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An evaluation of the current level of Korean parent involvement at Third Street Elementary School

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Content AN EVALUATION OF THE CURRENT LEVEL OF KOREAN PARENT
INVOLVEMENT AT THIRD STREET ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
by
Suzie Kim Oh
A Dissertation Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE ROSSIER SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
DOCTOR OF EDUCATION
August 2004
Copyright 2004 Suzie Kim Oh
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UMI Number: 3145256
Copyright 2004 by
Oh, Suzie Kim
All rights reserved.
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DEDICATION
! dedicate my dissertation in memory of my mother and father,
who instilled in me the importance of hard work
and the value of continuous learning.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
For their support and encouragement in preparing this dissertation,
1 would like to especially acknowledge the following individuals.
To Dr. Stuart Gothold, my dissertation committee chair for his helpful advice
and support and Dr. Bob Baker for his guidance and patience.
To Dr. John Regan, who has been a driving force and strong supporter
during the completion of my final research document.
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iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS
DEDICATION............................................................................................... ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS....................................................................................iii
ABSTRACT...........................................................................................................vii
PAGE
CHAPTER...............................................................................................................1
I. INTRODUCTION..................................................................................... 1
Background of the Problem.................................................................. 1
Statement of the Problem...................................................................... 3
Purpose of the Study............................................................................. 4
Research Questions............................................................................... 5
Significance of the Study........................................................................ 6
iLmitations of the Study...........................................................................6
Definitions of Terms............................................................................... 6
Organization of the Study.......................................................................7
II. LITERATURE REVIEW......................................................................... 9
Introduction............................................................................................. 9
The Concept of Parental Participation.................................................. 10
Effective Strategies that Promote Home Learning................................14
Home Learning Environment....................................................................15
Parents and Community Members as Supporters and
Advocates for the Education of Their Children....................... 15
Embracing the Diversity of Families and Communities..................... 18
Partnership for Family Involvement in Education............................... 19
Parent Involvement in Elementary Language Arts:
A Program Model.......................................................................................23
Careful Planning is Essential................................................................ 26
Perceptions of Parents as a Measure of School Climate....................27
Parent Involvement / Successful Schools........................................... 28
Barriers to Parent Involvement............................................................... 29
The Importance of Education for Koreans............................................. 31
Parent and School Cooperation...............................................................32
Why Parents and Schools Collaborate................................................ 34
Importance of Parent-lnvolvement Training...........................................37
Comer’s School Development Program (SDP)..................................... 39
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Efforts by the U.S. Department of Education.................................... 41
Creating a Climate for Parent Participation....................................... 43
Ensuring Safety........................................................................ 46
Involving Parents in the Education Process...................................... 48
Communicating with Parents............................................................... 50
III. METHODOLOGY.............................................................................. 52
Introduction........................................................................................ 52
Purpose of the Study...................................................................... 52
Research Questions........................................................................ 52
Research Design.............................................................................. 53
Population and Sampling.................................................................. 53
Human Research Protection........................................................... 54
Pilot Study........................................................................................... 55
Data Processing and Analysis.......................................................... 56
IV. FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS.............................................................. 58
Introduction........................................................................................... 58
Findings of the Study.......................................................................... 58
Interview Question One...................................................................... 59
Interview Question Two....................................................................... 63
Interview Question Three.................................................................. 68
Interview Question Four....................................................................... 69
Interview Question Five....................................................................... 71
Interview Question Six........................................................................... 72
Interview Question Seven................................................................... 73
Interview Question Eight....................................................................... 73
V. CONCLUSIONS.................................................................................... 75
Introduction......................................................................................... 75
Summary of Key Findings.................................................................... 75
Recommendations for the Future of
Third Street Elementary School................................................... 80
Reflections............................................................................................. 81
REFERENCES...........................................................................................87
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vi
APPENDICES
A. Research Questions................................................................ 103
B. Parent Interview Guide................................. 104
C. Letter to Respondents................................................................ 105
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vii
ABSTRACT
Schools with parent bodies that contribute time and energy into school
improvement, in such areas as PTA involvement and fundraising, provide
profound benefits for students, parents, teachers and administrators. When
parents contribute to the quality of learning, the results are higher student
grades and test scores, better attendance, and consistency in completed
homework. Involving parents in school programs creates a supportive
environment for students, who feel that their parents are contributing to their
education (Epstein, 1997).
The study targeted Third Street Elementary School (K-5), a Los
Angeles Unified School District facility located in the mid-Wilshire district of
Los Angeles, California. In excess of 50% of the student population is
Korean-American. The sample population in the study included Korean
parents with children enrolled in grades K-5 at the school.
Information was elicited through the use of open-ended, semi
structured interviews with prepared questions and surveys distributed to
parents for gleaning data such as educational background, socio-economic
status, level of school involvement, and attendance at PTA meetings and
other school functions.
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viii
Several challenges faced the principal regarding the level of
involvement of Korean parents at the school. It was necessary to reach out to
all of the parents to effect increased involvement in matters relative to
student achievement. Another concern was the fostering of equality among
parent groups, especially when disparities exist, such as ethnic
representation in the decision-making process. It was also important to use
actively involved parents to effect more activism on the part of less involved
parents. Finally, successfully evaluating the effectiveness of long-term school
reform efforts to involve families in the education of their children was an
important and challenging venture.
An action plan was designed, which included: (1) programs that help
Korean immigrant parents to acculturate into the school system, (2) methods
of stimulating increased Korean immigrant parent involvement in the school,
(3) a Korean parent involvement plan was designed for Third Street
Elementary School, based on existing successful programs in Los Angeles
and elsewhere.
The research questions appear below:
1. What parent involvement programs currently exist that help
recently immigrated Korean parents successfully acculturate into
the educational process at Third Street Elementary School?
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2. What barriers, if any, prevent Korean parents from becoming
actively involved in the education of children enrolled at Third
Street Elementary School?
3. To what extent are Korean parents involved in the educational
development of their children through school programs and
activities at Third Street Elementary School?
4. What recommendations do Korean parents suggest to professional
educators that may stimulate an increase in parent involvement in
Third Street Elementary School?
Source materials in the study included such primary documents at
PTA meetings as minutes, principal letters to parents regarding parent
involvement, and meeting notices. Secondary source materials were elicited
from university library volumes, books, newspapers, periodicals and journals
and the Internet.
The research focused on information gleaned from the respondents
(e.g. interviewee answers, suggestions, recommendations) for the purpose of
developing programs to stimulate increased involvement on the part of
Korean parents.
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Chapter I
1
Introduction
Schools with involved, informed, and empowered parents provide
profound benefits for students, parents, teachers and administrators. Research
shows that when parents are integral to student learning, those students
generally have higher grades and test scores, better attendance, and more
consistently completed homework. Involving all stakeholder groups, including
parents, creates a supportive environment for learners. Building successful
partnerships is a multifaceted effort focused on increasing awareness and
implementation of a quality parent involvement program (Joyce Epstein, 1997).
Background of the Problem
At Third Street Elementary School, although there appear to be numbers
of parents who are active, there nevertheless remains a number of parents who
constitute untapped resources, especially limited-English speaking parents who
are not as involved as they perhaps should be, which may be due to language
and cultural barriers. Although 20% of the parents are actively involved and
politically savvy, 50% of the parent body are immigrants from Korea who are not
familiar with the American educational system and become more actively
involved.
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On the surface, it would appear to the casual observer that Third Street
Elementary School is an effective school with little need for improvement,
especially in the area of parent involvement. However, this is only partly valid
because, conversely, a high number of parents are, in fact, not involved at the
school.
For decades, Third Street Elementary School has been a jewel in the
LAUSD’s crown - a public school with high academic standards, proudly
attended by local families in an exclusive neighborhood.
But by the early 1990’s, the student body had become increasingly
Korean, and whites, feeling squeezed, began grumbling about address
falsification - the use of a friend or family member’s address to get a child
admitted to a desired school outside one’s own attendance area. Many white
parents responded by sending their children to private schools, citing concerns
about overcrowding and the fact that Third Street was no longer a
“neighborhood school.”
The co-president of the Friends of Third Street School, a parents’ booster
organization, strongly suggested that the white exodus from Third Street to
overreaction. According to the co-president, “ Whenever there is a fairly sudden
demographic shift resulting in an increased percentage of any minority group,
people’s radar kicks in, and they start claiming that the minority group is taking
over.” And while she admits, “ some of the outcry about Korean falsification of
addresses was true,” she quickly pointed out that, “it’s not just Koreans who do
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it. Third Street is a good school, and so address falsification has always been a
problem.”
Current challenges faced by the on-site principal include the following:
1. How does the principal of Third Street Elementary School reach out
to all parents to effect increased involvement in matters that may help
to increase student achievement?
2. How does the principal foster equity and equality among parent
groups when there are significant disparities in regard to parent
involvement?
3. How does the on-site principal utilize actively involved parents to
effect more activism on the part of those parents who are less
involved?
4. How does the on-site principal evaluate the effectiveness of long-term
school reform efforts to involve families in the education of their
child(ren)?
Statement of the Problem
According to the LAUSD Ethnic Survey Report (Fall, 2000), at Third
Street Elementary School, there is a Korean student population of 54.5%; the
remaining 44.5% of the K-5 student body consists of a variety of ethnic groups
including white (19.5%), Latino (13.7%), and African-American (9.7%) and
others (2.6%). The parent leadership, in particular, the Parent-Teacher
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Association (PTA), and the Friends of Third, which is a school booster club that
annually raises $70,000.00 in revenues, consists of non-Korean parents.
Currently, there is no action plan that will adequately address the issue of
limited or non-participation on the part of language-minority parents at Third
Street Elementary School. Benefits of increased parent participation include:
