Leveraging Navigational Capital: Strengthening Family-School-Community Connections in Chinese and Spanish Heritage Language Programs

Document Type

Presentation

Presentation Date

4-6-2019

Abstract or Description

In demographically shifting areas, many schools and communities are struggling to understand, integrate, and accommodate newcomers (Wortham, Murillo & Hamann, 2002). Cultural differences in school engagement practices are often misinterpreted as disinterest, and are used to bolster false claims about parental involvement (Andrews, 2013; Lee & Oxelson, 2006; Zarate, 2007). This two-case case study, explores how two community-based heritage language (Chinese and Spanish) programs in the shifting Southeast view their roles in fostering program-school-community connections. Moreover, we explore how these programs support ethnically/linguistically minoritized families in leveraging their community cultural wealth (Yosso, 2005) to navigate and engage with local schools and the broader community. While individual approaches differed, both HL programs recognized the importance of family-school-community connections for participating families.

Comments

"Georgia Southern University faculty member, Alexandra Reyes co-presented Leveraging Navigational Capital: Strengthening Family-School-Community Connections in Chinese and Spanish Heritage Language Programs in the American Educational Research Association (AERA) Conference, April 2019.

Sponsorship/Conference/Institution

American Educational Research Association Conference (AERA)

Location

Toronto, Canada

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