Understanding parental involvemnet, attitudes, and input on an emergent school-based newcomer center

Abstract

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] Due to the rapid growth of immigrant and refugee populations in the United States, an increasing number of school districts are responsible for providing education to newcomer students who are English language learners (ELL). Parents of ELL students' involvement and perceptions of the school climate could differ from their native English speaking counterparts. The current study is a case study aimed at understanding ELL parents' experiences as well as their perceptions of their children's experiences within one urban school district. Focus groups were conducted in order to gather information about those experiences as well as to understand the needs of ELL families that are currently not being addressed by the district. The focus groups also functioned as an opportunity to gather ELL parents' input on services that will be offered at an emergent school-based newcomer center in the district. Through the qualitative analysis of the transcripts and field notes, five themes were identified: Language Barriers, Communication, Accessible Opportunities, Relationships and Cultural Differences. Implications for practice are discussed.