases. Involving parents in schools means that
teachers have to be prepared to work with a range of parents, including single parents,
parents with special needs, low‐income parents, parents with disabilities, same‐sex
parents, grandparents, and parents who do not speak English as their first language.
Working with parents from diverse backgrounds requires sensitivity to and an
understanding of their circumstances and worldviews (Amatea, Smith‐Adcock, &
Villares, 2006; Chavkin & González, 1995; Kagan, 1995; Pena, 2000; Schneider &
Coleman, 1993).
that teachers should understand and be sensitive to the changing nature of the ethnic and
racial makeup of their students and their students’ parents of teachers not making
assumptions about the racial and ethnic background of their students and
their parents but allowing them to define their own identity.

18. • Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and
transgendered (LGBT) parents are
another important part of the school
community.
• (Kozik‐Rosabal, 2000).
Even though LGBT parents are involved
in schools, they continue to face barriers
that suggest that they are not welcome
and respected. In that respect, LGBT
parents and students have similar
experiences at school.
(Kosciw & Diaz, 2008).
Many LGBT parents report feeling
uncomfortable and excluded by school
staff, students, and other parents
(Shelton & Delgado‐Romero, 2011
Bullying is often associated with school
environments where microaggressions,
involving the pejorative use of words like
gay, are allowed to fester and result in a
hostile school climate
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19. Kosciw (2003)
LGBT parents do not always feel welcome at their children’s
schools, in part because
teachers also make inappropriate comments about them.
Sixteen percent of the LGBT parents
reported that their student’s teacher or child care provider
made negative comments about their sexual orientation. In
addition to harassment, LGBT parents also experience
subtle forms of exclusion. Two examples that are
particularly common are being asked to complete school
forms that use the terms mother and father instead of
parents . Schools can help mitigate these problems by
creating supportive environments in which LGBT students
and families are understood and respected. The following
actions can contribute to LGBT parents being actively
involved in the school community.
􀁲􀁲 Training that provides school personnel with the skills
and knowledge to tackle homophobic bullying.
􀁲􀁲 School policies that make it clear that homophobic
attitudes and language will not be tolerated.
􀁲􀁲 Curricula that include information on LGBT
accomplishments, struggles, and issues.
􀁲􀁲 Student clubs such as Gay and Lesbian Alliances.
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20. (Harry, 1992; Walker, 1996).
Diversity in parent and community groups can be a tremendous asset to the
school.
However, it can also be a source of potential conflict and tension. Some parents are
particularly difficult to involve in their children’s education. They resist becoming
involved for several reasons
(Clark, 1995).
indicated that a lack of time of parents was the primary reason they were not
involved in their children’s schools.
(Berger, 2015; Clark, 1995; Rasinski, 1989).
The pressures of earning a living and taking care of a home and children can result
in a great deal of stress. At the end of the day, some parents just want to rest.
Other parents do not believe they have the necessary educational background to
be involved in their children’s school. They feel intimidated by educators and
believe that education should be left to teachers. Still others feel alienated from
their children’s schools because of negative experiences they had in school or
because they believe the school does not support their values

21. •McDermott and Rothenberg (2000)
found that parents resisted working with teachers who they
believed did not respect and value their children Three groups
of parents are frequently underrepresented in school activities:
parents with
special needs, single parents, and low‐income parents. These
are not the only groups that are underrepresented in school
activities; however, their experiences and needs illustrate
particular problem areas. The aforementioned specific groups
of parents should not be viewed as an indication that only
parents from these groups are difficult to involve in schools or
that all parents from these groups resist participation in
schools.

22. Parents with special needs include a wide
range of individuals. They are found in all
ethnic, racial, and low income groups.
Chronically unemployed parents, parents
with long‐term illnesses, abusive parents,
and parents with substance‐abuse problems
are examples of parents with special needs.

23. Although parents with special needs frequently have serious problems
that the school cannot address, teachers should not ignore the importance of
understanding their students’ home
environments. Knowing the difficulties students are coping with at home can help
teachers create school environments that are supportive (Swadener & Niles, 1991).
Schools can help compensate for the difficult circumstances students experience at
home. The school, for some students, is the only place during the day where they
are nurtured
Some parents with special needs will be able to be actively involved in
schools, but many will be unable to sustain ongoing involvement. An important
goal for working with parents with special needs is to keep lines of communication
open. To the extent possible, try to get to know the parents. Do not accept a
stereotypical view of them without ever talking to them. Encourage parents to
become involved whenever and however they are able to participate. Your goal
should be to develop a clear understanding of your students’ home environments

24. * Educators can build on the sense of extended family
and fictive kinship that may exist in some neighborhoods to connect with community
support groups for students whose parents cannot be involved in school
* Working with students whose parents have special needs is complicated and
challenging. However, regardless of the circumstances students confront at home,
teachers have a responsibility to help them perform at their highest level in school.
Schools with large numbers of parents with special needs require experienced and highly
qualified teachers who have district and school support to help them meet the additional
challenges they will face. Traditionally, however, these schools have many teachers who
are relatively new to the field and are not certified in the areas in which they teach
(Darling‐Hammond, 2004).

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26. One of the most significant social changes in the
United States in the last 30 years is the increase
in the percentage of children living with one parent
Women head most single‐parent families.
Eighty‐six percent of children living with one parent
lived with their mother Single‐parent families have
many of the same hopes, joys, and concerns about
their children’s education as two‐parent families.
However, because these parents have a lower rate
of attendance at school functions, they are
frequently viewed as not supporting their children’s
education. When teachers respond sensitively to
their needs and limitations, they can be
enthusiastic partners with teachers.

27. Four suggestions for working with single parents follow. Many of
these suggestions apply to other groups of parents as well.
1. Provide flexible times for conferences, such as early mornings,
evenings, and weekends.
2. Provide baby‐sitting service when activities are held at the school.
3. Work out procedures for acknowledging and communicating with
noncustodial parents. For
instance, under what circumstances are noncustodial parents
informed about their children’s
grades, school behavior, or attendance? Problems can occur when
information is inappropriately
given to or withheld from a noncustodial parent.
4. Use the parent’s correct surname. Students will sometimes have
different names from their
parents.

28. Low‐Income Parents
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29. Low‐income parents are often among the strongest supporters of
education because they often see it as a means to a better life for
their children. However, their definition and understanding of
“support for education” may be different from that of the school
staff. In addition, they are often limited in their ability to buy
materials and to make financial commitments that can enable
their children to participate in activities such as field trips or
extracurricular programs. Schools can provide workbooks and
other study materials for use at home as well as transportation for
school activities and conferences. The school can also support
low‐income parents by establishing community service programs

30. Perhaps the most important way for schools to work with
low‐income parents is to recognize that they can contribute a
great deal to their children’s education. Even though their
contributions may not be in the manner traditionally associated
with parent involvement, they can be very beneficial to
teachers and students. The positive values and attitudes parents
communicate to their children and their strong desire for their
children to get a good education in order to have a better
chance in life than they had are important forms of support for
the school.