Racially and Culturally Conscious Parent Engagement Programs: Parent Contributions to a Critical Analysis

To capture the perspectives of Latinx families as they relate to racially and culturally conscious parent engagement programming, this qualitative phenomenological case study sought to examine the parent engagement for Latinx families and answer following research questions: Q1 What are the perceptions regarding parental engagement of Latinx parents who participate in parent engagement programs in a Rocky Mountain, suburban elementary school committed to considering race and culture in their engagement practices? Q2 How do Latinx parents perceive culturally and racially conscious parent engagement program participation impacts their students’ school experience? In the qualitative tradition, interviews were used to critically analyze the perceptions of ten Latinx participants from suburban schools in the Rocky Mountain region. Additionally, three parent engagement activities were observed and a reflexive journal was utilized to capture the researcher’s thoughts and reflections about the study. Each participant had a unique perspective and lived experience regarding practices that are racially and culturally conscious, however, several key points were ubiquitous. Three major themes were identified for the first research question: Engagement, Environment, and Efficacy. Parents voiced their preference of how to be engaged with the school, stating that talking about issues important to them was valuable, engaging in culture-specific practices were fulfilling, and mutual engagement over meaningful topics was also key to a positive experience. They felt that when the school was inclusive, expressed value for their culture/race, and represented the cultures/races of families that attend the school, parents were better able to develop relationships with school staff. Two themes emerged related to the second question: appreciation for the space provided to different perspectives and overall families felt that the parent engagement programming at their school was beneficial to their child’s school experience. Parents valued the diversity of the activities and felt it was a good model for their students to see and experience. They also felt overall that their participation in parent engagement programming was a way to demonstrate their interest, concern, and commitment to their child’s education. The discussion of the results concluded that school leaders should continue to address technical barriers for Latinx families, but more importantly, a shift in mindsets and a focus on adaptive changes are necessary to create the type of environment that is conducive to culturally and racially conscious parent engagement programming.