Marginalizing Immigrant Parents for the Sake of Convenience.

When I embarked on our education project, aimed at bridging the post-secondary success gap between low-income BIPOC students and their more affluent peers, I knew I needed to focus  my efforts on increasing students' access to resources for more informed decision-making. Understanding how to deliver this information required first comprehending what resources students currently had and where they found them.

The disparities between first-generation and other students were, as imagined, striking. Students with parents who graduated from a U.S. high school or college were significantly more prepared as evidenced by their increased participation in university/ colleges, technical schools, and general postsecondary readiness. One college student whose father immigrated to the U.S. and attended a U.S. university offered a telling response when asked who should guide high schoolers toward post-secondary options. "Their parents," she replied incredulously. This is not a new revelation. Countless studies highlight the advantages of parents with domestic educational backgrounds, who can provide guidance, advice, and knowledge. While this interaction underscored the challenges faced by first-generation students, it also exposed a glaring assumption: their parents were irrelevant to the process.

As I researched student needs and improved accessibility, I became increasingly concerned about the marginalization of their parents. Although many resources exist for first-generation students, they rarely reach parents in a culturally sensitive manner, reinforcing the notion that they cannot assist their children. For example, while seminars and workshops on the FAFSA process are available to first-generation students, they often fail to reach their parents due to language barriers and cultural irrelevance.To compound this issue, we often blame parents for their perceived disengagement, citing absenteeism from PTO meetings, parent-teacher conferences, and extracurricular activities. While some organizations or schools acknowledge factors like economic hardship, language barriers, and cultural differences, we rarely take concrete steps to foster greater parental involvement.

The consequences of this approach are profound. Extensive research confirms the importance of parental involvement in student success, but I want to focus on the narrative we construct about immigrant and refugee parents. It raises critical questions: Are parents without U.S. education or advanced degrees essential to this conversation? What disqualifies them from contributing? Interviews with parents and community members revealed that certain parents were excluded from discussions about their children's education. For example, anecdotes of children translating for parents at parent-teacher conferences, often misrepresenting information, are common, and while intended as humorous tales of first-generation student resilience, they underscore the frustration parents experience when unable to communicate with teachers or support their children effectively. These instances exemplify how assumptions about limited English proficiency can render parents invisible stakeholders, stripping them of their dignity. This is just one example of how neglecting the needs of immigrant and refugee parents perpetuates the harmful belief that they cannot enhance their children's education or actively participate in their success, further marginalizing them.

For these reasons, we created the education project. We aim to hold school districts and schools accountable for culturally relevant communication with marginalized parents. We want parents to understand available options and opportunities for their children and how to provide effective support. We want them to feel empowered to advocate for their children's needs and their own. The cost of expanding resources and accessibility to immigrant and refugee parents with limited U.S. education or understanding of the U.S. education system should not be a deterrent. Recognizing and valuing the contributions of all citizens begins with addressing their needs.

In practice, this means holding schools accountable for creating culturally relevant discussions on post-secondary opportunities and how parents can help their children become successful. It's not enough to simply translate letters or workshops; the language used must also be accessible to parents from diverse backgrounds and education levels. This can take various forms, such as translating letters sent home into multiple languages, having translators available for parent-teacher conferences, and providing resources in formats that cater to different learning styles.

Second, we need to hold our districts accountable for creating stronger connections with organizations within the community. If your district has a high number of Latinx immigrants, why not connect with the various Latinx community organizations to amplify your efforts? By collaborating with these groups, schools can leverage their existing networks and expertise to reach more parents and ensure their voices are heard.

Ultimately, empowering students requires including their parents. By creating equitable efforts to include them, we can create lasting positive impacts, not just academically, but beyond. To learn more about our efforts, please check out our website or email us at contact@projectlibe.org.