Multicultural Considerations in Family-School Partnerships

1. Multicultural Considerationsin Family-School Partnerships The Future of School Psychology Task Force on Family-School Partnerships Katie Magee, Laura Mullaney, Ashley Taylor, Susan Sheridan University of Nebraska-Lincoln

2. Educational Considerations • Parents, regardless of educational level, income status, or ethnic background want their children to be successful in school (Christenson, 1995). • Across groups, parents want information about how schools function, children’s development/learning, & parents’ roles in supporting their children. • School practices (such as engaging in frequent communication and establishing meaningful roles for parents) are a stronger predictor of parent involvement than parents’ educational level, income status, or ethnic background (Epstein, 1991).

3. Present Need for a Multicultural Perspective • The number of non-English speaking children has doubled since 1979 • In 2002, the U.S. Department of Education reported 60.3% of students were White, non-Hispanic; 17.2% Black, non-Hispanic; 17.1% Hispanic; 4.2% Asian/Pacific Islander; and 1.2% American Indian/Alaska Native • By 2050 60% of the population is predicted to be families of multicultural/bilingual backgrounds (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2004) • School professionals will need to be equipped with a strong knowledge base in multicultural issues to develop their sense of cultural competence and handle the unique needs of these children and their families

4. Cultural Competence Definition: • The integration and transformation of knowledge about individuals and groups of people into specific standards, policies, and attitudes to be used in appropriate cultural settings to increase quality of services, thereby producing better outcomes (Davis and Donald, 1997)

5. Multicultural Challenges & Barriers • Minimal research is available for family-school partnerships with children and families from diverse cultural backgrounds • Many practitioners have limited knowledge and understanding of diverse cultural values and practices • Many children enter school without previous experience speaking English or spending time in daycare or preschool

6. Multicultural Challenges & Barriers • There is no formula that works for all families in any given racial/ethnic group • Parents have different levels of education, socioeconomic status, English competency, and acculturation • Parents often do not know what roles they should play in family-school partnerships • The traditional model for parent involvement may not be appropriate for all cultures and ethnicities

7. Approaches for DevelopingCultural Competency • Practice cultural sensitivity • Build trust and establish a relationship with the family • Address diversity issues • Implement a family-centered approach • Enhance communication

8. Practice Cultural Sensitivity • Examine one’s own cultural beliefs • Practice self-analysis of personal values & beliefs, as well as biases related to cultural diversity • Recognize one’s level of cultural competence • Unconsciously incompetent • Consciously incompetent • Consciously competent • Unconsciously competent (Purnell, 2000) • Engage in cross-cultural learning (e.g., participate in cultural workshops, attend cultural festivals, and volunteer at cultural community centers) • Focus on family-identified needs

9. Practice Cultural Sensitivity • Consider varying levels of families acculturation • Euphoria-excitement and enthusiasm about a new culture • Culture Shock-feelings of estrangement, anger, anxiety, and irritability • Anomie-gradual resolution of culture shock and acknowledging positive and negative aspects of both cultures • Assimilation-acceptance of new culture and recovery of self-confidence

10. Build Trusting Relationships • Spend time getting to know families • Learn about unique cultures • Read books about different cultures • Watch videos about cultural values and practices • Talk to people from different cultures • Develop on-going relationships with families • Refrain from making cultural assumptions and generalizations about family • Avoid stereotyping families who belong to certain cultural groups

11. Address Diversity Issues Directly • Demonstrate an interest and respect for different cultural styles • Learn about the family’s beliefs and values from family members themselves • Provide workshops and booklets for families about living in two cultures and cross-cultural parenting • Offer workshops to empower parents to work effectively with American schools • Topics may include how U. S. schools function; school structures, rules, and responsibilities; requirements for mandated reporting by school personnel of suspected child abuse; rights and responsibilities of students and parents; free services and resources

12. Implement a Family-Centered Approach • Use open-ended questions to elicit family members’ perspectives • Listen and respond to family’s needs • Respect different perspectives, beliefs/values, goals, and objectives of various cultural groups • Identify and build upon family strengths (e.g., supportive, extended family unit)

13. Enhance Communication In general, • Refrain from using jargon • Ask family members to share home observations and information as well as cultural considerations • Use frequent summarizing/paraphrasing statements • Avoid potentially stereotypical statements • Consider appropriate communication style when working with interpreters and families (e.g., maintain eye contact with family rather than interpreter) • Train interpreters in the importance of translating content and relational aspects of communications

14. Enhance Communication Specifically, • Written communication - Be sensitive to non-English speaking families by providing written materials in the families’ native language • Accents and dialect • Requests for repetition may be necessary and appropriate • Personal space and touch • Some cultures are “contact” oriented while others are “noncontact” oriented • Personal disclosure • Cultures have different expectations about sharing personal or private information and situations in which this is appropriate • Nonverbal communication • Care must be taken when interpreting the nonverbal communication of individuals from different cultures

15. Overall Recommendations • Develop a firm understanding of ones own culture and an understanding of the impact of ones culture on others • Respect and value others’ cultures, seek feedback and cultural guides, and take care to value multiple perspectives when framing the problem • Respect individual differences within cultural groups • Understand the impact of multiple cultural identities for individuals, • Acquire cross-cultural communication methods approaches for developing and maintaining rapport • Understand appropriate consultation and interventions given the cultures of students, parents, and teachers in the collaborative relationship • Create emotional safety yet balance emotional support with new learning • Provide support in order to build confidence and feelings of self-efficacy • Seek systems interventions to support learning and development • Continually increase knowledge, skill, objectivity, and reflective thinking (Ingraham, 2000)

16. Conclusion • With growing numbers of students from various cultural backgrounds, it is extremely important for professionals to be culturally competent • Cultural competence begins with knowledge and evolves into the standards, policies, and attitudes that directly affect the quality of services students receive • Building cultural competency is a continuous process that ultimately leads to better outcomes for students and their families

17. References Christenson, S. L. (1995). Families and schools: What is the role of the school psychologist? School Psychology Quarterly, 10, 118-132. Davis, P., & Donald, B. (1997). Multicultural counseling competencies: Assessment, evaluation, education and training, and supervision. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. Epstein, J. L. (1991). Paths to partnership: What we can learn from federal, state, district, and school initiatives. Phi Delta Kappan, 72 (5). Ingraham, C. L. (2000). Consultation through a multicultural lens: Multicultural and cross-cultural consultation in schools. School Psychology Review, 29, 320 - 343. Lynch, E. W., & Hanson, M. J. (1998). Developing crosscultural competence: A guide for working with young children and their families (2nd ed.). Baltimore: Brookes. Thorp, E.K. (1997). Increasing opportunities for partnership with culturally and linguistically diverse families. Intervention in School and Clinic, 32, 261-269. U.S. Bureau of the Census (2004). Projected population change in the United States, by race and Hispanic origin: 2000-2050. Washington, DC:U.S. Department of Commerce. Vazquez-Nuttall, E., Li, C., & Kaplan , J.P. (2006). Home-school partnerships with culturally diverse families: Challenges and solutions for school personnel. Journal of Applied School Psychology, 22, 81-102.