1. Learning of programs helps them and their children to acculturate into
the American school system.
2. Parents are becoming actively involved through further enhancement
and learning of parents’ skills which allows them to play an integral
role in assisting student learning.
3. To successfully design and/or develop a Korean Parent Involvement
Program, the researcher will study a variety of parent involvement
programs that exist in Los Angeles schools and elsewhere, which
may assist in improving the level of parent participation and the
educational outcome of the learners at Third Street Elementary
School.
Purpose of the Study
The purpose of the study is to research issues surrounding parent
participation in school leadership and recommend and develop a plan of action
to effect a positive change in the significant lack of language minority parent
participation at Third Street Elementary School.
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Research Questions
1. What parent involvement programs currently exist that help recently
immigrated Korean parents successfully acculturate into the
educational process at Third Street Elementary School?
2. To what extent are Korean parents involved in the educational
development of their children through school programs and activities
at Third Street Elementary School?
3. What barriers, if any, that prevent Korean parents from becoming
actively involved in the education of children enrolled at Third Street
Elementary School?
4. What recommendations do Korean parents suggest to professional
educators that may stimulate an increase in parent involvement in
Third Street Elementary School?
Significance of the Study
The research study will help Korean-American parents to become more
knowledgeable of existing programs in the LAUSD, and especially at Third
Street Elementary School, which may significantly enhance their involvement in
the education of their children. This study is targeted at Third Street Elementary
School, which, in fact, currently contains more students of Korean ethnicity than
any other private or public school in the entire United States.
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In the Los Angeles Times Metro Section (July 29, 2000), journalist
Connie Kang stated that Los Angeles is the "capital of Koreans outside Korea,"
which strongly implies that Los Angeles possesses the highest population of
Koreans outside Korea.
Limitations of the Study
1. Total accuracy and truthfulness of participating respondents
cannot be measured.
2. The sample population consists of all parents of Korean-American
students.
3. The researcher has a bias toward Third Street Elementary School
because she has served as the on-site principal since 1993.
Definitions of Key Terms
The following terms are defined to clarify their meaning in the context of
the study:
BAC. Bilingual Advisory Committee
ELAC. English Learners Advisory Committee
Korean-American. Korean people who reside in the United
States, which may include educators,
parents and students.
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LAUSD. Los Angeles Unified School District
PTA. Parent Teacher Organization
Organization of the Study
This qualitative dissertation is divided into five chapters, with reference
and appendix sections appearing after the fifth chapter.
The first chapter includes the background and statement of the problem,
purpose of the study, research questions, and a definition of terms used in the
study.
The second chapter includes a review of the literature related to the
research topic, which includes such areas as: (a) familiarizing Korean immigrant
parents with programs that will assist them and their children to successfully
acculturate into the American school system, (b) helping parents to become
more actively involved in their children’s school to help them achieve their
highest learning potential, (c) proven successful parent involvement programs
that may serve as models or provide input for an action plan that may be
developed at Third Street Elementary School.
The third chapter includes the research methodology and
implementation, descriptions of the sample population, qualitative research
design, materials, and the data collection and data analysis procedures.
The fourth chapter present the findings of the study which includes
summary data and description of respondents’ suggestions, along with
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supporting data that assisted the researcher in discovering methods to design
and/or develop a Korean Parent Involvement Program at Third Street
Elementary School.
The fifth and final chapter contains an overview of the findings,
implications of the study, and recommendations for further research in the area
of parent school involvement programs. Personal comments of the researcher
are also included in this chapter.
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Chapter II
Literature Review
Introduction
This chapter contains an in-depth report of literature related to programs
enhancing parent involvement in schools. The researcher includes current
information in order to learn of a variety of programs utilized by successful
schools with the purpose being to develop a quality parent involvement program
at Third Elementary Street School. Source materials includes such primary
documents at PTA meeting minutes, principal letters to parents regarding parent
involvement, and meeting notices. Secondary source materials were elicited
from university library volumes, books, newspapers, periodicals and journals
and the Internet.
Education is no longer seen narrowly as a set of managerial and
pedagogical skills, but rather as a caring, collaborative profession which works
with families and others to make decisions about pedagogy and curricula in
order to best meet the needs of all children. Following this view, schools would
be student-centered, collegial cultures, operating as small units, where risk-
taking, and creative ideas and actions are valued. Parents and educators would
be working together for such goals as: building trust, creating a safe school
environment for children; enabling academic, athletic, and personal successes;
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supporting teamwork and collaboration between school and community; and
taking care of buildings and finances (Henry, 1996).
The Concept of Parental Participation
The terms “parental involvement” and “parental participation” have
tended to be used synonymously and interchangeably. Involvement can range
from a parent being a member of the school’s parent-teacher association, to
turning up to parents' evenings, to representation as a parent governor, to direct
collaboration in the learning process and the curriculum.
It has been generally agreed that varying forms and degrees of parental
involvement with the educational process is, in the most lay of terms, “ a good
thing” with these assumptions usually invoked (Halsey, 1972; Wood head, 1976):
1. that a forging of home-school links is beneficial to an individual child and
to children collectively;
2. that the benefits lie in the cognitive and affective realms of functioning.
Direct parent (usually maternal) participation in many facets of early
childhood education programs achieves a dual purpose. The child benefits, in
terms of evidently boosted attainment, and the parent benefits, by being alerted
to different and more effective ways of handling her/his child, and by becoming
aware of ways in which to create or develop learning opportunities and
stimulating experiences for the child (Halsey, 1972; Wood head, 1976).
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The term “parental participation” is used in this report along with that of
“Parental involvement” as an umbrella term to describe all the models and types
of liaison between parents and schools.
Research confirms that regardless of the economic, racial, or cultural
background of the family, when parents are partners in their children’s
education, the results are improved student achievement, better school
attendance, reduced dropout rates, and decreased delinquency (Riley, 1994).
Over 30 years of research has proven that effectively engaging parents
and families in the education of their children has the potential to be far more
transformational than any other type of education reform. When parents are
involved, students achieve more, regardless of socioeconomic status,
ethnic/racial background, or the parent’s education level (National PTA).
There are eight ways in which schools typically involve parents in schools
(Morgan, 1993), which ultimately benefits their children:
1. recipients of information;
2. governors;
3. helpers;
4. fundraisers;
5. experts;
6. co-educators;
7. clients;
8. consultants.
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There are also ten traits of highly successful schools, which are:
1. a strong, knowledgeable principal;
2. superior teachers;
3. motivated students;
4. involved and committed parents;
5. standards of learning for which students are held accountable
6. a solid academic curriculum;
7. high achievement on the part of students;
8. an academically focused mission;
9. strong communication;
10. a safe environment for students and staff.
It is apparent, then, that parents need to be actively involved in their
children’s lives and know what interests and influences the child. Parents need
to play a stronger role within the school by lobbying for needed services that
they see lacking within their child’s school (Grantham, 1999). For example,
when the researcher first arrived at Third Street Elementary School, only 3% of
the students were identified as “ gifted.” Now, more than 15% of the student
body is “gifted.” In fact, there are currently 10 (out of 40 total classes) gifted
cluster classes which provide differentiated instruction. This expansion of the
gifted program was a direct result of parent lobbying and demands.
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While parents may assume specific roles as they become involved in the
education of children, for example as volunteers in the classroom, a synthesis of
the literature reveals three overarching roles that are created in the
development and implementation of parent and community involvement
programs (Lyons, Robbins and Smith, 1983; Lynn 1994). The roles appear
below in different ways in relationships in classrooms, schools, and school
districts, as is described below:
1. Parents as the primary resource in the education of their children.
Home learning is the activity, or set of activities, that parents and family
members may engage in to help their children succeed academically.
This partnership role between parents and/or family members and
schools may have the greatest impact on achievement. Key elements
specific to home learning are:
a. Well-developed local practices. Dauber and Epstein (1991)
asserted that regardless of parent education, family size,
student ability, or school level (elementary or middle school),
parents are more likely to become partners in their children’s
education if they perceive that the schools have strong practices
to involve parents at school, at home on homework, and at
home on reading activities. Epstein has concluded that for
teachers, parent involvement in student’s home learning is
largely an organizational problem.
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b. Teachers must have clear, easy, and reliable ways to: distribute
learning activities, receive and process messages from parents to
evaluate the help students obtain at home, and continue to manage
and evaluate the parent involvement practices.
c. Willingness of teachers to build on parent strengths. Effective
programs respect and utilize the strengths from all parents,
regardless of parental income, education, or social status (Zeldin,
1989) for a strong partnership. Further, successful programs view
even minor involvement as the basis for later, more active
involvement (Eastman, 1988). Research from the Johns Hopkins
Surveys of Schools and Family Connections (Epstein and Becker,
1987) showed that teachers believe that parent’s help is necessary if
schools are to solve problems. Teachers mainly requested that
parents review or practice activities that were taught in class.
Effective Strategies that Promote Home Learning
Many researchers found that parents need specific advice and strategies to
enable them to engage in home learning activities.
Successful programs have some of the following components: (1)
Prescriptive component (Rich, 1986); (2) Flexible program to fit parent’s time
(Zeldin, 1989; Barber, 1987); (3) Meaningful and interesting (Brown, 1989);
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(4) On-going projects (Brown, 1989; Epstein and Herrick (1991); (5) Parents can
ask questions and listen (Epstein, 1991); (6) Personal support of parents by
teachers (Lightfoot, 1975; Crispeels, 1987); and (7) Teachers encourage
parental involvement (Dauber and Epstein, 1991).
Home Learning Environment
The major emphasis of activities that may be termed “home learning” in
grades kindergarten through five include helping parents: (1) become partners
with teachers in encouraging children with their schoolwork; (2) interact with
their children at home to support school goals and programs; (3) understand
elementary grade programs; (4) assist children with decisions that affect their
own and the family’s futures (Epstein and Salinas, 1990).
Parents and Community Members as Supporters and
Advocates for the Education of their Children
This is facilitated through “ site-based school management,” restructuring
schools to create parent and community partnerships with schools focuses on
organizational structure, changing activities; creating new relationships between
parents, families, communities, and schools; and implementing innovative
strategies are ways that schools can restructure to facilitate parent and
community involvement in this role.
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School-structuring activities focus on the following key program
elements:
1. Emphasis on quality education. The research literature for Effective Schools
emphasizes the importance of developing the abilities of all children
regardless of their current achievement level or their cultural, ethnic, or
socioeconomic background (Davies, 1991). Schools and families must work
together to form high, yet realistic expectations that lead to success for all
students as they restructure the school to meet their local needs (American
Indian Science and Engineering Society, 1989; Bliss, 1986; Davies, 1991)
2. Family participation. Family involvement is important because “ for some
children, it is the grandparents, aunts and uncles, brothers and sisters or
even neighbors who make the most significant contribution in supporting the
child’s educational development outside of school” (Davies, 1991). Principals
need to take the lead to ensure that parent and community involvement is a
high priority for the school staff, parents, and community (Purnell and Gotts,
1985).
3. Site-based management. Site-based management has emphasized the
importance of appropriate policies and local decision-making as it relates to
the development of effective schools where parents are involved. The
Effective Schools research highlighted the importance of involvement of
parents in the development and implementation of comprehensive school
improvement plans. (Taylor and Levine; Smith and O’Day (1991). At Third
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Street Elementary School, parents participate in the process of shared
decision-making through the School Site Council. At this writing,
unfortunately, the entire parent representation on the council consists of only
English-speaking members. The challenge for the principal is to devise a
plan that will allow non-English speaking parents a voice on the council.
5. Parents and community members as participants in education.
This incorporates a broader vision in the partnership between schools and
