CO-CONSTRUCTING EDUCATION: PERCEPTIONS OF LATINX FAMILY ENGAGEMENT IN MIDDLE SCHOOLS

This purpose of this qualitative study was to identify the ways that middle schools seek out Latinx family engagement to co-construct the educational experiences of children and engage in the academic dimensions of their students’ lives. It took place at a middle school in a suburban TK-12 district in Southern California. Data were collected using semistructured interviews of 13 participants, guided by tailored protocols, as well as document analysis.

The theoretical framework used for this study was Auerbach’s continuum of authentic partnerships, founded on social justice leadership, trust in schools, authentic participation, and democratic decision-making. The findings from this study showed that the school used formal meetings as the primary venue engage with families to co-construct the educational experiences of children and in the academic dimensions of children’s lives. Additionally, Latinx families engaged with their child’s academics often in ways that are invisible to school personnel in how they construct the child’s learning environment at home.

Insights from this study can be helpful to school and district administrators interested in progressing beyond compliance-driven engagement and into authentic school–family partnerships with Latinx families. Education leaders can take existing engagement venues and leverage them to expand engagement beyond the school walls and meet families’ needs where families are. Professional development should be delivered to school personnel on ways to authentically engage with families and building staff capacity to form partnerships.