Southeast Asian Refugee Parents: An Inquiry into Home‐School Communication and Understanding

Abstract

southeast Asian refugee parents in one school district in the Pacific Norfhwesf were inferviewed to obtain their perspectives on formal education for their children attending local schools. Interpretation of survey data was augmented by two prior years of participant observation fieldwork in the setting. This account describes efforts in the district to learn about and to help refugee families adjust to American schools, with an emphasis on understanding purents ' perceptions of the language and social environments of schools. Descriptive information is presented on family characteristics, cross-cultural communication, parent involvement in schools, and bilingualism. The author identifies problems faced by refugee families and educafors.

Lessons Learned: Insights into One Teacher’s Experience Working with Karen Refugee Students in the United States

“…His eventual inability to graduate led to feelings of hopelessness and limited employment prospects. Sadly, Ler Say's case has become the norm for many resettled refugee children who resettle in their early teens (Blakely, 1983). Ler Say is currently unemployed and reports that he "sleep all day and very sad with nothing to do" (personal correspondence, November, 2013).…”

“…Ler Say's story is not unique to this community or to the many immigrant students' school experiences (Blakely, 1983;Rumbaut & Ima, 1988). One can empathize with teachers as well.…”

“…A large corpus of studies suggest that parental involvement is a key factor in immigrant student graduation rates (Anguiano, 2004), psychological well-being (Kia-Keating & Ellis, 2007), and overall academic achievement (Blakely, 1983;Henderson & Berla, 1994;Rumbaut & Ima, 1988;Siu & Feldman, 1996;Zhou & Bankston, 2000). Lack of parental involvement has been a major concern witnessed with Karen families in Sandville.…”

“…The disconnect between immigrant parents and schools has been well documented (Blakely, 1983;Hones, 2002;Siu & Feldman, 1996). Karen parents repeatedly expressed to me the desire for their child to do well in school and attend college.…”

“…The lack of parental involvement may be a cultural norm (see Blakely, 1983 on Southeast Asian parental attitudes towards school) as many Southeast Asian parents view schools as solely responsible for their children's education. Such a belief is exemplified when considering one American teacher's description of Karen parents.…”