the populations that they serve. District-wide programs provide the vehicle
for parents and community members to be involved in roles that reach
beyond the immediate impact of an individual child to the impact on all
children in the district. Key elements for district-wide programs are described
below:
a. Development and implementation of policy. The National Coalition
for Parent Involvement in Education (1990) contends that policies
should contain the following concepts: (1) opportunities for all
parents to become informed about how the parent involvement
program will be designed and carried out; (2) participation of
parents who lack literacy skills or who do not speak English; (3)
regular information for parents about their child’s participation and
progress in specific educational programs and the objectives of
these programs; (4) opportunities for parents to assist in the
instructional process at school and at home; (5) professional
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development for teachers and staff to enhance their effectiveness
with parents; (6) linkages with social service agencies and
community groups to address key family and community issues;
(7) involvement of parents of children at all ages and grade levels;
and (8) recognition of diverse family structures, circumstances
and responsibilities, including differences that might impede
parent participation. The person(s) responsible for a child may not
be the child’s biological parent(s) and policies and programs
should include participation by all persons interested in the child’s
educational progress.
Embracing the Diversity of Families and Communities
District-wide programs must consider all families, including those
considered by some schools to be hard to reach (Epstein, 1991) and at-risk
(Zeldin, 1990). The parent involvement program in McAllen, Texas is exemplary
in this area (D’Angelo and Adler, 1991).
The literature reveals the several key program elements cut across all the
of the education system:
1. Communication. This is the primary building block that takes into
account the equal participation by all the partners;
2. Key Players. Students, parents, families, and community members
are the primary focus in the development and implementation of
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parent and community involvement programs. Other key players
may be teachers and administrators. (The writer of this dissertation
believes the school principal is, in fact, the most significant player in
stimulating parent involvement.)
3. Resources. Funding, personnel, etc. are essential in the
development and implementation of parent and community
involvement programs.
The roles of parents, families, and communities and the partnerships that
are created with schools speak to programs that are designed, developed, and
implemented at any grade level.
Partnership for Family Involvement in Education
The U.S. Secretary of Education, Richard W. Riley, and the staff of the
U.S. Department of Education established the Partnership for Family
Involvement in Education in September 1994. Because family participation in
children’s learning is often influenced by work schedules and time constraints, it
is crucial that businesses, community and religious organizations, and
especially families and schools support parent and employee involvement in
education. To encourage such support, the Department of Education
administers the Partnership and offers resources, ideas, funding, and
conferences relevant to family involvement in education. Partners - across the
sectors Employers for Learning, Community Organizations, Religious Groups,
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and Family-School Partnerships - commit to increasing family participation in
children’s learning through a variety of activities and efforts, some of which
include: student and family-friendly policies at the workplace, before and after
school programs, tutoring and mentoring initiatives, and donations of facilities
and technologies.
The U.S. Department of Education’s role in the Partnership is to provide
a network of support for the companies and organizations around the country
working to make education a community affair. They want partners to connect
with each other, pool resources and ideas, share their best practices and be
recognized for their efforts. In addition, they want to keep partners informed of
current educational issues and trends, and use their expertise to provide
pertinent resources and publications to make their programs better.
Staff members of the Education Partnerships and Family Involvement
Unit in the Department’s Office of Intergovernmental Affairs encourage
involvement, suggesting that the organization builds lasting alliances with
businesses, community organizations, families and schools. The main purpose
is to stimulate improvement of America’s schools and student achievement
(U.S. Department of Education, 1998).
The Department of Education strongly suggests that building strong and
effective partnerships between families, schools, business community and
religious groups is a proven means for improving education and creating safe
communities. In a recent publication (1998), the DOE suggests seven
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recommendations to building a successful partnership between schools and
families:
1. Work Together. Consult a wide variety of groups and citizens active
in the community from the project. Local groups and citizens must
buy in and feel ownership by determining needs and recognizing their
own capacity.
2. Assess Needs. Help participating groups and citizens assess the
needs and identify assets to move the community. Develop a
checklist or an assessment instrument to help gather information with
questions such as: What do we see as barriers to children’s learning
in our community? What are we currently doing to support children’s
learning in the community? Are all the children being served,
including children with disabilities and limited English proficiency?
Think about demographic information, cultural awareness and
appreciation, and issues and you begin planning. Identify
communication links and networks; learn how information travels and
how people get connected in the community. One method may be the
school system. Another equally important network might be
community leaders who wear different hats (e.g. a business leader
who also serves as a Scout leader).
3. Survey Resources. Find out how your community would be willing to
help. Think about all sectors of the community. For example, talk to
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employers about giving their employees time off for school with their
children on the first day of school, or to volunteer on a regular basis
to go out to senior citizen groups to enlist them as reading tutors.
Approach the college students and graduates in your community to
see what they have to offer. Work with local arts organizations and
museums.
4. Share Information. Share information about resources that exist
outside the community. Ask community representatives from national
associations and organizations about activities that are and about
resources that may be available to local members in regard to
stimulating partnerships in the education process.
5. Seek Out Experienced Collaborators. Are there people in your
community or state who are experienced and talented in organizing
coalitions? Ask them to give a presentation on building partnerships
in education and encourage discussion on the individual roles and
responsibilities of participants, including the coordinator; on how to
work with the school system and schools.
6. Set Goals. Set clear goals for your partnership. Make sure these
goals fit with the aims of the organizations and people. Encourage
involvement in a way that “makes sense” to the community - a way
that will spark interest, fulfill needs, and match community goals. For
example, in Bennington, Vermont, a business man pondered, “ the
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23
first day of hunting season is a state holiday, why not the first day of
school?” That question stimulated his community to make the first-
day-of-school a bigger event.
7. Decide on Measures of Success. Based on the goals established,
what are the indicators of success? Agree on a set of goals and how
to effectively measure them. Find out how other community
organizations have measured outcomes. School districts and
businesses routinely evaluate performance. Seek out ideas and help
in creating consistent and realistic evaluation tools, including
evidence, surveys, and other reporting mechanisms.
In 1998, Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley drafted a letter that
strongly encouraged citizen participation in Family Involvement in Education
Program.
Parent Involvement in Elementary Language Arts: A Program Model
Parent involvement is fast becoming a hot topic. Teaching periodicals,
parent magazines, newspapers, and even television talk shows and special
broadcasts are emphasizing the impact parents make in educating their
children. Topics include hints on effective communication at conference time,
tips for establishing study skills and habits at home, and information on how to
use parents effectively as volunteers in the classroom (Vukelich, 1984.)
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Any well-meaning, dedicated teachers approach parent involvement as an
“afterthought” that may lack purposeful implementation. Parent involvement, in
this sense, is not seen as part of the curriculum. A general format may help to
eliminate wasted effort and guide the development of an organized approach to
parent involvement - a parent involvement program that is integrated into the
language arts program. One such program (Petit, 1980), which is described
below, is targeted at three important dimensions of parent involvement including
monitoring, informing, and participation.
1. Monitoring.
At Petit’s monitoring level, schools make parents aware of the school
situation. This may be done through informal conversations (e.g. open-
houses, school programs), announcements regarding the school’s
activities, and questionnaires. This type of contact helps to establish
parental feelings of assurance, confidence, and acceptance. Parents feel
more comfortable sharing with the teacher their child’s positive, as well
as negative, attitudes about school that the child may be experiencing at
home. Many schools are effective and active at this level of parent
involvement with weekly bulletins, annual open houses in the fall, and
public invitations to special school programs and activities.
2. Informing.
This means keeping parent informed about policies, procedures, aims,
and expectations that exist in the school, but particularly in the
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classroom. The contact is more formal and direct. Communication at this
level is more specifically between the classroom teacher and the parent
rather than between the school and the parents. This is done through (a)
parent-teacher conferences, (b) home visits, (c) class newsletters, (d)
bulletin boards, (e) reporting, (f) phone calls, and (g) take-home packets.
In addition to informing parents, parents need to inform the teacher about
anything going on at home that may help the teacher to understand the
child’s behavior and performance at school. Parents should
communicate with the teacher on how the child’s reading and language
activities are progressing at home and give feedback regarding the
supportive activities done at home.
3. Participation.
At this level parents become actively involved in the classroom with
teachers. Teachers solicit the assistance of parents in helping the school
and/or classroom with instructional support. Parents might act as aides
or volunteers in classrooms, helping with bulletin boards, checking
assignments, or making games and activities. Parents might volunteer to
work in the library, do typing, or work with school equipment such as
laminating and duplicating. Parents who have had experiences that
match a special theme or topic being explored by the class could be
asked to make special presentations. They may be asked to participate
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in classroom instruction or act as classroom reading tutors or writing
editors who work with one or two children who are experiencing difficulty.
Parents who cannot actively participate in the classroom are encouraged
to provide supportive instruction at home using reading and writing strategies
and methods similar to those being used in the classroom.
It is necessary that parents be aware of effective instructional techniques
when working with children in the classroom and at home. Parent knowledge
and skills can be extended through parent observation and/or instruction. It is at
this participation level that parents become involved in workshops or reading
courses. Teachers, specialists, or other professionals explain to parents about
the school language arts program. Parents are then given instruction on howto
help students in the classroom and at home.
Careful Planning is Essential
According to Petit (1980), initiating an effective and well-organized plan
for parent involvement takes plenty of work - work to achieve it, work and
commitment to maintain it. It is realistic to think that as one moves through the
levels of involvement described in the preceding paragraphs, the audience of
parents narrows. It is easy to have all parents and all teachers included at the
beginning levels. However, as movement makes its way up the levels, the focus
narrows. Fewer parents and teachers are able and willing to enter into the
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“participation” level of involvement with classrooms and homes. Teachers
cannot let this be discouraging. Instead, they must continually remind
themselves that the obligation to reach a wider audience of parents still remains.
When parent involvement reaches a level in which parents are actually
involved at school and/or at home, teachers must recognize that it was attained
through effective communication in the beginning or at previous levels. This
effective communication involves positive actions by teachers, parents, and
administrators who are willing to cooperate and act in concert with one another.
The office of Educational Research and Improvement (1986) argues that
teachers who succeed in involving parents in their children’s schoolwork are
successful because they (teachers) work at it. “ Working at it” calls for a
commitment from principals, teachers, and parents, which ultimately benefits the
child.
Perceptions of Parents as a Measure of School Climate
School climate is a term used to describe people’s perceptions of their
school. It combines beliefs, values, and attitudes of students, teachers,
administrators, parents, office personnel, custodians, cafeteria workers,
business partners, community members, and others who play important roles in
the life of the school. Perceptions can often have as great an impact as reality.
The perceptions of students, parents, and the neighboring community are key
components of creating an atmosphere where teachers can teach, students can
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learn, parents can take an active role in the education of their children, and
excellence can be achieved (Stevens and Sanchez, 1999). The Houston
Independent School District (HISD) developed a series of
Student/Parent/Community Surveys during the 1991-92,1992-93, and 1993-94
school years. The purpose of these surveys was to find out from students,
parents, and other representatives of the community how they perceived the
district. The surveys addressed such characteristics of schools as: (1)
Expectations for student achievement; (2) Focus on teaching and learning; (3)
Shared decision-making; (4) Parent and community involvement with, support
