Ecological perspectives of Latino/Hispanic families in a rural school community

Abstract

Immigration waves from Mexico, Central and Latin America have changed demographic landscapes and in some communities, native Spanish speaking people are the majority. In schools across the U.S., growing numbers of students need English language resources and cultural supports from their schools to break the cycles associate with being the least educated ethnic group in the country. This changing ecology creates the need for understanding Hispanic/Latino populations. This study seeks to understand the worlds that the Hispanic/Latino families negotiate as they move through the interconnected ecologies of their existence: family systems, cultural norms, communities, church and school. Through qualitative methodology, researchers gathered oral narratives and cultural data from families in a rural Midwestern community to understand how Latino/Hispanic parents support their children in schools and define their relationship to their children’s education.