Latino Parents of English Learners in Catholic Schools: Home vs. School Based Educational Involvement

The current study sought to expand the field's understanding of the educational involvement of Latino parents whose children were English Learners and attended Catholic schools. Specifically we attempted to identify factors that facilitate as well as prohibit involvement in two home-based types of educational involvement and two specific school-based types of educational involvement. In our sample of 329 Latino immigrant parents, their responses yielded a pattern of predictors that appear to be related to both home- and school-based participation. Namely, feeling that teachers are invested in one's child and feeling overwhelmed by other obligations appear as statistically significant predictors of each type of involvement. Perceived language barriers were also significant predictors of parent involvement in two instances. Implications for efforts to support parental educational involvement of Latino immigrant parents are discussed.