of, and satisfaction with the educational program; (5) Continuous and
appropriate assessment of students; (6) Teacher and staff interaction with
student and (7) a safe and orderly environment.
Parent Involvement I Successful Schools
For several years there has been concern about what constitutes
success for students in North American high schools. Declining college-
entrance-examination scores have created concern for students’ academic
achievement; vandalism and challenges to school authorities have focused
attention on the social and attitudinal (or affective) development of adolescents.
Of course, many factors in the environment of adolescents are likely to
contribute to their achievements and behavior (Isherwood and Hammah, The
Quality of School Life, p37).
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Research confirms that regardless of the economic, racial, or cultural
background of the family, when parents are partners in their children’s
education, the results are improved student achievement, better school
attendance, reduced dropout rates, and decreased delinquency (Riley, 1994).
Over 30 years of research has proven that effectively engaging parents
and families in the education of their children has the potential to be far more
transformational than any other type of education reform. When parents are
involved, students achieve more, regardless of socioeconomic status,
ethnic/racial background, or the parent’s education level (National PTA).
Parents need to be actively involved in their children’s lives and know
what interests and influences the child. Parents need to play a stronger role
within the school by lobbying for needed services that they see lacking within
their child’s school (Grantham, 1999).
Barriers to Parent Involvement
There are a number of barriers to parent involvement in the educational
of their children (Hornby, 2000); these barriers are also apparent among Korean
immigrant parents:
1. Parent Attitudes. Researcher Joyce Epstein (1990), from her
numerous studies of parental involvement concludes that almost all
, parents from all backgrounds care about the education of their
children. So it is not a lack of interest on behalf of parents that leads
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to low levels of parental involvement. Epstein suggests that it is the
fact that so few of them know what schools expect from them or how
they might contribute to their children’s schooling that is at the core of
the problem. It is this lack of knowledge that acts as a barrier to the
establishment of high levels of parental involvement.
2. Teacher Training. Epstein (1985) indicated that the majority of
teachers have had little or no training on working with parents on
either initial training courses or as part of in-service training. Most
teachers, therefore, lack the skills and knowledge needed for
effectively working with parents, and this is another barrier to setting
up high levels of parent involvement.
The above paragraphs can easily be applied to the limited involvement of
Korean parents in schools. In addition to the linguistic barrier, there is some
cultural baggage pervasive among Korean parents, who often believe, “Leave
education to the professionals. They know what is best. Just trust them.” This
same attitude toward getting involved permeates throughout the greater Los
Angeles area school, both public and private. Thus, Korean parents must be
encouraged by school administrators, counselors and other professional
educators to disregard the traditional non-involvement approach toward
education. Korean parents must adapt to American school systems, where,
traditionally, parents take a more active role in the education of their children.
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There also needs to be more attention given to ongoing in-service teacher
workshops on “Understanding and Involving Korean-American Parents in
Schools” as needed.
The Importance of Education for Koreans
Since 1948 the Korean government has controlled the size of higher
education institutions, particularly in institutions of high prestige. Since entrance
to universities is by competitive examination, and only a small percentage of the
population can attain entrance, long periods of intensive study and competition
are considered the norm for Koreans, even among those who have no chance
to compete. Even though the desire for education is very strong, government
policies have restricted actual entrance to higher levels of education.
One characteristic of Asian Americans that has caught the eye of the
American public is a determination to secure the finest education for their
children. So much so, in fact, that there have been numerous reports of quotas
on Asian Americans in some of the most prestigious universities in the United
States. Report after report shows that Asian Americans are over-represented in
institutions of higher learning, including those with high prestige. What is not so
well known is that the recent cohorts of immigrants from Asia were very well
educated to begin with (Barringer and Cho, 1989).
In varying degrees, depending on the group and when they arrived,
immigrant children have always been troubled by feelings of marginality. In the
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32
schoolroom they felt foreign; at home, they were seen as too American. The
“strange dualism” into which they had been born or moved caused much
unhappiness for the “little aliens” and their parents. An Italian mother, unable to
get her children to obey her command to speak only her native tongue in the
house, asked what use there was in having children if she could not speak to
them.
The above scenario describes the relationship between immigrant
parents during the late 18th and early 19th time of increasing immigration. This
same relationship exists today in the homes of thousands of Korean families
throughout the greater Los Angeles area.
Parent and School Cooperation
Parent-school cooperation brings the strengths of the home and the
expertise of the school into a working partnership. Every issue, concern, and
educational goal involves the family and the child. Separation of the child from
the family is impossible, because every child is socialized into a family culture.
Even those reared in an institution are affected by the culture of the institution -
their substitute family. Children bring the ideas, feelings, strengths, and
weaknesses of the home into their life at school. If homes and schools are
connected through the children, clearly a working partnership will strengthen the
effectiveness of the school. Home-school partnerships are an essential step
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forward. Working together, schools and homes will succeed in educating the
next generation.
Several ideas and programs that may enable school administrators to
successfully collaborate with parents are listed below (Berger, 2000):
1. Set up a program that encourages parents to participate;
2. Develop a school that welcomes parents;
3. Inform parents of their importance and role in the school-home
partnership;
4. List and explain services that schools can offer to help families
accomplish the task of parenting;
5. List and explain services that help parents become partners with their
schools;
6. Provide parents with access to information about school and homework;
7. Provide a family resource center;
8. Develop a parent advisory council.
According to Berger (2000), schools have more contact with families than
any other public agency. Almost every child from the age of 5 spends nine
months a year, five days a week, five or six hours a day in school. When child
care centers and preschools are included, the school-home-community
relationship begins even earlier. Locally controlled schools can respond to the
needs of the community. If schools and community join forces in a coordinated
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effort to support families and children, they can have an enormous effect. The
school and home also have a natural opportunity to work together. With the
community, they can achieve their goals for children.
Why Parents and Schools Collaborate
The walling out of the community occurred as a response to the
professionalization of teaching. If schools were to do their job of educating
without interference from the public, it was considered necessary for
administrators to buffer teachers from unnecessary intrusions and demands
from parents (Crowson, 1992).
In recent years, conventional thinking has shifted to the view that schools
do not exist in isolation from the larger society and that schooling can be
revitalized with help from the community. “Interference” might better be seen as
collaboration. Schools cannot do their work in isolation from parents, community
agencies, industry, business, and universities. Today, a definition of what it
means to be an excellent teacher or administrator includes responsiveness to
parents and community.
Parent-school collaboration is sought on a number of grounds:
1. There is a sense of urgency to try something new, a sense that things
currently don’t work as they should and that a new approach is needed;
2. Teachers can learn from parents’ intimate knowledge of their children.
No one knows the child better than the parent, and parents are likely to
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take a child’s perspective and to advocate for children’s rights in making
educational decisions;
3. Parents have a right to be involved in their children’s education;
4. Collaborating with parents may be a way to avoid unexpected intrusions
and to reduce antagonism between parents and educators. Relationships
between teachers, administrators, parents, staff, and students have been
shown to improve (Comer, 1980). Bringing parents, teachers and
administrators together in shared decision-making is a way to reduce
“ adversarial relations” and contribute to better decision-making (Streshly
and Frase, 1992, 100).
5. Parents can provide much needed resources to the public schools, such
as free labor and expertise (Winters, 1993). Parents can thus trade
resources for access to the schools; for instance, financial and political
support is likely to be forthcoming if parents become schools advocates
(Comer, 1980, 126).
6. The involvement of parents can improve school accountability and make
schools more responsive to community needs. Parents are not
constrained by the politics of the school system; being “ outsiders” they
are free of some of the constraints on educators. Parents can bring new
insights to the educational arena since they are not bound or limited by
existing practices or by being a part of the system. Educators, for
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example, may not want to evaluate a colleague negatively even though
this should be done for the good of the children (Moore, 1992, 150).
7. Perhaps most importantly, a reason to enhance parent participation in
public schools is that student outcomes are thought to be positively
affected by increased parent involvement (Epstein, 1988). Parent
involvement in schooling in itself is believed to positively affect children’s
“achievements, attitudes, and aspirations, even after student ability and
family socioeconomic status are taken into account” (Epstein, 1987,
120). Walberg (1984) reviewed twenty-nine controlled studies and found
that parent involvement in school was twice as predictive of academic
success as socioeconomic status.
Basically, then, the benefits of parents being involved in the educational
process are plentiful and schools should strongly encourage parental
involvement. To briefly summarize, it makes good sense for schools to
collaborate with parents for numerous reasons: to gain access to the knowledge
the parents have of their children; to make better decisions; to enhance learning
opportunities; and to build support for schools. Educators may need to work with
families, not by demanding ever more of parents, but by focusing on children
and their needs and by figuring out how parents can be an integral part of the
educational process (Henry, 1996)
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Importance of Parent Involvement Training
In an extensive research project, Henry Walberg (1984), found both
school personnel and parents concerned about the necessity of parent
involvement in schools. He found that 86.8 percent of teachers and 92.1 percent
of 2,3000 principals believed teachers needed parent-involvement training.
In another survey (Harris & Associates, 1987), 75 percent of teachers
wanted to have parents involved inside the school and 74 percent of parents
wanted to be involved. The group who thought it did not have enough contact
included teachers working in inner-city schools, parents of secondary students,
and single parents who work full time. Strong home-school links strengthen
teacher satisfaction and thus increase the likelihood of the teacher continuing in
the profession (Harris & Associates, 1987). The survey supports the findings of
Williams (1992), who believed teachers need parent-involvement training.
Another researcher (Seefeldt, 1985) called for parent involvement in
which there is concern for the welfare of parents as well as children. She
recommended that schools be sensitive to the needs of families, offer real
support for families, and provide true collaboration between home and school.
According to Seefeldt, parents’ decision-making powers might include
“decisions about the school’s budget, selection of staff, and general operating
procedures.”
Research indicates (Epstein, 1986) that teachers who were leaders in
parent-involvement practices enabled all parents, regardless of the parent’s
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educational level, to be involved. These teachers asked parents to conduct
learning activities at home, such as reading allowed, asking their children about
the school day, playing games, visiting the classroom, going to the library, and
helping children with their homework. Teachers who did not involve parents had
attitudes that stereotyped less-educated single parents and low socio-economic
parents.
Researchers Epstein and Dauber (1991) concluded that schools have a
basic responsibility to do the following:
1. Enable families to provide the skills and knowledge needed to help their
children at each age level.
2. Communicate with families through notes, telephone calls, conferences,
and other types of communication. Communication was also studied by
Louks (1992), and parents responded that parent-school communication
could be strengthened by more opportunities in:
a. one-on-one contact with school personnel;
b. participation in the curricula that their children experience;
c. joint problem solving between the school and home rather than by the
school alone;
d. precise suggestions on how parents can help their children;
e. more observations of children as they are involved in school
activities;
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f. Include parents as volunteers and assistants in the classrooms and
other areas of school;
g. Guide parents so they can help their own children through monitoring,
discussing, and helping with homework;
h. Involve parents in decision-making. Provide training for them to
communicate with other parents. Include parents in governance and
advocacy. Encourage participation in PTA and advisory councils.
A sixth type of family involvement, which was not part of Epstein’s
original research, extends the involvement of the school to include the larger
community. Draw on community resources, social agencies, health services,
and businesses, and provide programs that give children and families the
support that they need (Berger, 2000).
Parent involvement, parent education, and more community involvement
in the support of families as they raise their children are three areas of challenge
for school administrators.
Comer’s School Development Program (SDP)
