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The Power of Parents: A Critical Perspective of Bicultural Parent Involvement in Public Schools (Counterpoints: Studies in the Postmodern Theory of Education) |  | Author: Edward M. Olivos
Creator: Antonia Darder
Publisher: Peter Lang Publishing
Category: Book
List Price: $29.95
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Rating:  1 reviews
Sales Rank: 1051643
Media: Paperback
Pages: 133
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.4
ISBN: 0820474789
Dewey Decimal Number: 371.103
EAN: 9780820474786
ASIN: 0820474789
Publication Date: April 2006
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Product Description
Delving into the often unexplored areas of class, race, and power struggles, The Power of Parents poses a unique and original critical examination of the relationship between bicultural parents and the school system. Written with students and practitioners in mind, it challenges past research that has traditionally argued bicultural parents are incompetent, apathetic, and do not value education, hence the cause of their children?s academic underachievement. This book sheds new light on why bicultural parents often mistrust the school system and uncovers the contradictions inherent in the relationship between them and school personnel.
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| Customer Reviews:
One side of the Educational system in USA November 6, 2008
C. M. Nussa
"The Power of Parents: a Critical Perspective of Bicultural parent Involvement in Public Schools"
by Edward M. Olivos (2007)
Edward M. Olivos' book (2007) "The Power of Parents: a Critical Perspective of Bicultural Parent Involvement in Public schools" points to the struggle of some bicultural parents to defend and protect the academic development of their children as well as their social future in an adverse education system. Throughout the book, the readers learn how low-income bicultural parents from the Hispanic culture see, feel and react to a school system that "alleges that the cause of these students' disadvantages lies within the group itself" (bicultural students, their parents and their communities) (p.45). The author gives the theoretical viewpoint of both school system and parents and offers recommendations on what to do for the bicultural parents involvement including expected challenges, tensions and conflicts (home school vs. school culture; home knowledge vs. school knowledge; and home power vs. school power (p 79) due to "the structures of inequality which have constituted the foundation of public schooling in the United States" (p. 120) for centuries.
To begin to understand Edward Olivos' analysis of bicultural parent involvement (2007), the readers need to be clear about Ethnocentrism and Eurocentrism where undervalued and misjudged non-European societies and cultures are considered "bicultural" and the belief that bicultural communities are deficient (p 58), underachieving, socially maladjusted (p 45), and problematic. Moreover, Olivos' term "bicultural: depicts living "individuals or social groups" under "a dominant mainstream culture" (p. 14). However, among "WHITE" people, there is a vast variety of cultures, languages and national origins, for example Russians, Polish, Scandinavians, Germans, White Africans and White Hispanics who are a fairly rare part of discussions of diversity issues. They have apparently little difficulty getting their needs met; probably, due to the institutionalized factors of race and the stereotyped educational level of these "white" refugees and immigrants. These immigrants get more benefits and better access to available education services without doubts or concerns about their academic abilities. I think it is important to talk about this dichotomy in Education because there are also lots of "white" refugees and immigrants coming from eastern European countries and other continents whose parents have Limited English Proficiency (LEP), as well as ethnic minorities with educational, economic, or cultural resources that influences their experiences in US schools.
Some teachers might be inclined to argue that one misconception in bicultural education is the overwhelming focus on students of color due in part to the excellent educational achievement of other bicultural communities such as some Asian communities. Meanwhile others like Peggy McIntosh (1988) point out the denial of the "phenomenon of white privilege" in discussions of diversity. The issue of biculturalism /multiculturalism/ diversity is a human problem regardless of race and not teaching all children about biculturalism leads people to the erroneous assumption that whites are not part of the bicultural equation (Banks & Banks, 2006). According to the latest data, "the number of children ages 5-17 who spoke a language other than English at home more than doubled between 1979 and 2004" (U.S. Department of Education, 2006 & U.S. census 2006 estimate). These students represent diverse races, nationalities, and experiences. As mentioned before the umbrella under which bicultural communities stand is growing in the United States. Nevertheless, in Olivos' book, the primary focus in bicultural education is on children of immigrants who live in low-income households and whose parents have relatively limited education and belong to ethnic minority communities.
