Abstract
Research shows parent engagement has a positive impact on children’s academic achievement (Henderson & Mapp, 2002). Yet, immigrant parents face multiple barriers when attempting to become engaged in their children’s education (Barton et al., 2014; Kim, 2009; Mapp & Kuttner, 2013). Despite the barriers, immigrant parents have high expectations of their children’s education and a strong desire to be involved in their children’s educational journey (Rivera & Lavan, 2012; Sibley & Dearing, 2014). Research suggests there are unique ways in which immigrant parents are involved in their children’s education (Perez Carreon, Drake, Corey, & Calabrese Barton, 2005). Immigrant parents have been found to employ non-traditional engagement activities at home to encourage their children’s learning (Lopez, 2001). One way to support non-traditional engagement activities is by providing a space within parent education workshops for participants to exchange strategies. This project looked to evaluate a workshop series as a type of engagement strategy that took place at four different schools within a district primarily made up of Latino/Latina students. Through workshop evaluations, 20 immigrant mothers provided their feedback on a 10-week workshop series titled “Parent Leadership Pathway.” Participants shared what they liked and disliked about the series, discussed why they kept returning week after week, and offered suggestions for updates. Findings suggested immigrant mothers benefit from parent engagement opportunities such as parent workshops that are provided in their home language. Through the “Parent Leadership Pathway,” immigrant mothers had access to academic information, community resources, and access to other mothers who encouraged each other to become role models for their children. Mothers became empowered and more capable of navigating the educational system in order to support their children’s education.