Education Pedagogy

Low-Income Parents' Beliefs about Their Role in Children's Academic Learning

In article “Low-Income Parents' Beliefs about Their Role in Children's Academic Learning”, there are several assumptions and values we can identify in the reading.

Parents rated the importance of helping their second- and third-grade children in reading, math, and homework and of knowing what their children are learning. Parents reported whether they had taught their child in math and reading and read with their child in the past week. however, parents perceived helping with reading as more important than helping with math. Findings implied that teachers who desire more parent involvement might need to use different strategies for the two subjects. In addition to specific approaches for helping with math, reading, and homework, parents noted other activities they believed would help their children succeed.

Educators have proposed that increased parent involvement can improve student achievement and, subsequently, the importance of parent support has been emphasized in discussions about the achievement gap between economically disadvantaged and middle-class children. Studies have shown that low-income parents value education as a route to economic and social mobility. Majority of teachers were dissatisfied with parent involvement, citing a general lack of interest or concern about school matters. Yet teachers and administrators still believe that not all parents are sufficiently involved.

The perception persists that there is a mismatch or even a clash between educator and parent values regarding parent involvement, in this study we assessed how much parents valued helping their children learn. A group of diverse, low-income parents rated the importance of helping their second- and third grade children in different subjects and answered open-ended questions about the type of help they deemed appropriate. The study focused on low-income parents because their children achieve lower, on average, than students from other income levels, and research on parent practices has indicated that low-income parents are less involved. A few studies that have explored parents' beliefs have suggested that low-income parents may resist direct involvement. Previous studies of parent practices have shown that parents of younger children were more likely to be involved in educational activities than were parents of older children. Educators have proposed that increased parent involvement can improve student achievement and, subsequently, the importance of parent support has been emphasized in discussions about the achievement gap between economically disadvantaged and middle-class children. Studies have shown that low-income parents value education as a route to economic and social mobility. Majority of teachers were dissatisfied with parent involvement, citing a general lack of interest or concern about school matters. Yet teachers and administrators still believe that not all parents are sufficiently involved.

The Silencing of Latino Student "Voice

In article “The Silencing of Latino Student "Voice": Puerto Rican and Mexican Narratives in Eighth Grade and High School”, there are some assumptions in this paper. The two sets of narratives offer a snapshot of Latino students' views of family, school, ethnicity, and future plans. I came across the narratives fortuitously during a conversation with one of the high school ...