“If I ever find it hard, I go and seek help.”
The ability of families to advocate for themselves and their children is complex and not straight forward. Often, families will only seek help if the school is a place where they feel help will be given, where a trusting relationship already exists.
Many factors are involved in how comfortable a family member feels within the school community. Accessibility to school staff – including language barriers, work schedules, etc. -- can interfere with a family’s ability to seek help. Modes of communication used to ask for help – text, email, etc. -- can be an obstacle as well. Finally, family members’ negative experiences with schooling themselves can cause a lack of trust in the system as a whole.
On the flip side, when done right, positive family-school partnerships can be extremely beneficial.
“Family engagement practices strengthen families’ sense of self-efficacy, or the belief that they can impact their children’s education” (Henderson et al., 2021, pg. 66).
Advocate for yourself and your child
“I tried my best to go to [school name], not only because their values align – the same with our family values, with our cultural values.”
When possible, families will prioritize schools and communities that share their value systems.
When this connectedness is possible, it allows for a range of positive effects, including a feeling of equal footing, mutual respect, and preliminary understanding.