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Home-School Partnerships in Mulitlingual Communities
Massaro, Caroline
Massaro, Caroline
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2025-08
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Parents of English Language Learners (ELLs) in the United States face barriers that impede their parental involvement and home-school partnerships. Research has identified five barriers, including language barriers, different perceptions of education, fear of negative repercussions against speaking up, lack of communication, and lack of teacher preparation. The literature showed that these barriers can be improved by implementing culturally responsive strategies. This means getting to know your ELL families’ cultures and backgrounds, seeking their input, and communicating with them. Sending materials home translated into their home languages, inviting them into school-related activities, and honoring their cultures are all ways to increase parental involvement and strengthen home-school partnerships. To address these barriers and educate teachers and school staff, a professional development, interactive case study walk, is proposed. The goal of this PD is that teachers, support staff, and administration are better aware of the barriers ELL families face when it comes to home-school relationships. It is also intended that these individuals feel better equipped to communicate and build relationships with ELL families. Recommendations for further research and improvement include educating preservice teachers on the barriers and strategies for home-school partnerships in multilingual communities and implementing monthly PD sessions in schools, done by the ENL department.