Involving Latino Families in Schools

Concha Delgado Gaitan, PhD, is an award-winning ethnographic researcher and professor of sociocultural studies in education. She received the George and Louise Spindler award for her contributions to the field of Anthropology and Education from the Council of Anthropology and Education of the American Anthropological Association. Her early career as a teacher and school principal informs her later work as a practicing anthropologist in communities and professor at the University of California, Davis. Concha has also worked in the field of public health education in Latino communities, combining that interest with her dedication to issues of social justice and education. She is a national and international speaker as well as a consultant on the numerous topics that inspire her work. Among her many scholarly publications are her books where she presents her work as an ethnographer working with disenfranchised families and communities toward their empowerment and extending practical lessons to educators: (1) The Power of Community, (2) Protean Literacy, (3) Crossing Cultural Borders, (4) Literacy for Empowerment, (5) School and Society, (6) Involving Latino Families in the School, (7) Building Culturally Responsive Classrooms, and this most current one (8) Creating a College Culture for Latino Students. In a different book, Prickly Cactus, she turns the lenses inward to look at the role of family and community in her life during a time of major health crisis. Concha works and lives in the San Francisco Bay area with her husband Dudley Thompson. For more information, please go to www.conchadelgadogaitan.com or contact Concha at concha@conchadg.com.

Preface Acknowledgments About the Author 1. Life in Latino Families Connecting Sharing Information Across Generations of Latinos Staying Involved Summary 2. Connecting Latino Parents to the Classroom Understanding Parent Involvement 3. Communicating Across the Home-School Border Informal Verbal Contacts With Parents Sharing Information Visiting Families Focus Groups Written Correspondence Language at Meetings Staying Involved Summary 4. Instructing Parents to Teach at Home Connecting Sharing Information Staying Involved Mentoring Project Summary 5. Involving Families in the Life of the School Connecting Sharing Information Parents as Advocates Home Experiences in the Classroom Parent Volunteers in the School Staying Involved Summary 6. Preparing Latino Students for Higher Education Connecting Sharing Information Summary 7. Designing Schoolwide Parent-Involvement Programs Connecting Sharing Information Staying Involved Summary 8. Forming School-Family-Community Partnerships National Networking for Assisting Local Schools Grassroots Organizing for Latino Parent Involvement College Track Community Program Summary Educational and Cultural Informational and Support Resources Cited and Suggested References Index

Anyone involved in preservice training for future and present classroom teachers should read this book. Both the content and context of the book are practical, timely, and necessary as our country and classrooms become more diverse. -- Michele Dean, Principal "Provides a great basic understanding of Latino cultures and their impact on schooling, with suggestions that are easy to implement, and personal vignettes provided by principals, parents, teachers, community leaders, and Latino students." -- Principal, May/June 2006