Placing Immigrant and Minority Family and Community Members at the School’s Centre: the role of community participation

Methodology

This article reports on results from INCLUD-ED (2006–2011), part of the 6^th Framework Programme of the European Union. The project is pursuing its goal through six sub-projects. One consists of a group of six case studies on communities involved in learning projects that integrate social and educational interventions to help to reduce inequalities and marginalisation and foster social inclusion and empowerment. The case studies are on schools in Finland, Lithuania, Malta, Spain and the UK. All six were selected according to three criteria: their students are succeeding academically in comparison to schools with similar characteristics; they are serving students and families from low SES and minority groups; and they are helping to overcome inequality through strong community participation.

Each year, the case studies had a particular focus, based on the results of the larger project. One was a new classification of types of family and community involvement in schools: informative, consultative, decisive, evaluative, and educative. INCLUD-ED (2009) identified the last three as having a greater impact on student achievement. This informed subsequent research questions about the six case study schools. In the second round of case studies (2007–2008), the team explored how the decisive, evaluative, and educative types of family and community involvement were taking place in the schools. Additionally, a specific question asked about strategies that led to such influential parental and community involvement: ‘Which dialogic and democratic strategies are schools employing that facilitate the involvement in the school of family and community members belonging to vulnerable groups?’ One of those vulnerable groups was immigrants and cultural minorities. The team then explored the links between those strategies and improvements in school factors that influence learning and academic achievement. This article focuses on this issue.

The team approached the question through the critical communicative methodology (Gómez, Puigvert & Flecha, 2011). In each school, data were collected through 13 open-ended interviews (5 with representatives of the local administration, 5 with representatives of other community organisations, and 3 with teachers from the school); 13 communicative daily life stories (6 with family members and 7 with students); 1 communicative focus group with professionals working in educational centres; and 5 observations in various places including classrooms, teachers’ meetings, and the playground. The ‘communicative’ character of this method emphasises egalitarian dialogue between researchers and participants. In the study reported here, continuous dialogue took place between scientific knowledge provided by researchers and knowledge from life experiences of the teachers, family and community members, students, and other professionals involved in the schools. It sought to understand the strategies of family and community involvement and how they benefit the school and the students. The protocols included questions about how the school involved family and community members, perceptions regarding family and community involvement in the school, and its importance for student achievement and school improvement. The analysis focused on which strategies helped the school to achieve strong community involvement of immigrants and cultural minorities that enhanced student learning and achievement and other related educational aspects, and on the practices to enact these strategies and their related benefits for student learning and the school.

COMMENT

We have chosen this issue because we think that the participation of the families in the education can change the world. Also we consider that the new system INCLUD-ED is important to analyze.

This article shows the results from INCLUD-ED. The project has six sub-projects. The case studies are in schools in Finland, Lithuania, Malta, Spain and the UK. All this schools were selecting according to three criterions.

The main goal of INCLUD-ED is encourage the social cohesion and avoid the social exclusion. This is necessary to improve the social and educational policies.

On the other hand, it's required the contribution of all the community to reduce school failure. Also we must accept the participation of immigrant families.
This can change the world because students are more motivated and interested. In addition, the bond with the families increases.

Evidences show that students achieve better academic results. The students are more motivated because the parents are interested in the education.

In contrast, that shows the importance of the dialog. It's essential a good relation between the families and the school. It's unfair treat the students according to their origin, race, intelligence, etc.

Therefore, if we involve more in the education and promote the dialogue, we will get a better education for the future.

LAURA GREGORI AND MARIA SALCEDO