Abstract:

This dissertation expands our understanding of teachers' beliefs about parents and parent involvement, as well as the dynamics and processes involved in parent-teacher relationships. The aims of this study are to strengthen district, school and teacher engagement of parents, improve parent-teacher communication and collaboration and help parents support their children as effectively as possible. Fifteen public elementary school teachers were interviewed to learn about their parent involvement beliefs and experiences in a primarily Latino immigrant school in Los Angeles. Parents were generally described as supportive, and teachers were mostly pleased with the balanced nature of parent involvement at the school, but they also reported constraints that limited parent participation and communication. Language differences, perceived parent 'discomfort' communicating with monolingual teachers, and a 'hands off approach,' were among the constraints that teachers identified. Teachers made accommodations, like using interpreters and being more welcoming, but these were imperfect solutions. Many teachers saw these constraints as 'outside' themselves and were at a loss regarding ways to overcome them. To better address these constraints, the author discusses the need for more support of parent involvement at the district level, including the need for additional teacher training and a more systematic approach to parent involvement. The author also offers recommendations specific to teacher's individual practice aimed at increasing teachers' communicative repertoires and overall engagement of parents.