The data mentioned in Olivos' book allow readers to find out the "hidden ideological biases" (p 120) imposed in the educational system for centuries. Even though the involvement of minority parents is viewed by the author mainly through the Hispanic community, the pattern is present in all so called low- income "minority" communities. There is a resistance to "difference" (Banks & Banks, 2006) although there are differences in approaching this issue. As Olivos explains through his case study by ignoring the differences in experiences, beliefs, traditions, geography and socio-economic-political background, the educational system limits its mission to educate students in all levels of education as well as to involve their parents in "school, family, community partnerships" for successful educational achievements (DuFour, Eaker & Dufour, 2005; Epstein, 1985 & 1995; Fullan, 2001; Manzano, Waters & Mcnulty, 2005; Patrikakou, Weissberg, Redding & Walberg, 2005; and Sanders 2005).
From chapter 5 to the last chapter, Olivos depicts the situation of the school system and how students, parents, teachers and the administration maintain the current tendencies as well as parent's resistance, different models of parent involvement and home-school relations. To better comprehend his view, we have to analyze how the disparity is approached, while a great deal of public school enrollment is predominantly minority and diverse across the United States; the school staff and administration are predominantly born and raised in the United States and have achieved middle class status. The disparity is approached on one hand with multicultural training for school staffs and on the other hand with arbitrary processes of acculturation and assimilation of the students with medical treatments as remedy for the students' unexplained behaviors. This situation might mislead people in decision-making positions to place minorities inappropriately and attribute certain patterns to developmental delays (Kagan, 1991).
It might still appear far fetched to say that the developmental competence is explained according to "establish old patterns" that people have challenged for ages. However educational staffs, administrators and aids make generalizations about certain families, ideas, and ways of life due to the resistance to incorporate new visions of reality that conflict with their own personal or cultural conceptions. Such generalizations prevent teachers from giving these parents their right to have "a voice" where "both parents and teachers develop the tools" to work for the same goal: student achievement (p 107). That is why Olivos' questionnaires at the end of each chapter are important in order to "confront what is quite possibly this nation's greatest contradiction: the inability to close the educational achievement disparity between specific social groups" (p 119). The inclusion of difference in our every day's lives allows us to respect each other and tolerate whatever goes beyond our understanding and acceptance. That is why in my opinion it is important to understand the "difference" in people in order not to diminish emotional resiliency and prevent school failure. It takes the combined willingness of students, parents, schools and the community to deal with Education in a bicultural environment. Olivos aims to the "idea that understanding and valuing" parents involvement as well as "students' individual differences allow teachers to reach the students' fullest potential" (Bennett, 1995).
Work Cited
Banks, J. A. & Banks, C. A. M. (Eds). (2006). Multicultural Education: Issues and Perspectives. (6th ed). New York: John Wiley
Bennet, C.L. (1995). Comprehensive Multicultural Education: Theory and Practice (3rd Ed.). Allyn & Bacon
Dufour, R., Dufour, R., & Eaker, R. (1998). On common ground: The power of professional learning communities at work. Bloomington, In: National Educational Service.
Epstein, J. (1985). Home and school connections in schools of the future: Implications of research on parental involvement. Peabody Journal of Education, 62(2), 18-41.
Epstein, J. L. (1995). School/ family/ community partnerships caring for the children we share. Phi Delta Kappan, 76 (9), 701- 712
Fullan, M. (2000). Leading in a Culture of Change. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishing.
Kagan, S. L. (1991). United we stand: Collaborations for child care and early education. New York: Teachers College Press.
Marzano, R., Walters, T., & McNulty, B., (2005). School Leadership that Works. Alexandria, Virginia: ASCD.
McIntosh, P. (1988). White Privilege: Unpacking the invisible Knapsack. In White Privilege and Male Privilege: A Personal Account of Coming to See Correspondences Through Work in Women's Studies.
Olivos, E. (2006). The Power of Parents: A Critical Perspective of Bicultural Parent Involvement in Public Schools. New York, NY: Peter Lang Pub Inc.
Patrikakou, E., Weissberg, R., Redding, S., & Walberg, H. (Eds) (2005). School- Family partnerships for children's success. New York, NY: Teachers College Press
Sanders, M. G. (2005). Building school-community partnerships: Collaboration for student success. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, Inc
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