Parent-Teacher Relationships and Parental Involvement in Education in Latino Families

Abstract

This review examines parent-teacher relationships and parental involvement in education in Latino families, using Hoover-Dempsey and Sandler’s (Review of Educational Research, 67, 3–42, 1997) model of parental involvement in education to frame the review. Practical, cultural, and systemic factors often serve as barriers to positive parent-teacher relationships and parental involvement in education for Latino families (Durand. Urban Review, 43, 255–278, 2010; Calzada et al. Urban Education, 50, 870–896, 2015). Additionally, many Latino parents hold a broad, culturally based definition of education that may conflict with teachers’ expectations for parental involvement in education and the parent-teacher relationship (Zarate 2007). Nonetheless, many Latino parents are deeply committed to involvement in their children’s education, and such involvement is linked to positive outcomes for youth and families (Ceballo et al. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 20, 116–127, 2014). Recommendations to facilitate positive, high-quality parent-teacher relationships and parental involvement in education in Latino families also are presented in this review.