The Principal and the PEA (Parent Education Association)

Abstract

With discourse on immigration policies being brought to the forefront in U.S. education, educational leaders need to be more conscious than ever of changing demographics, diversity, and the multilingual and multicultural value of their students and community. This case study focuses on how educational leaders engage with Latino/a parents and how caregivers in Southwest borderland rural communities can assist in the academic success of their Latino/a students from a culturally responsive approach. The principal and the PEA (Parent Education Association) encourages administrators to engage in conversations regarding immigration policies and parental involvement in hopes of better understanding cultural disparities in parental involvement.

How Do We Teach Social Justice? A Cross-Disciplinary Synthesis of Social Justice Andragogy

“…In the US, K-12 education, rather than higher education, has had to take the biggest strides in social justice as many students from underrepresented groups do not make it to postsecondary institutions (Guillaume et al, 2019). Therefore, much research has been done to increase understanding of how to equip teachers and school personnel with social justice knowledge so that they can apply these lenses to the students they work with, in both an academic and administrative manner.…”

“…Therefore, there is a call for all educators, administrators, and instructors to be taught about social justice to appropriately transfer these ideals and knowledge to the students they teach (Guillaume et al, 2019). This call for social justice integration leads to a tiered approach.…”

“…This relative freedom can be compared to K-12 education, in which teachers fall under the hierarchy of the administrative tier. Therefore, administration is trained in issues of social justice and they, in turn, educate the instructors, who educate their aides, and collaborate together to apply social justice ideals to students (Cambron-McCabe & McCarthy, 2005;Guillaume et al, 2019). Failure to educate administration could lead to a lack of support when teachers ask for assistance with initiatives towards social justice (Cambron-McCabe & McCarthy, 2005).…”

“…Failure to educate administration could lead to a lack of support when teachers ask for assistance with initiatives towards social justice (Cambron-McCabe & McCarthy, 2005). For instance, in one high school, the staff reacted to an incidence of bullying by implementing preventative groups rather than policing the halls (Guillaume et al, 2019). The collaboration between staff and administration was necessary to offer both educators and students experience in social justice practice.…”

“…In K-12 institutions, staff are also often limited by time. In order to implement any social justice practices, students, faculty, and administration need to make time to build understanding (Guillaume et al, 2019).…”