Barriers to School Involvement: Are Immigrant Parents Disadvantaged?

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Parental involvement at school offers unique opportunities for parents, and this school-based involvement has important implications for children's academic and behavioral outcomes. The authors used data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Cohort (National Center for Education Statistics, 2001) to examine race and immigrant differences in barriers to parental involvement at school. Minority immigrant parents, compared with native-born parents, reported more barriers to participation and were subsequently less likely to be involved at school. Among immigrant parents, time spent in the United States and English language ability were positively associated with involvement, but these associations differed by race. Barriers to involvement serve as another source of disadvantage for immigrant parents and their children.

Turney, Kristin, and Grace Kao. 2009. “Barriers to School Involvement: Are Immigrant Parents Disadvantaged?” The Journal of Educational Research 102:257–271.