“ Without cooperative, collaborative relationships, school problems are not
going to be easy to address” (Comer, 1980).
Researcher James Comer analyzed issues and problems in the schools
drawing on his own childhood experiences and his professional background in
medicine and psychology. The process Comer used to develop nurturing and
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successful schools has succeeded and been copied throughout the United
States.
Comer’s School Development Program (SDP) is based on three
principles:
1. consensus;
2. collaboration;
3. no-fault, needed to develop a climate that allows schools, children,
and parents to thrive.
In using the above three principles, school personnel and parents can
review aims and concerns without fault being assigned to anyone. Consensus
allows discussion, brainstorming for ideas, and decision making without
requiring a vote that might cause divisiveness. Collaboration allows the schools,
families and community to move forward to develop a viable responsive
environment for children (Comer, Haynes, Joyner, & Ben-Avie, 1996; Comer,
1997).
The School Development Program involves three “ teams” whose
functions are described below:
1. School Planning and Management Team. This team plans and
coordinates school endeavors such as curriculum, assessment, and
instruction.
2. Student and Staff Support Team. Comer first referred to this team as
the Mental Health Team. The Student and Staff Support Team works
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to prevent concerns from becoming problems and responds to the
issues and needs of individual students.
3. Parent Team. The Parent Team involves parents at all levels of the
school and integrates the school with the community.
For the purpose of this study, it is recommended that the reader pay
particular attention to the Parent Team of Comer’s theoretical framework.
To develop an SDP school participants must build trust, plan well,
empower parents, and continually monitor, assess, and modify as necessary.
Efforts by the U.S. Department of Education
During the decade of the nineties, the U.S. Department of Education
(1997) made a concerted effort to provide resources and opportunities for
families and schools to collaborate, which are illustrated below:
1. Partnership for Family Involvement in Education. This was
established to encourage families, local school board governance,
administration, teachers, and school staff to form a partnership to
affirm the importance in children’s learning. They make the following
pledge:
a. We will share responsibility at school and at home to give
students a better education and a good start in life;
b. Our school will be welcoming to families; reach out to families
before problems arise; offer challenging courses; create safe and
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drug-free learning environments; organize tutoring and other
opportunities to improve student learning; and support families to
be included in the school decision making process;
c. Our families will monitor student attendance, homework
completion and television watching; take the time to talk and listen
to their children; become acquainted with teachers, administrators
and school staff; read with younger children and share a good
book with a teen; volunteer in school when possible; and
participate in the school decision making process.
d. We will promote effective two-way communication between
families and schools, by schools reducing educational jargon and
breaking down cultural and language barriers and by families
staying in touch with the schools.
e. We will provide opportunities for families to learn how to help their
children succeed in school and for school staff to work with
families;
f. We will support family-school efforts to improve student learning
by reviewing progress regularly and strengthening cooperative
actions.
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Creating a Climate for Parent Participation
It is often a challenge for educators to get parents involved in everyday
school activities because of geographical distance. Often times, there also
appears to be a lack of motivation and/or a lack of communication. Parent-
leaders and educators do not always know their options, nor have they
developed successful ways for reaching parents. But a high level of involvement
is possible. By working together, they can learn to solve the main part of the
problem - setting the climate in order to reach all parents.
Over several years of teacher in-service, parent workshops, and parent
involvement consultations, researcher Carol Batey (1996) kept searching for the
“missing links” needed to connect parents as partners in the schools. She came
to the conclusion that strategies were needed to locate and identify these links.
Participating with principals, staff members, community servers, students, and
parents, Batey identified six strategies that have been used successfully in
various parent involvement programs: (1) extend and invitation; (2) ensure
safety; (3) develop a mission; (4) empower all parents; (5) blend diverse
interests; (6) communicate with parents.
In regard to communication, the below suggestions can be incorporated
at any level of a school’s organization:
a. Extend an invitation. Build on the interest of those who attend parent-
oriented functions. Using a needs assessment, find out the favorite interests
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and skills of their families. Then invite them to share this information in
small-group workshops.
b. Hold meetings at a nearby church in the parents’ neighborhood.
c. Meet with the resident association of the public housing project in a joint
effort to get parent’s attention and support.
d. Load the administration and staff on a school bus and take the meeting to
the parents. Use a school bus driver who drives buses in the inner city and
who can serve as a liaison between school and parents.
e. Lay a foundation by having teachers make home visits shortly after the
children get off the school bus. This works because children are very excited
about parents meeting with their teachers. Use your neighborhood bus
drivers to spread the word to parents that their child’s teacher will be coming
to visit.
f. Find a community spokesperson to act as liaison between families and
school personnel.
g. Make phone calls. If parents do not have a phone, send postcards through
the mail and send information via the student to parents.
h. Brainstorm in a committee meeting to come up with innovative ideas to
reach out to all parents with children at school.
i. Be persistent. Don’t give in to failure.
j. Use the media. Find out which television stations, newspapers, radio
stations, and cable networks broadcast public service announcements
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(PSA’s). There is no charge for a PSA; stations are required to give this
news to their communities.
When all else fails, have a big party in the parents’ neighborhood. Serve
food, offer door prizes, and make sure teachers are present. The key words
here are food and door prizesl You may even consider having music and
activities for the children (e.g. face painting, fishing for prizes)
Below are some ideas for setting the climate for inviting involvement and
for keeping parents involved (Batey, 1996):
1. Friendly smiles from the principal and staff should be shown to parents
who pass by in the building or on the school grounds;
2. Remove fear and intimidation; also remove stereotypical attitudes that
traditionally have been barriers. For example, “I’m the boss - you are
just a parent.”
3. Post a visitors’ welcome sign at the front door or front hall. This
expresses and invitation without anyone’s being present to extend an
open invitation.
4. Make available a parents’ room so they can conveniently meet with other
parents.
5. A monthly parents’ luncheon helps to relax parents, and communication
flows more freely from them.
6. “Doughnuts for Dad” lets dads understand their importance in a special
meeting just for them.
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7. Principals should encourage and set the tone for parent’s involvement in
the school.
8. Teachers should be taught effective principles on how to best use
parents’ talents and make them partners.
9. Tear down any invisible or visible walls indicating, “ You can’t touch this.”
Often, parents are made to feel they are inferior to educators.
10. Body language has proven to be a common barrier. Parents notice when
administrators, teachers, and parent-leaders have not looked them in the
eye when speaking. Other intimidating actions by administrators include
wearing a blue suit every day, which shows authority, and certain facial
expressions, gestures, and postures.
Ensuring Safety
An orderly, purposeful atmosphere is important for parent involvement as
well as for children’s learning. Parents should feel a sense of safety and security
in the school building and surroundings. If they don’t, they may not express their
discomfort or fear; they simply will not attend meetings. Some ways a school
organization can create a sense of physical safety are described on the
following page:
1. All school safety and security policies should be set by members of a Plan to
Action Committee. Create uniform rules throughout the school. Be sure to
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include all stakeholders - students, parents, staff, educators, and community
representatives.
2. Get to know the residents in the school area and invite them to visit the
school. Form partnerships in school safety with them, such as a Join Hands
in Safety program.
3. Hold a safety development in-service for parents, educators, students, and
community parsons to help them understand the school safety mission.
4. Practice a safety drill program at school.
5. Instruct educators, parents, and students about how to talk to the media.
Help parents solve problems by keeping in touch with other parents - a
safety network.
6. Establish a “rumor” hotline for handling any controversy concerning the
school. One local school director has a “ concerns” hotline so the parents can
record their questions on an answering machine. A coordinator then assists
the director by returning the calls.
To insure parent safety (and increased attendance), it may be wise to
hold PTA meetings on Sunday afternoons, which increases parent involvement
- most parents are not working. They are also less fearful of leaving their homes
in the evening hours. In most areas, the crime rate is usually the lowest on
Sundays.
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Involving Parents in the Education Process
There are a myriad of ways to involve parents in the overall education
process of the school, including the following:
1. Develop a mission. So often, parents and students are not involved in
the visionary process. To make a good school and stimulate parent
involvement, they should all be included in all decisions. Administrators
and their working partners are best served when they communicate
information related to the family or school mission to all parties involved.
2. Empower all parents. By encouraging parents-partners to share in
decision-making and management processes, educators can create a
feeling of empowerment. Parents should be encouraged to offer
suggestions for school improvement and come up with answers of their
own.
3. Blend diverse interests. Suggestions for blending diverse interests
appear below:
a. The principal and parent-leaders make sure that parents from
all backgrounds have a representative on all of the school’s
committees;
b. When dealing with non-English speaking parents, it is imperative
that significant time be allotted to allow parents to share their
concerns. The atmosphere should be one of courtesy and sincerity.
Non-English-speaking families want respect - not just acceptance of
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49
their cultures. Because many parents are striving to overcome
language barriers, allow them the freedom to express themselves
freely without being interrupted.
c. Parents who are not fluent in English may be used in the “ telephone
tree” using native languages. This does not take a lot of the parent’s
time and often gives them tremendous satisfaction.
d. Parents who speak certain languages may be asked to translate
materials from English to their languages.
e. Some children have not heard another language spoken. Bilingual
parents may read aloud to children in languages other than English.
f. Parents not fluent in English must have workshops designed for their
needs. This requires extra time, but it is necessary to meet the
individual needs of this diverse population.
g. The principal who administers a large, diverse, non-English-
speaking population should designate a committee whose primary
objective is to support the parent’s rights and responsibilities. This
committee might consist of bilingual parents, educators, and
community members. Someone (preferably bilingual) should be
appointed to act as a liaison between the family and school. The
advocate could bring any problems or concerns to the attention of
the committee to decide how best to meet these challenges.
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50
h. The school should provide resources such as: (1) ESL classes for
families at either the school or district level; (2) books translated into
the native languages of students and; (3) information about the
development and care of children; (4) a list of helping professionals
in the area; (5) orientation to various government programs.
Communicating with Parents
Clear communication is the key to keeping things running effectively.
Parents need to know what is going on, what other people are thinking, and how
their own efforts will contribute to the success of the school programs in which
they are involved. Here are some guidelines for effective communication:
a. A teacher or parent organization president must take the time to listen
and to share ideas with parent partners;
b. Parents and role models must take the time to listen to educators.
c. Parents may communicate with other parents by way of a telephone
tree network. Usually, this guarantees quick results. Parents tend to be
responsive to their own peers.
d. When listening, educators and parent-leaders would avoid being
defensive or judgmental. Most people want their ideas and concerns to
be heard and taken seriously.
e. Teachers should ask parents for assistance.
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51
Reaching out to parents is often a difficult task. Most obstacles, however,
can be overcome successfully when school administrators set the tone,
encourage teachers, and support parents and community members in forming
partnerships.
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52
Chapter III
Methodology
Introduction
This qualitative study will examine the characteristics of highly involved
parents at Third Street Elementary School located in the Hancock Park area of
Los Angeles, California. The chapter includes the purpose of the study,
research questions, research design, population and sampling, human research
protection, pilot study, data processing and analysis, and a summary of the
methodology.
Purpose of the Study
The purpose of the study is to research issues surrounding parent
participation in school leadership and recommend and develop a plan of action
to effect a positive change in the significant lack of language minority parent
participation at Third Street Elementary School.
Research Questions
1. What parent involvement programs currently exist that help recently
immigrated Korean parents successfully acculturate into the educational
process at Third Street Elementary School?
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2. What barriers, if any, that prevent Korean parents from becoming actively
involved in the education of children enrolled at Third Street Elementary
