Parenting and Children's School Achievement: A Multiethnic Perspective

Defining and Measuring Parenting for Educational Success: A Critical Discourse Analysis of the Parent Education Profile

“…However, this relationship is less well understood among nonmainstream families. This study reinforces Okagaki and Frensch's (1998) assertion that educators cannot assume that what works for one group of families will necessarily work for another group. The social and economic context along with the global constellation of beliefs parents hold regarding multiple aspects of life (e.g., the importance of family, principles of child development, education, perspective of work, and their general world view) may make intervention strategies that work in some family contexts ineffective in other family contexts.…”

“…As previously stated, many of the prescribed practices are related to positive academic outcomes, especially among White, middle-class children. However, the PEP does not appear to reflect research showing that there are multiple pathways to school achievement (Carreón, Drake, & Barton, 2005;Chao, 1994;Kao, 2004;Okagaki & Frensch, 1998;Powell et al, 2004;Szalacha, Marks, LaMarre, & García Coll, 2005;Wright & Smith, 1998) and that the same parenting behaviors may affect children differently depending on the family's race/ethnicity (Berlin et al, 1995;Chao, 2001;Deater-Deckard, Dodge, Bates, & Pettit, 1996;García Coll & Pachter, 2002;Panofsky, 1994;Sugland et al, 1995). Furthermore, by discursively linking the prescribed practices to school success (what Gee, 1999, calls connections), the text implies that failure to follow the PEP will contribute to academic underachievement.…”

“…the influence of parental beliefs and behaviors on educational success (Berlin et al, 1995;Chao, 1994;Kao, 2004;Okagaki & Frensch, 1998;Sugland et al, 1995). To reiterate, the PEP does include practices associated with literacy development and academic achievement in middle-and upper-class families.…”

“…Our concern is that some of the PEP assumptions may undermine educators' ability to recognize families' strengths, respect their cultural identities, and include them in important decisions. Adherence to the PEP model could also blind teachers to alternative ways of fostering literacy development and school success (Carreón et al, 2005;Chao, 1994;Kao, 2004;López, 2001;Moll et al, 1992;Okagaki & Frensch, 1998;Powell et al, 2004;Wright & Smith, 1998), for example, using culturally specific book reading styles (Hammer et al, 2005), providing verbal and nonverbal support for academics (Ceballo, 2004), or encouraging regular school attendance and participation in cultural activities (Szalacha et al, 2005). Simply put, caution and cultural sensitivity are needed when using instruments that prescribe, monitor, and rate parental support for education and literacy.…”

Perceptions About Parental Engagement Among Hispanic Immigrant Mothers of First Graders from Low-Income Backgrounds

“…These aspirations have been shown to be related to the sacrifices these parents have made to ensure their children's schooling and future success, related to immigration to the United States and various types of employment as ways of improving the lives of their children (Ceballo et al 2014;Hill and Torres 2010). Previous research has demonstrated that Hispanic parents' conceptualizations of their children's school education may not be limited to activities related to academic achievement (Ceballo et al 2014;Zarate 2007), but rather may include learning conforming behavior and proper manners (Hill and Torres 2010;Okagaki and Frensch 1998).…”