B. What are some ways to collaborate with parents?

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Powerful Practice 1: Adopt a broader, culturally informed, and positive definition of parental involvement in education.

This practice involves helping teachers to reconstruct misconceptions and prejudice about parental involvement in student education. We can take action such as hosting cultural events that parents and guardians can be involved in, and avoiding deficit interpretations.

This practice can potentially support this ELL family by encouraging teachers to be more flexible in terms of scheduling and communication of not only meetings with guardians but also engagement events. For the Lewis family, this would ensure that they could schedule meetings at times that are also convenient for the single parent, and also encourage positive interactions between the parent and the school environment.

It is important to support the families of ELLs because they also deserve a quality education, and parental/guardian involvement is critical in supporting student outcomes.

Powerful Practice: 4 - Understand the effects of home language loss and its impact on family and social relationships (pg. 166)

What Does this Practice Involve: Firstly, teacher should do research on the student's background and the language. (Maybe use PP3 too and co-create multi-lingual books). Collaborate not just with the parents, but perhaps others in the community.

How Does this Practice Support this Family: Can encourage confidence, collaboration, spark a sense of pride/help the student understand value of their native language.

Why is it Important to Support the Families: Supporting the families will also have an direct influence on the student's academic performance, confidence, feeling of community, and belonging

3. This practice involves incorporating parents curriculum nights to ensure student's cultural identity is being preserved and included in their education. Adopting a more culturally inclusive approach to parent collaboration and not be resistant to Indigenous knowledge and approaches for learning.

4. This practice can support the Neepin family by drawing on the support and strengths of the entire family. By viewing Indigenous language and tradition as necessary for learning, the teacher is supporting the student's and family's cultural needs.

5. It is necessary to support the family's needs because it validates their experiences and includes them in their education journey.

Key Question: What are ways to communicate with parents with limited English proficiency?

1: Powerful Practice:

Leverage the community for resources to support the parent. For example, match the parent with another parent who is bilingual in their home language.

2: Have important school documents translated into the parent's home language.

3: Investigate with administration if a translator can provide interpretation services.

4: Embed translanguaging methods into lessons. For example, allow the student to write journal entries and reflections in their home language and encourage the student to share their work with their parent.

5: Employ lesson material that connects with the student and parent's lived experiences and cultural heritage.