Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1998

Abstract

Ethnicity, with race, gender and class is a critical determinant in a number of social institutional interactions. This paper looks at a group of Latin American parents as they become more effective within a mainstream Canadian institution, their children's schools. Over an eight-month period, a group of eight to twelve Latino parents met monthly to discuss issues regarding their children's primary level schooling. The parents not only learned to assert their interests and collaborate with teachers, but they also became able to affirm the worth of their ethno-cultural differences. The parents began to take action and make their voices heard as they accomplished severa1 goals in relation to the schools. This exploratory study focuses on how the parents' group helped its members understand their role in supporting their children's educational practices without devaluing their own cultural capital. Their adaptation may serve as a possible model for that required of a number of migrant groups in the coming millennium.

Comments

Online version of an article originally published as: Bernhard, J. K., Freire, M., Pacini-Ketchabaw, V. & Villanueva, V. (1998). A Latin American parents' group participates in their children's schooling: Parent involvement reconsidered. Canadian Ethnic Studies Journal 30(3):77-98.