Building Strong Community Partnerships: Equal Voice and Mutual Benefits

“Success Is Relative”

“…In short, the Mexican-descent students admitted that they would never have made it to college, let alone graduated and pursued careers, had it not been for the emotional support of their families and Mexican communities to carve a path, believe, and persist (Michael et al 2008). The students tied such support to their new-found resilience and, in turn, to their efforts to hone leadership skills and to negotiate deftly varied cultural systems (Ceja 2004; see Carter 2005; Conchas 2006; Perez et al 2009; see De La Garza and Kuri 2014). Scholars have deemed this a “culture of possibility,” that is, how a marginalized collectivity works toward mediating between cultivating resiliency and utilizing different forms of capital, for instance, based in information and emotional support (Ceja 2004; Perez et al 2009).…”

¡Adelante! A Community Asset Mapping Approach to Increase College and Career Readiness for Rural Latinx High School Students

“…This program has three main implications for school counselor practice. First, school–family–community partnerships emphasizing culture and social justice can be effective in increasing self-efficacy among Latinx youth and their families (De La Garza & Kuri, 2014). Thus, any intervention working with this population should not shy away from social justice issues that impact this community.…”

“…Beyond parent involvement, researchers have found that providing services in ways that are both culturally and linguistically appropriate can help keep Latinx students engaged in school (Aceves, 2014;De La Garza & Kuri, 2014;Percy-Calaff, 2008). Percy-Calaff (2008) highlighted a high school that developed supportive school practices for Latinx immigrant students by incorporating academic rigor and access for all students while also celebrating the cultural and linguistic diversity of each student.…”

“…Beyond academics, school–family–community partnerships emphasizing social justice are also effective in increasing self-efficacy among Latinx youth and their families (De La Garza & Kuri, 2014). For instance, in examining an urban partnership and service-learning project that was developed to improve literacy and strengthen learning communities in an urban and mostly Latinx neighborhood in Chicago, evaluators found that incorporating forthright discussions about democracy and social justice helped build a climate of trust among students, families, and community partners (De La Garza & Kuri, 2014).…”

Building preservice teacher's essential skill competencies through a situated learning approach

“…University teacher preparation programs are rethinking ways to prepare future teachers for entrance into the teaching profession so that they are able address the needs of diverse learners in all classrooms (Birchinall, 2013, 27–49). Exposure to urban schools adds to the preservice teachers’ repertoire of experience because typically the students have diverse cultural backgrounds, traditions and languages (Oberg De La Garza & Moreno Kuri, 2014, 120–133). Many urban students are deficient in literary skills; as they progress through the grade levels, they continue to struggle (Jones, 2018, 247–264).…”