Partnering with Immigrant Families to Promote Student Success

A new Corporation-commissioned report outlines recommendations and best practices to build effective family-school partnerships with immigrant families

By Carnegie Corporation of New York April 24, 2023

Family & Community Engagement Immigration

(Credit: Springboard Collective)

Why Are Family Engagement Practices for Immigrant Families Important?  

The United States is home to about 45 million immigrants (roughly 14 percent of the population), of whom 10–11 million are undocumented. An estimated 4.5 million children — about 8 percent of all U.S. children, 91 percent of whom are themselves U.S. citizens — have at least one undocumented parent. Of the 1 in 10 public school students in the U.S. who are English language learners, most of them were born in the United States: 85 percent of English language learners in grades pre-K–5 and 62 percent of those in grades 6–12 are U.S.-born.

Given that students spend far more time at home and in the community than they do at school, building strong connections between diverse families and educators is essential to supporting student learning, especially as immigrants and children of immigrants are some of the fastest-growing populations in the country. By 2065, the Pew Research Center has projected that immigrants and their children will make up 36 percent of the U.S. population.

What Are We Trying to Accomplish?

The education program at Carnegie Corporation of New York seeks to empower families, communities, students, educators, policymakers, and the public as informed advocates in support of an equitable and high-quality educational system. Corporation grants and other activities aim to involve these partners, especially families with various perspectives and backgrounds, in cocreating and advocating for the kinds of learning experiences that will prepare every student to participate actively in a robust democracy and dynamic global economy.

Toward this goal, the Corporation commissioned the report Becoming an Ally: Partnering with Immigrant Families to Promote Student Success by Stephany Cuevas to challenge partners in the American educational system to build effective and equitable family engagement practices with immigrant families. The report provides recommendations for school leaders, educators, funders, and policymakers to support a high-quality education for every immigrant child. It extends to immigrant families the call to action for authentic school-family partnerships advocated by Karen Mapp and Eyal Bergman in their 2021 Corporation-supported report Embracing a New Normal: Toward a More Liberatory Approach to Family Engagement. It asks:

How can immigrant families best be supported? What role do schools, districts, and community organizations play in supporting immigrant families?
How can educators engage with immigrant families to support students' learning and socioemotional well-being?
How do schools and other community settings knowingly and unknowingly perpetuate systems of power and oppression?
How can schools and community organizations actively show solidarity with immigrant families?

How Is Family Engagement a Foundational Tool for Equity Work?

All children deserve access to the best education possible, regardless of their racial and socioeconomic background or personal circumstances. Family engagement is a tool for social and educational justice and serves as the foundation for equity work.

From cultural differences and language barriers to limited resources, undocumented immigration status, and anti-immigrant sentiment, immigrants face distinct challenges that may impact their interactions with schools and communities. Effective family engagement practices can empower immigrant families to better support their children’s learning, improving student outcomes and advancing equity.

Designing family engagement strategies that are responsive to the needs of immigrant parents also fosters belonging, making immigrant students and families feel welcomed as vital members of the school community. We want children and their families to become active members of their communities, to build social connections, and to integrate into American society, while honoring their identities and cultural backgrounds. Family-school-community partnerships are essential for the future of our nation and the success of all children, including their academic and socioemotional well-being.

What Actions Can Be Taken to Help Achieve Impact?

To support student success from early childhood to postsecondary education and careers, school leaders, educators, funders, and policymakers must engage immigrant families in public education. Becoming an Ally: Partnering with Immigrant Families to Promote Student Success offers recommendations to provide stakeholders with the knowledge and intentions needed to develop strong, trusting relationships with immigrant families. Recommended strategies are outlined below.

School Leaders

Ensure that all staff develop the capacity to work with immigrant families. Invest in professional development for all school personnel focused on working with immigrant families.
Invite immigrant family members to serve in leadership positions on Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs) or district parent advisory boards, or to serve as parent liaisons.
Develop relationships and partner with local organizations that work with immigrant families. Invite them to host events at schools.

Educators

Intentionally develop relationships with immigrant families. Get to know families and students.
Do not make assumptions about what families need to support students’ learning and development. Consult with them first, and align on engagement strategies.
Be mindful of the academic needs of students in immigrant families. Proactively address them. Work with families to support student learning by showing them how they can support students’ academic growth.
Provide academic support for English language learners based on the evidence of how emerging bilinguals learn to read and write in English.
Incorporate immigrant narratives and experiences into the curriculum.

Funders

Invest in programs that assist immigrant families in understanding how the education system works. Support programs that will increase families’ awareness of their education rights so they can build demand for equitable education for their children.
Invest in the professional learning of teachers and school leaders to build the competencies and mindsets they need to engage all families in their everyday practices.
When supporting organizations to develop family- oriented resources, include a commitment to translation in the project, and develop budgets accordingly.
Invest in programs and organizations that treat bilingualism as an asset.
Consult with schools and community organizations that work with immigrant families to learn about the needs of immigrant communities.

Policymakers

Require aspiring educators in graduate or credential programs to be trained in family engagement practices and working with diverse families, including immigrant families.
Propose and support pro-immigrant legislation that will make immigrant families’ lives easier. This includes policies focused on access to health care, vocational training programs, driver’s licenses for undocumented immigrants, and comprehensive immigration reform.

Learn more about how partners in the American education system can build effective and equitable family engagement practices with immigrant families. Download the report Becoming an Ally: Partnering with Immigrant Families to Promote Student Success.