School?
3. To what extent are Korean parents involved in the educational
development of their children through school programs and activities at
Third Street Elementary School?
4. What recommendations do Korean parents suggest to professional
educators that may stimulate an increase in parent involvement in Third
Street Elementary School?
Research Design
Highly active parents at Third Street Elementary School were interviewed
through the use of open-ended, semi-structured questions. A Parent Interview
Guide (Appendix B) was forwarded to those parents participating in the study
prior to each interview to allow for each respondent to formulate appropriate
answers before the scheduled meeting with the researcher.
Population and Sampling
The sample population included 20 Korean parents whose children are
enrolled at the Third Street Elementary School. All 20 of the parents, who
agreed to be participants in the study, immigrated to Los Angeles from the
Republic of Korea, 18 of which arrived as adults with school-age children and 2
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54
parents of whom attended Los Angeles schools, beginning in the elementary
grades. The breakdown of the parents relative to their children as enrollees at
Third Street Elementary School are as follows: Kindergarten (4), 1s t Grade (4 ),
2n d Grade (3), 3r d Grade (3), 4th Grade (3),
and 5th Grade (3).
The researcher, who serves as the principal of the school, selected the
parents based on their longtime affiliation with the school and their high level of
involvement in such school organizations as the Bilingual Advisory Committee
(BAC), which is now called the English Language Advisory Committee (ELAC).
ELAC encompasses 99% of active Korean parents and the PTA. The responses
of these individuals were incorporated into the overall data collected through a
semi-structured interview process. In the interest of human research protection
and to protect the individual privacy of those willing to participate in the study,
letters were sent to all interviewees to insure them that their identities would
remain anonymous.
Human Research Protection
The researcher received authorization from all participating parents in the
study and from the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD).
A letter was forwarded to each respondent two weeks prior to scheduled
interview; a sample copy of this letter is included in Appendix C of the
dissertation.
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Pilot Study
A pilot study was conducted, which included 3 Third Street Elementary
School parents who matched the demographics of those parents who chose to
be interviewed for the purpose of the research study.
Interviews were administered to each of the 3 parents participating in the
pilot study to determine whether the questions appearing in the Parent Interview
Guide (Appendix B) were reliable in terms of eliciting valid data to support the
purpose of the study. Pilot study participants were given a copy of the 4
research questions along with a list of 10 interview questions proposed by the
researcher. Each was asked to study the interview questions to determine
whether each was reliable in terms of responding accurately to the research
questions.
Following the above process, the parents unanimously recommended
that 8 of the 10 interview questions be utilized in the study, were reliable and
valid, and directly related to the 4 research questions. The researcher then
eliminated the 2 interview questions, and subsequently prepared the Parent
Interview Guide for dissemination to the sample targeted population.
The responses of the parents participating in the pilot study were not
incorporated into the overall data collected through the interview process and
were used solely as an experimental process, to enhance the validity of the
overall study.
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56
The pilot study provided the researcher with ideas and alternative
approaches and clues not foreseen prior to the pilot study. This process
increased the chances of gathering clear and accurate findings in the main
study that enhanced the validity of the data collected and analyzed.
During this process, a number of possible treatment errors were reduced,
because unforeseen problems were revealed in the pilot study that helped
during the respondent interviews and date collection period.
Feedback was given from the pilot study participants and other
individuals deemed qualified by the researcher, based on demographic criterion,
involving important improvements to the main study. The pilot study thus
insured further validity of the instrument and the data collected.
Data Processing and Analysis
Information was elicited through a qualitative design whereby
respondents were asked a series of prepared interview questions appearing in
the Parent Interview Guide (Appendix B). This interview guide was developed
after a thorough review of the literature. Minor adjustments were made
subsequent to the pilot study, which was based upon three subjects, serving as
a Panel of Experts, whose children are enrolled at Third Street Elementary
School. Initially, the researcher had developed a total often interview questions,
however the number was decreased to eight questions, subsequent to the
strong recommendations of the panel of experts who participated in the study. It
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57
should be noted that information elicited from the panel of experts are not
included in the overall study.
Subsequent to the pilot study, respondents agreeing to participate
anonymously as targets of the research study were given the opportunity to
prepare written responses prior to the scheduled individual interviews. This
process allowed for the interviewees to formulate more comprehensive
responses during the approximate two-week period preceding each scheduled
interviewer. Respondents to the study were asked to draw upon knowledge and
information available to them, as parents of Third Street Elementary School,
which is directly related to the research study.
The Parent Interview Guide (Appendix B) includes eight questions
designed to elicit information from each respondent regarding the current level
of involvement on the part of parents whose children are enrolled in Third Street
Elementary School.
Answers elicited from respondents during the scheduled interviews were
audio taped and transcribed. After each interview, the researcher analyzed the
raw data and then categorized the information according to the interview
questions asked and the four research questions respectively.
The researcher believes that this design provided for the most significant
information gleaned from the participants in the study in order to enhance the
accuracy of the study.
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Chapter IV
Findings and Analysis
58
Introduction
This chapter contains both the analyzed data elicited through the
interview and the findings of the study. The four research questions appearing
in the first chapter are emphasized in the analysis of the raw data collected.
Respondents who participated in the study were given the opportunity to revise
and/or modify their answers when necessary, to ascertain that their perceptions
were accurately reflected in the study.
Findings of the Study
Subsequent to the interview process that is discussed in the previous
chapter, it was determined that improvements were needed to, in fact, improve
upon Korean parent involvement in their children’s education and increase their
level of school participation. Based on the respondent’s recommendations in the
first interview question, already improvement in parent involvement is appearing
at the school. For example, where previously the home-school communication
consisted of only English language publications, however since the completion
of the study, all written communication sent to parents is bilingual, which has
resulted in a significant increase in Korean parent knowledge of school
activities, special events and upcoming workshops.
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The researcher also observed that Korean parents who communicate
with peers in their primary language develop better leadership skills and are
more enthusiastic about becoming involved in the school. Although most of the
school’s Korean parents are highly motivated to improve their English language
skills, they nevertheless participate more since the inception of bilingual school
publications.
Based on interviewee responses, bilingual interpreters are now present
at school at such school events as PTA meetings, conferences and parent
workshops. Prior to the study, there were very few Korean language interpreters
available, with the exception of a few volunteers who assisted the school from
time to time. Parent involvement has especially increased due to the increase
in volunteer Korean interpreters. It should be noted that the Bilingual Advisory
Committee has begun to take a strong leadership role in assuring that Korean
language interpreters are available at school-sanctioned activities, workshops,
and special events.
The improvements described above were implemented based on the
respondents’ answers to the Interview Questions, which appear below:
Interview Question One:
In what ways, if any, could recently arrived Korean parents become
quickly involved in programs and activities at Third Street School?
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It was recommended that Korean parents be encouraged to attend the
monthly scheduled PTA meetings. Prior to the study, there was very little
attendance, particularly on the part of recently immigrated Korean parents.
Parents interviewed, by and large, indicated that often times there were no
Korean language interpreters, nor were some parents even aware of the
meeting as the school publications were primarily written in English.
Bilingual interpreters are now made available on a regular basis for
translating purposes. A number of items regarding such matters as school
events, activities and policies are now discussed at PTA meetings and there has
been a surge in Korean parent involvement.
It was learned from the data collected that Korean parents, as a whole,
have wanted to become more involved in the school and in their children’s
education. The researcher has observed, since many of the respondent’s
suggestions were acted upon, that a myriad of helpful and positive programs
that have been an integral part of the school community, now include a
significantly higher number of active Korean parents. Such programs appear
below:
Volunteerism
A parent Organization entitled Friends of Third Street School, which
serves as a “booster club” whose members volunteer their time and resources
in a variety of ways, which include the following: (1) raising funds to augment
programs that are not funded by the Los Angeles Unified School District. For
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example, several parents volunteer as translators for informal parent-teacher
meetings and at bi-annually scheduled formal conferences. (It should be noted
that Third Street Elementary School is not a Title I school and funding is thus
not eligible for a translator on a regular basis.) Because currently there is only
one part-time professional translator at the school, volunteer parents are utilized
as an extra resource to reduce the language barrier faced by parents. This is
not always a good solution as often times parents are reluctant to share their
family and/or personal educational concerns with parents affiliated with the
school; (2) Parents volunteer as field trip chaperones to such places that
include, but are not limited to the following: USC Museum of Natural History,
USC Museum of Science and Industry, the historic Los Angeles Mission at
Olivera Street, and Korean Cultural Center; (3) As a non-Title I school, there is
extremely limited categorical and/or compensatory funding for after-school
programs. However, to further enhance Visual Arts education, the Friends of
Third, which is the Booster Club, raises funds to provide Arts Education by
hiring Artists-in-Residence, who visit different classrooms.
English Language Advisory Council (ELAC)
This council, previously named the Bilingual Advisory Council (BAC),
conducts monthly Parent Education Workshops on various topics of interest,
which are based on input provided by Parent Needs Assessment surveys
previously distributed to parents. Such topics for workshops include: (1)
effective communication with children; (2) Discipline in the home environment;
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(3) mandated standardized testing such as the California Achievement Test
(CAT 6) and the California Standards Test (CST).
The researcher has observed that there has been an increased
attendance rate of Korean parents at workshops, and when the workshops have
English-only presenters, arrangements are made beforehand to insure that
Korean language interpreters are present.
It was further learned that Korean parents are now strongly encouraging
peers to attend workshops and meetings and BAC is assisting with bilingual
newsletters, flyers with information about upcoming parent and school events,
and through informal conversations on the school campus during the morning
and afternoon hours.
It is interesting to note that although this study targets the Korean parent
population, that improvement in communication and involvement have also
increased significantly among parents of other ethnic groups who recently
immigrated to the Los Angeles community from other countries.
Volunteer Room Representatives
There has been an increase in the number of parent volunteers who
donate time and energy to assist in various capacities. At the conclusion of the
study, the researcher determined that more and more Korean parents are
serving in such capacities as: phone-tree volunteers who contact peer parents
regarding special classroom events and/or on-site school events and activities,
classroom assistants who help the classroom teachers and lunch area and
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playground supervisors as volunteers, and field trip chaperones - their
willingness to volunteer helps
to decrease expenses and reduces the student/adult ratio in terms of
supervision.
Conferring with Teachers
Teachers are often times graciously available for informal meetings with
parents to discuss the progress of their children at such times as before and
after school. Also, twice per academic year, Parent-Teacher Conferences of a
more formal nature are scheduled. (It should be noted that such conferences
are mandated by the Los Angeles Unified School District).
English Language Learners
Third Street School receives bilingual funding and school improvement
funding to assist English language learners whose first language is Korean.
(The term English Language Learner has replaced the former connotation of
Limited English Proficiency or LEP students).
Interview Question Two:
Are there any problems faced by new immigrant Korean parents that may
restrict them from feeling comfortable about becoming involved in the school? If
so, do you suggest any solutions to address these problems?
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The researcher learned from the data that five categories of problems
were faced by immigrant Korean parents new to the American school system. It
was determined during the study areas that needed improvement was
necessary to assist Korean parents in acculturating themselves to the new
school system and campus environment. The five categories appear below with
comprehensive description of each; suggestions and possible solutions on the
part of the respondents are included:
Language Barriers
According to Dr. Eui Young Yu, a sociology professor at California State
University, Los Angeles, 89% of all Koreans residing in America regard Korean
