How Cultural Proficiency Supports

Parents/Community

Parents are partners in their children's education. They know their rights and responsibilities, how to navigate and work with District procedures and personnel, and how to communicate their needs.

Parents are the child's first teacher and are critically important partners to students and teachers. To help parents become aware of how they can be effective partners in the education process, teachers should engage in dialogue with parents as early as possible about parents' hopes and aspirations for their child, their sense of what the child needs, and suggestions about ways teachers can help. Teachers explain their own limitations and invite parents to participate in their child's education in specific ways.

Parent involvement need not be just how parents can participate in school functions. Oftentimes, religious and cultural difference preclude active participation in school activities. However, parental involvement also includes how parents communicate high expectations, pride, and interest n their child's academic life (Neito, 1996)

Constant communication with parents is an important aspect of a child's education progress. Involving parents and families in their child's educational process results in better scholastic achievement. When families share their "funds of knowledge" with the school community teachers get a better idea of their student's' background knowledge and abilities, and how they learn best (Moll, Amanti, Neff, & Gonzalez, 1992).