The purpose of this article is to identify and examine the barriers between Afghan refugee families and a school in Pakistan and how they could have been diminished by leveraging families' funds of knowledge (Moll & Greenberg, 1990). Pakistan was a country of temporary asylum (or first safe country) for these parents/guardians as they awaited…

The purpose of this study was to understand how teachers reproduce and eventually resist middle-class, White, dominant narratives of family involvement so they can better engage with all students and families. This study occurred in an elementary school setting during a semester-long afterschool professional development course with nine elementary…

Immigrant students and their families sometimes experience conflict or alienation in U.S. schools owing to differences between the collectivistic values of home (focused on the well-being of the family and group) and the individualistic values of schools (focused on the well-being of individuals) that drive instructional practices and school…

A serious gap exists within special education preparation programs; many neglect to adequately prepare teacher candidates to engage with parents of children with disabilities to create effective family-school-community collaboration. The following article describes the impact on the practices and dispositions of teacher candidates resulting from…

A study conducted from 1996-2000 focused on the academic development of children within a statewide educational reform effort, including changing the organizational structure of the early years of schooling into nongraded primary programs (formerly age-based classrooms for kindergarteners through third grade). The multisite study involved children…

Many classroom teachers across the United States feel unprepared to work with students and families who speak limited or no English. Knowing that schools are accountable for the achievement results of these students, teachers increasingly seek help. This article describes a professional development project designed to introduce K-12 teachers to…