as their first language. Given the fact that 60% of the student population at Third
Street School is of Korean ethnicity, this is, of course a major parent concern.
Comments offered by parent respondents regarding this concern are as follows:
(1) many parents simply don’t have the available time to learn English as they
are extremely busy each day trying to earn a living for their family and “ to make
ends meet.” In the interest of alleviating this problem, the school provides
onsite school-based ESL classes for interested working parents while offering to
provide free childcare for their children while they attend the ESL class
sessions. This service also provides childcare for the younger siblings of
enrolled students, even those children as young as 2 years of age; (2)
Classrooms and/or other school facilities are not always available for English
language classes. This is because of the many fully enrolled “ teacher stations”
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in regard to self-contained classrooms. Therefore, there is an obvious need for
extra space to conduct ESL classes for parents. (This problem is directly related
to the district mandated class size reduction at the primary grade levels (K, 1s t,
2n d , 3r d grades); (3) Given the dismal California state budget for education,
which once included a $50 reduction per student in the LAUSD, it is extremely
difficult to find the funding necessary for after-hour ESL instruction for interested
parents as well as well as school facility space for such a program to move
forward.
Based on information gleaned from respondents during the study, several
recommendations were acted upon by the school to communicate better with
the Korean parents, particularly in the area of workshops. New workshop topics
have been introduced which the researcher learned has had a definite positive
impact on the parents: (1) workshop presenters are helping parents to
“prioritize” their lives; (2) parents are reminded that, for the most part, their
original purpose for immigrating to America was to realize the opportunity for
better education for their children and to have better opportunities for the family
as a whole; (3) that their children should be educated in a “ global” sense if they
are to become successfully and productive citizens in a pluralistic society; (4)
the strengths of diversity and the importance of becoming involved with and
learning from other ethnic groups both socially and in the business and work
world; to remind parents that such special events as “Evenings with the
Principal” (which now occur both on the school grounds and in the family
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homes) are important as they learn the importance of parent involvement, not
only in the school, but more importantly in the lives of their children.
Respondents to the study overwhelmingly indicated that in Korea, the
education of children is generally the sole and primary responsibility of the
school system. The researcher has observed that with the recent enhancement
of parent involvement in the school, that parents are becoming comfortable with
the concept that education is a “ team effort” between the school and the home
and the parents are now expressing themselves more on issues involving their
children.
Cultural Differences
In Korea, as mentioned previously, education is basically considered to
be the responsibility of the school and the children are entrusted to the care of
the professional educators, such at teachers and educational administrators.
Respondents also noted that Korea, unlike America, is a homogenous
population, in that everyone is of one ethnicity, one language, and one culture.
Thus, it was learned that often times it is difficult for non-Korean teachers and
school officials to encourage Korean parents to become more involved in the
school and, especially, in their child’s education. (This is particularly problematic
for school officials as parent involvement is mandated, especially if “ categorical”
public funding is given to the school.)
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Korean parents are often extremely perplexed by the traditional American
school system, as it is very much different from the educational system in
Korea.
Parent Adjustment to a New Country
Until recently and with new programs developing subsequent to the
study, It has been a problem for new parents to quickly adjust to America and to
their new residence in Los Angeles. Although Korean parents have high
expectations in regard to their children’s education, they were simply unable to
find the time to become more involved in the school; in many instances, this
remains the case. This is because often times both parents are working, and in
many cases, one or both of the parents are actually working two jobs. The
respondents generally agree, though, that the school is sensitive to this problem
and works hard to help parent overcome such difficulties.
Lack of Korean Interpreters:
There are several reasons why there never seems to be interpreters or
translators available for Korean speaking parents, which include the following:
(1) Due to budget restrictions, the principal often finds it difficult to hire full-time
or part-time interpreters; (2) The principal must resort to the use of bilingual
parent volunteers, many of which are either not available or are working. As
noted earlier, non-English speaking parents are often reluctant to discuss their
personal concerns at a conference with a peer parent who is serving as a
translator.
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Interview Question Three:
What problems exist, if any, may have prevented you, as a Korean
parent, from being involved in Third Street School?
There are a number of problems that prevent Korean parents from
becoming more involved in the school. Respondents, for the most part, agreed
that there is a definite lack of awareness of the educational system in America.
Also, there needs to be more bilingual information available for parents. These
concerns are addressed below:
Lack of Knowledge of American Educational System:
Some areas regarding the American education system must be better
understood by Korean parents, and are now being included as workshop topics.
They include the following: (1) a better understanding of child abuse laws and
child-rearing practices in America and the greater Los Angeles areas; (2) school
discipline policies; (3) “ collaborative” learning vs “individual” earning. It was
learned through the study that in American schools, learning is generally of a
collaborative nature, and students participate in group discussions, long-term
group projects, and other such educational experiences. Conversely, students
who have attended schools in Korea, prior to enrolling at Third Street School,
have a history of learning through rote-memorization and individual competition
in the academic disciplines.
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Because of the above-described differences between education in Korea
and education in America, the parents have often had difficulty understanding
the “style” of education encountered by their children, because they themselves
have a long history of learning that is extraordinarily different. A pattern
developed during the study, indicating several areas of concern on the part of
Korean parents. Fortunately, these concerns have been addressed and school
programs have, subsequent to the study, been implemented.
Lack of Korean Bilingual Information Available:
Many Spanish bilingual publications are provided by the LAUSD for
Latino parents because the highest number of non-English speaking students in
Los Angeles is of Latino ethnicity. This would appear to be fair and equitable at
the district level, however, according the strong majority of the interviewees
participating in the study, this is not true at the school-site level. This is due to
the fact that Third Street School has a 60% Korean student population, which,
numerically, would indicate that an increase in bilingual LAUSD publications is
essential to better service the needs of parents and students of Korean ethnicity
in regard to printed district publication.
Interview Question Four:
Did any of the programs at the school help you, as a new immigrant
Korean parent, to become actively involved in the educational process at Third
Street School?
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Based on the results of the study, the researcher learned of particular
programs at the school have been helpful to recently immigrated Korean
parents, including the following: (1) Monthly principal’s letters and typically four
pages in length and are translated into Korean. The letters are printed and
distributed in the languages of English and Korean respectively; (2) Forms of
translated communication literature and handouts are very helpful, which
include: (a) calendar of school events and activities; (b) current school issues;
(c) reminders for parents; (d) curricular information that contains policies and
issues; (e) tips to improve and increase reading and English language skills; (f)
the “Parent Leader,” which is contributed by the PTAand Friends of the School
are used as a “ vehicle” to stimulate parent involvement in planned school
programs and activities; (g) communication of a “liaison” nature between
teachers and parents; (h) suggested “booklists” at the various grade levels of K-
5 instruction.
Based on the study and respondent recommendations, beneficial topics
are now scheduled at the monthly parent education workshops, all of which
included Korean language interpreters: (1) topics targeting information that
Korean parents would be interested in learning; (2) information related to
student performance assessment and needs; (3) information explaining new
standardized testing requirement, such as the new Science tests (all handouts
are available in both English and Korean languages).
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A phone tree system with Korean-speaking parents has recently been
initiated and implemented at a parent workshop, which has become a good
communication method for Korean parents, not only for field trip purposes but
the parents are also able to contact one another to discuss school issues and
matters in which they may be interested. The Phone Tree also provides a
positive venue for parents to contact one another to meet socially, outside of the
school environment.
It was learned subsequent to the study, that the new and improved
workshops also provide a pleasant venue for parents to interact with parents
representing other ethnic groups.
Interview Question Five:
What support, if any, did the Los Angeles Unified School District
(LAUSD) or other Los Angeles-based organizations provide to inform you about
parent programs?
It was discovered during the course of the interview process that the
parents had little knowledge of the various Los Angeles-based organizations
that provided information about parent programs. However, this is now included
as an important topic area at scheduled parent workshops and information
sessions on the school site.
Information about such organizations is now disseminated among
parents through school to home publications and parent workshops. The
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information includes the following; (1) the LAUSD Translation Unit in LAUSD
that dispatches Korean interpreters during parent conferencing week; this
occurs twice per year; (2) the District Bilinqual Advisory Board (DBAC) meets on
a monthly basis and invites parent representatives representing Third Street
Elementary School to attend and participate in the meetings; (3) the Korean
Youth Community Center (KYCC) is available to both our parents and their
children for ESL or English language training.
Interview Question Six:
What role does Third Street School play in helping immigrant Korean
parents to comfortably adapt into the American school system?
The strong majority of respondents seemed generally aware of the role of
the school in helping immigrant Korean parent to become adapted to the
American school system. Such roles, based on respondent knowledge and
interview responses, include: (1) Bilingual Korean-American School Principal.
Third Street Elementary School is one of the few schools in the LAUSD with a
Korean-American principal who is fluent in both Korean and English languages;
(2) Bilingual School Office Manager. Having an on-site bilingual (Korean and
English) office manager is helpful to parents in such areas as Enrollment,
Registration, Health and Medical Welfare (e.g. an ill child), Daily Attendance,
and Completing Forms; (3) Bilingual teacher assistants are available to assist
newly-arrived immigrant parents and their children.
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73
Interview Question Seven:
What impact do Third Street School programs have on the development
of Korean parent involvement?
The school-wide English Language Development (ELD), according to
the respondents, was an ineffective program and needed to be further improved
and enhanced. The school, based on the findings of the study, subsequently
developed different levels of instruction, which are now “in place” (e.g.
beginning, intermediate, advanced) rather than by “class levels”; this way,
students simply “rotate” to differing rooms based on the level of English
proficiency of each child. Also, the program is now further enhanced as the
faculty are participating more in “ team-teaching” methodologies of instruction.
Further, the researcher has observed a significant teacher “buy-in” and there is
less reluctance on the part of faculty, as a whole, to participate more in
communicating and working with non-English speaking Korean parents as well
as parents from other minority ethnicities.
Interview Question Eight:
What do you recommend to immigrant Korean parents to encourage or
stimulate increased involvement in the school?
The respondents noted several recommendations for immigrant parents,
such as: (1) involving their children with their classmates in such activities as
sports, after-school enrichment classes, and birthday parties; (2) encouraging
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74
parents to attend parent workshops, PTA meetings, and meetings with the
principal and faculty members; (3) helping to promote the interests and needs of
Korean parents enrolled in LAUSD schools through interaction with peer
parents; (4) to meet with other Korean parents socially to discuss methods of
improving the educational programs for their children; (5) to be open to
interacting with and making new friends with people of other cultures and ethnic
groups in the school community; (5) to encourage your children to adapt to
working well with other students on group projects (In Korea, learning is
generally individualized rather than group oriented.); (6) to work hard at
improving in English language proficiency.
This chapter included an analysis of the data that was collected through
the open-ended interview process. It restated the purpose of the study, listed
the research questions, analysis and presentation of the information elicited
from the Parent Interview Guide.
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75
Chapter V
Conclusions
Introduction
The parents at Third Street Elementary School generally consider
themselves an essential part of the school community; most parents felt that
their children learn from their example. Those parents, especially English-
speaking, non-immigrants, who generally participate in school functions and
events, perceive themselves as concerned, informed and involved. They also
appear to deem themselves as empowered, full-fledged partners in the
education of their children.
Summary of Key Findings
All parents are encouraged to volunteer at the school, however, given the
excessive student enrollment, increased volunteerism is needed, particularly
among the immigrant and/or non-English speaking parents. Those parents who
