Strangers in the School: Facilitators and Barriers Regarding Refugee Parental Involvement
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Strangers in the School: Facilitators and Barriers Regarding Refugee Parental Involvement Ashley E. Cureton1
© Springer Nature B.V. 2020
Abstract Parental involvement has been deemed one of today’s most important topics in educational spheres. Refugee parents face many challenges upon resettling in the US, impacting their engagement in the US educational system. This study explores Muslim refugee parents’ experiences with schools and the facilitators and barriers for their engagement. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with 19 Muslim refugee parents from Syria and Iraq who resettled to the US. Facilitators of parental involvement included a welcoming and inclusive environment cultivated by educators who shared racial and ethnic similarities to refugee families. Barriers to their involvement included a lack of English language proficiency and discrimination and xenophobia instigated against their children, which caused parents to develop a level of distrust in the school staff. A major resource for educators, mental health specialists, and other stakeholders, this research augments understanding of the experiences of Muslim refugee parents and sheds light on the challenges, needs, and vulnerabilities of this understudied population. Keywords Parent involvement · Urban schools · Refugees Family engagement is not a single event. It is shared responsibility in which regular two-way communication ensures that the student is on track to meet
* Ashley E. Cureton [email protected] 1
School of Education, Johns Hopkins University, 2800 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
13
Vol.:(0123456789)
The Urban Review
grade-level requirements. Heather Weiss, Harvard Graduate School of Education
Introduction Parental involvement has been deemed one of today’s most important topics in educational spheres. Educators and scholars have been increasingly concerned about the degree to which parents are involved (or uninvolved) in their children’s education. Numerous studies on parental involvement in schools have underscored the gains to children’s social, emotional, and academic achievement at both elementary and secondary school levels (Christian et al. 1998; Hoover-Dempsey and Sandler 1997; McBride and Lin 1996; Muller 1998; Singh et al. 1995). Parental involvement is also positively related to high school students’ academic achievement (Paulson 1994; Steinberg et al. 1996; Trusty and Watts 1996), time spent on homework, favorable attitudes toward school (Trusty and Watts 1996), and reduced rates of high school dropout (Rumberger et al. 1990). Research suggests that children whose parents are involved in their schooling tend to be motivated learners, have high educational aspirations, get better grades, and experience a sense of belonging in school (Cheung and Pomerantz 2012; Georgis et al. 2014; Kuperminc et al. 2007). Parents who encourage their children to learn at home and who help them develop positive attitudes toward school contribute to their personal growth and academic success (Comer 20
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