Academic Achievement & Parent Engagement in Latinx Families

Abstract

The purpose of this project was to increase understanding of the needs of Latinx parents when engaging in their children’s academics. Moreover, it was important to provide the community center with recommendations based on the study’s results so that the center may better serve Latinx parents. Five mothers from Lafayette, IN discussed their strengths, challenges, and desired resources when being involved in their children’s learning and school activities. Five major themes were identified in the interviews. Theme 1: Ensuring that their children were at school on time was identified by most participants as the primary responsibility of parents. Theme 2: Having good communication was described as the main responsibility of teachers. Theme 3: Most mothers said that making sure their children were completing their homework was their biggest strength. Theme 4: Most participants revealed the language barrier was the biggest challenge to being involved in their child’s academics. The language barrier made it difficult to communicate with teachers, help with homework, and often made them feel uncomfortable in the school setting. Theme 5: A couple of the mothers stated that they desired more tutoring resources because they did not have the knowledge needed to understand and help with assignments. Based on these themes and the poor enrollment of Latinx students at the community center’s youth program, it is recommended that the center implement a marketing plan to reach the Latinx community who is not utilizing the center’s tutoring and other resources.