do get involved in the school do so in a number of ways. Parents organize
enrichment programs, run committees, and assist teachers in the classroom and
on field trips. Parents coordinate fund-raising events for the Parent Teacher
Association and Friends of Third Street, and participate in the Bilingual Advisory
Committee and the Shared Decision-Making / School Site Council.
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76
These organizations and activities have helped to improve the overall
school’s effectiveness, which suggests that an increase in parental involvement
may even further upgrade the quality of student learning.
Most highly involved parents seem pleased with the school’s academic
curriculum and teaching methods and feel the instructional approach produces
capable, inquisitive and motivated students. Several of such parents noted the
success of students on both the Stanford 9 Test, which was recently renamed
California Achievement Test, a national standardized achievement test. Third
Street Elementary School children have consistently ranked among the top
schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). Other parents
spoke highly of the number of students at the school who are identified as
“ gifted.” The LAUSD average is three to five percent, and Third Street
Elementary School far surpasses this with over fifteen percent of the student
body identified as gifted.
Parents are often drawn to the school with an eye toward the future in
regard to what school their children will attend upon graduating from Third
Street Elementary School. The community is very much aware of the fact that
Third Street students proceed to a large number of well-regarded public and
private middle schools when they graduate. In addition to John Burroughs
Middle School, which is located in the mid-Wilshire region of Los Angeles, many
students are accepted into such elite public school programs as John Burroughs
Gifted Magnet, Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies, Palms Gifted Magnet,
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77
and Walter Reed Individualized Honors Program. Also, various prestigious
independent schools regularly accept Third Street graduates, such as
Marlborough, Harvard-Westlake, Brentwood, Campbell Hall, Oakwood and
Immaculate Heart. Parents whose children have attended such schools after
completing the Third Street program have generally indicated that their children
compete well and are well-prepared for the challenging curricula that awaits
them. Two highly involved parents submitted the following written comments, in
describing Third Street Elementary School:
1. “ Where there are dedicated, participating parents, there will also be
superior learning and understanding. Third Street Elementary School
has and cultivates the partnership between its parents and teachers
to provide a top notch learning environment.”
2. “ Our daughter received an outstanding education at Third Street. It’s
a wonderful neighborhood school with an experienced faculty, an
enthusiastic principal, a friendly staff, and a long tradition of
excellence. And all of this is within walking distance of our home on
McCadden (Street).”
Although I, as a principal of Korean ethnicity, I make no apologies for
Third Street’s Korean majority, I have supported efforts to lure white students
back to the school. In 1995, with my support, a group of parents established the
organization entitled Community Outreach Relations and Education (CORE), a
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78
group whose principal mission is discouraging the fears of whites. As a result of
CORE’S efforts, more white children are enrolling every year.
Unfortunately, diversity is never easy. White parents who are active in the
school have expressed irritation over their Korean counterparts’ reluctance to
contribute their share of volunteer work. In defense of the Korean parents,
explaining the notion of school volunteerism is new to most of them; where they
come from parental involvement is seen as interference, a sign of disrespect. As
a Korean-American, I struggle to mediate both sides of the issue and have
noted some improvement in the relations between the two groups.
Our parent leadership, which is predominantly white (even though our
white student population is less than 20 percent), has supported my efforts that
a Korean parent sits on each committee, the purpose being for the non-Korean
parents to reach out to the untapped resources of our Korean parents.
The larger Hancock Park community would also like to see its Korean
neighbors get involved in this local program. The Korean parents seem to
appreciate Hancock Park for its location but lack preservationist
zeal. And while they don’t seem as inclined to tear down the old houses, they do
tend to modernize and enlarge them.
Since few Korean families belong to the homeowner’s association and
none serve on its board, it’s not easy getting the message across.
A community activist, who is also Korean-born and American-educated,
intimated to me, “People who came to this country, I mean the first generation,
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79
we’re not used to living with other diversified peoples. We live in our country
with only Koreans, so when we came to this country and saw many different
communities, we were not used to working with other communities.”
I can understand his perspective, however, I tend to agree with the
founder of CORE, who suggests that, “The new generation (referred to as the
1.5 generation) is comfortable with Korean culture and language but also knows
English and is savvy about American culture. They are critical to building those
kinds of bridges.”
Although Third Street Elementary School enrolls students in grades K-5,
as principal of the school for more than ten years, I am cognizant of the fact that
our parents are very much concerned about where their children will attend
college in later years. Generally, the goals of Korean parents, in regard to their
children’s education, are extremely high at our school; they wish for their
children to attend the most prestigious colleges and universities in the nation.
Parents will do almost anything to assist their children in attaining such an
education, which may include selling their property, working longer hours and, in
many cases, seeking more than one job.
With this in mind, I am motivated to prepare a design of a parent
involvement program that will effect the following positive developments at Third
Street Elementary School, which appear on the following page:
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80
a. To stimulate a higher level of Korean parent involvement at Third Street
Elementary School which will have a positive affect on the education of
their children,
b. To develop a closer working relationship between Korean and non-
Korean parents to further insure that all students at Third Street
Elementary school receive a high quality education that will prepare them
for a successful transition higher levels of instruction.
c. Develop an atmosphere at Third Street Elementary School that strongly
encourages Korean parents to become more involved in their child’s
education, more participatory at PTA meetings, Friends of Third (booster
club) meetings, School Site Council meetings, and be more active in
school events.
Recommendation for the Future of Third Street Elementary School
Currently, there is no action plan that will adequately address the issue of
limited or non-participation on the part of language-minority parents at Third
Street Elementary School. A future action plan in this regard should perhaps
include the following concerns:
a. Korean immigrant parents must learn of programs that will help them and
their children to acculturate into the American school system.
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81
b. Korean immigrant students will not achieve their highest potential unless
their parents become actively involved in their education by learning
parents skills and in playing an integral role in assisting student learning.
c. To successfully design and/or develop a Korean Parent Involvement
Program, the researcher will study a variety of parent involvement
programs that exist in Los Angeles schools and elsewhere that may
assist in improving the level of parent participation and the educational
outcome of the learners at Third Street Elementary School.
REFLECTIONS
As a school principal in a large urban setting for the past ten years, I am
a strong believer in informing, involving and empowering parents as equal
partners in the education process. I perceive parents as “ customers” in that they
entrust me with their children. I am a strong advocate of the “ Three C’s” for
parents that include Communication, Collaboration and Connection. Similarly,
for students, I emphasize the “Four A’s” which are Attention, Affection,
Acceptance and Approval.
There is little doubt that there needs to be an ongoing home-school
connection to ensure that the highest quality of education is available to our
children. This is indeed a shared responsibility of educational professionals and
parents. School administrators must take a strong and effective leadership role
in this area; without the commitment of administrators to effect the development
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82
of new programs, such ventures are doomed. Often, there appears to be a great
deal of “lip service” in the area of parent involvement. Third Street Elementary
School is not unlike other urban schools throughout the country that may have
multi-ethnic student bodies. The principal (and researcher) of this large LAUSD
school believes that such schools should share information about successful
programs. This may include, but not be limited to (1) providing orientation
programs for immigrant parents (2) in-service programs targeted at professional
educators such as administrators, teachers and counselors (3) specific
problems faced by parents and students of various cultural and ethnic groups. I
enjoyed researching the information for this paper and look forward to applying
this newly discovered knowledge to Third Street Elementary School in the
ongoing process of improving the quality of education provided to our students.
Together, we can and will make a difference in education. I believe that all
children not only can learn, but must learn.
Three quotes appear below which I believe go to the heart of the
importance of parent involvement in education:
“To work with families and to interact with children and their parents enables one to see
the child’s world. ”
_________________________________________________________ Berger, 1991
“ It seems clear that we cannot have islands of academic excellence in a see of
community indifference. ”
_______________________________________________________________ Boyer, 1991
“Simply put, family involvement in education is too important to ignore if we really want
to create a stronger, safer, and more enriching future for our children."
U.S. Department of Education, 1994
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83
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Appendix A
Research Questions
1. What parent involvement programs currently exist that help recently
immigrated Korean parents successfully acculturate into the
educational process at Third Street Elementary School?
2. To what extent are Korean parents involved in the educational
development of their children through school programs and activities
at Third Street Elementary School?
3. What barriers, if any, that prevent Korean parents from becoming
actively involved in the education of children enrolled at Third Street
Elementary School?
4. What recommendations do Korean parents suggest to professional
educators that may stimulate an increase in parent involvement in
Third Street Elementary School?
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Appendix B
88
Parent Interview Guide
DIRECTIONS: Please respond to the questions that appear below. Feel free to
write notes or formulate opinions before the scheduled interview date. You may
draw from your personal experience as a parent whose child(ren) are enrolled at
Third Street Elementary School. Again, I sincerely appreciate your willingness
to participate in this dissertation research project. Thank you.
1. In what ways, if any, could recently arrived Korean parents become quickly
involved in programs and activities at Third Street School?
2. Are there any problems faced by new immigrant Korean parent that may
restrict them from feeling comfortable about becoming involved in the
school? If so, do you suggest any solutions to address these problems?
3. What problems exist, if any, may have prevented you, as a Korean parent,
from being involved in Third Street School?
4. Did any of the programs at the school help you, as a new immigrant Korean
parent, to become actively involved in the educational process at Third
Street School?
5. What support, if any, did the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) or
other Los Angeles-based organizations provide to inform you about parent
programs?
6. What role does Third Street School play in helping immigrant Korean
parents to comfortably adapt into the American school system?
7. What impact, positive or negative, do Third Street School programs have on
the development of Korean parent involvement?
8. What do you recommend to immigrant Korean parents to encourage or
stimulate increased involvement in the school?
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89
Appendix C
Letter to Respondents
(Date)
Dear (Research Participant),
As principal of Third Street Elementary School, I am concerned about the lack
of active participation on the part of our Korean parents. In the interest of increasing the
level of involvement of Korean parents an, I am completing a doctoral research project
that I hope will be beneficial to our school, and, ultimately further improve the quality of
education of all the children enrolled at the school.
Kindly take the time from your busy schedule to meet with me at a time that is
convenient for you. If necessary, I will meet with you at your home or perhaps at a
restaurant of your choosing.
Please be assured that any and all of your responses in this study will be kept
strictly confidential.
I will provide you with a copy of the findings upon the completion of the study. I
believe that this research study may be of significant help in improving Korean parent
involvement at Third Street Elementary School, and perhaps assist other schools with
culturally diverse student (and parent) populations.
Your cooperation and support is very much appreciated!
Respectfully,
Suzie K. Oh
Principal, Third Street Elementary School
Researcher & USC Doctoral Candidate
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Asset Metadata

Creator Oh, Suzie Kim (author)

Core Title An evaluation of the current level of Korean parent involvement at Third Street Elementary School

School Rossier School of Education

Degree Doctor of Education

Degree Program Education

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag education, bilingual and multicultural,education, elementary,OAI-PMH Harvest

Language English

Contributor Digitized by ProQuest (provenance)

Advisor Gothold, Stuart (committee chair), Baker, Robert (committee member), Regan, John (committee member)

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c16-412077

Unique identifier UC11335617

Identifier 3145256.pdf (filename),usctheses-c16-412077 (legacy record id)

Legacy Identifier 3145256.pdf

Dmrecord 412077

Document Type Dissertation

Rights Oh, Suzie Kim

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Source University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

Access Conditions The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the au...

Repository Name University of Southern California Digital Library

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