Duh!
The Power of Parents: A Critical Perspective of Bicultural Parent Involvement in Public Schools by Edward M. Olivos, reviewed at Columbia Teachers College Record — how parents from cultural backgrounds different than the dominant culture come to be excluded from the public school system
The word “authoritarian” is laid here at the feet of SchoolThink, of direct interest to Liza et al at Culture Kitchen and contradicting comments at Rolfe’s blaming parent involvement from cultural Christians (homeschooling or not) as a threat to school curriculum and credentials, all science education and ultimately the future of civilization itself. The reviewer suggests this book can “bring to light some of the exclusionary practices that educators employ, of which they may not always be aware.” (Really, you don’t say??)
The reviewer btw, is Francisco X. Gaytán, advanced doctoral student in applied psychology at New York University. His research focuses on Latinos and education and the academic and cultural adaptation of immigrant youth. His dissertation research focuses on the educational outcomes of the growing Mexican immigrant student population in New York City. He is co-author, with Carola Suárez-Orozco, of the forthcoming chapter “The Academic Trajectories of Newcomer Immigrant Youth” to be published in How to Help Young Immigrant Youth Succeed by G. Sonnert and G. Holton (Eds.).
A major claim in the book is that the lack of parental involvement is *not* due to the conservative view that they lack interest or motivation, (n)or the liberal view that parents lack the cultural skills to be involved in school. . . [but] the result of subordination and exclusion by those in power (i.e. teachers, school administrators, and those representing the dominant culture), which mirrors their subordinated status in the larger society. . . the paradox of being expected to participate in school on the one hand, and on the other hand not being too involved such that they change the system, or become part of the power structure.
Parents who realize that there are limits to their power disengage. . . by resisting the policies that are imposed upon them by the dominant culture. This creates a vicious cycle because the dominant culture can point to their disengagement as representative of their lack of involvement.
. . .The contradiction of expecting parental involvement and then placing barriers to that involvement is . . a springboard for Olivos’s model of transformative parental involvement.
He outlines different views of parental involvement ranging from an authoritarian perspective, where the administrators and school system dictate the nature and extent of involvement, to a fully democratic model, where parents are equals in the school system with a voice for their views and a role in making decisions. In giving this nuanced model Olivos reveals that all forms of parental involvement are not equal. . .
Political Poets Say Abstain From Abstinence Education
20 06 2007“Unabridged” is a new collection of poetry written and performed especially for the ACLU, celebrating the power of words (in our Constitution and our schools, among other public places) and captures the passion behind
several current battles in the courtrooms and in Congress: abstinence-only programs,
habeas corpus, surveillance, free speech, and racial profiling.
“The Fallacy of Unicorns” is their first piece, on abstinence-only
programs. For more information and to hear all the pieces as they go up, visit here.
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