Empowering Fathers of Disadvantaged Preschoolers to Take a More Active Role in Preparing Their Children for Literacy Success at School

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a project designed to empower fathers to take a more active role in their child's academic literacy development. The fathers were parents of children enrolled in Early Head Start or Head Start programs. Data sources included transcribed interviews with fathers, the facilitator's journal, and field notes compiled by the researchers. Findings in three areas emerged from the data: the fathers became increasingly committed to the literacy development of their children; participants learned about and regularly engaged in a variety of emergent literacy activities with their children; and participants developed confidence in their roles as agents for change in their children's lives.

Culture at the core : the impact of culturally relevant professional learning on teacher beliefs and practice : a collection of scholarly papers.

“…Likewise, parents in contemporary society have been mistakenly portrayed as indifferent to or uninvolved in literacy practices when, in reality, there is abundant literacy activity taking place in family and community settings (Auerbach, 1989;Bauman & Wasserman, 2010;Bloome et al, 2000;Rogers, 2002). Many parents express that they want better lives for their children than the lives they themselves have led and they see education as the key to ensuring their children realize these dreams (Auerbach, 1989;Neuman, Caperelli, & Kee, 1998).…”

“…Disadvantaged families engage in regular literacy practices, but these practices are often mismatched with the nature of literacy in traditional school settings, which tend to be more aligned to middle class families (Auerbach, 1989;Bauman & Wasserman, 2010;Duke & Purcell-Gates, 2003;Horvat et al, 2003;Rogers, 2002).…”

“…The best classroom with the best teacher cannot counteract an intergenerational cycle of schooled literacy challenges without support (Auerbach, 1989;Morrow, Paratore, Gaber, Harrison, & Tracey, 1993;Porter, 2008). Valuing the contributions of students' culture and literacy practices, as well as empowering parents as partners leads to increased parent involvement and greater student achievement (Bauman & Wasserman, 2010;Dudley-Marling, 2009;Duke & Purcell-Gates, 2003;Edwards, 1992;Graham, McNamara, & VanLankveld, 2011;Horvat et al, 2003;Moll, 1992).…”

“…Literacy development begins with exposure to reading, writing and language in the home (Bauman & Wasserman, 2010;Dudley-Marling, 2009;Morrow et al, 1993;Morrow & Tracey, 2012;Taylor & Dorsey-Gaines, 1988). Taylor to create the literacy experiences educators deem ideal (Anderson & Minke, 2007;Bauman & Wasserman, 2010;Biggam, 2003;Dudley-Marling, 2009;Porter DeCusati & Johnson, 2004), these families still engage in regular literacy practices (Auerbach, 1989;Biggam, 2003;Compton-Lilly et al, 2012;Duke & Purcell-Gates, 2003;Morrow et al, 1993;Rogers, 2002).…”

“…In tailoring the learning to the goals and needs of the learners, in situating it within their own environments, in valuing the expertise they bring to the learning and empowering them to drive and shape the learning, we are following a model of instruction that has long been promoted by Ladson-Billings (1992) calls "culturally relevant teaching" students are empowered "intellectually, socially, emotionally, and politically by using cultural referents to impart knowledge, skills, and attitudes" (p. 382). Valuing the contributions of students' culture and home practices leads to greater student achievement (Bauman & Wasserman, 2010;Dudley-Marling, 2009;Duke & Purcell-Gates, 2003;Graham, McNamara, & VanLankveld, 2011;Horvat et al, 2003;Moll, 1992). Such teaching acknowledges students' cultures as a major social and intellectual resource, as students' homes and social networks contain funds of knowledge that have the potential to benefit the learning of all students in the classroom (Moll, 1992).…”