The following activity is excerpted from Part II: Culture (p. 70) of The Diversity Kit: An Introductory Resource for Social Change in Education. This publication is available for download at http://www.lab.brown.edu/tdl/diversitykit.shtml.

 

ACTIVITY: Challenging Cultural Assumptions of Parental Involvement
Refugees and immigrants come to the United States under many different circumstances. Each group is as different as the countries from which they come; they have different beliefs, values, and languages.

Read the following comment and answer the questions below, as part of a group discussion or as an individual reflective exercise:

"I feel so bad for these kids. The parents don't come to parent-teacher conferences. I've never seen any at open house either. I don't think they really try to help the kids with school. I wonder, maybe in their culture, education isn't as important." --Third-grade teacher

• What are some possible reasons why parents may not have participated in their child's education?
• What questions might the teacher ask herself or others to gain insight into parents' beliefs regarding their participation in school?
• How could parents participate in their child's education in ways that the teacher may not know about?
• What kinds of opportunities can the teacher explore to collaborate with families?