Learn how to engage the diverse families of English learners (ELs) and immigrants with the effective, practical approaches in this book. This must-have resource for teachers and school leaders is packed with fresh ideas geared toward building a partnership between school communities and ELs and immigrant families at school and at home. The book includes information and activities to: Assess current practices Investigate family perceptions and expectations Overcome challenges Improve communication Fund family engagement Fully revised and up-to-date, the new edition shines a much-needed spotlight on immigrant families from numerous homelands and includes a chapter on schools and organizations that have applied many of the ideas in the book for successful partnerships. New online resources include 20 new activities to complement the book chapters, over 50 annotated websites, and additional book recommendations to provide insight into the immigrant experience. The support materials can be found at routledge.com/9780367607548. Organized with the busy educator in mind, the book can be read straight through or section by section to best fit your specific needs. As the demographics of America's schools continue to grow and change, this book guides you to building an inclusive school community in which every family can thrive!

Learn how to involve the diverse families of English language learners with the effective, practical approaches in this book. This must-have resource for teachers and school leaders is packed with fresh ideas geared toward building a partnership between school communities and ELL families. The authors begin each chapter with realistic scenarios that commonly arise with ELL families. They offer activities designed to assess current practices, investigate family perceptions and expectations, overcome challenges, and improve communication. The strategies in this book help you engage families at school and at home in innovative and successful ways. Organized with the busy educator in mind, the book can be read straight through or section by section to best fit your specific needs. As a bonus, every chapter concludes with a wealth of useful resources on every topic! As the demographics of America's schools continue to grow and change, this book guides you to building a school community in which every family can thrive!

"This book is a collection of innovative research that utilizes teacher professional development models, assessment practices, teaching strategies, and parental involvement strategies to develop ways for communities and educators to create social and academic conditions that promote the academic success of immigrant and English language learners"--

In the past few years, there has been an influx of immigrant children into the school system, many with a limited understanding of English. Successfully teaching these students requires educators to understand their characteristics and to learn how to engage immigrant families to support their children’s academic achievements. The Handbook of Research on Engaging Immigrant Families and Promoting Academic Success for English Language Learners is a collection of innovative research that utilizes teacher professional development models, assessment practices, teaching strategies, and parental involvement strategies to develop ways for communities and educators to create social and academic conditions that promote the academic success of immigrant and English language learners. While highlighting topics including bilingual learners, family engagement, and teacher development, this book is ideally designed for early childhood, elementary, middle, K-12, and secondary school teachers; school administrators; faculty; academicians; and researchers.

For many Americans, participation in community organizations lays the groundwork for future political engagement. But how does this traditional model of civic life relate to the experiences of today's immigrants? Do community organizations help immigrants gain political influence in their neighborhoods and cities? In Civic Hopes and Political Realities, experts from a wide range of disciplines explore the way civic groups across the country and around the world are shaping immigrants' quest for political effectiveness. Civic Hopes and Political Realities shows that while immigrant organizations play an important role in the lives of members, their impact is often compromised by political marginalization and a severe lack of resources. S. Karthick Ramakrishnan and Irene Bloemraad examine community organizations in six cities in California and find that even in areas with high rates of immigrant organizing, policymakers remain unaware of local ethnic organizations. Looking at new immigrant destinations, Kristi Andersen finds that community organizations often serve as the primary vehicle for political incorporation—a role once played by the major political parties. Floris Vermeulen and Maria Berger show how policies in two European cities lead to very different outcomes for ethnic organizations. Amsterdam's more welcoming multicultural policies help immigrant community groups attain a level of political clout that similar organizations in Berlin lack. Janelle Wong, Kathy Rim, and Haven Perez report on a study of Latino and Asian American evangelical churches. While the church shapes members' political views on issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage, church members may also question the evangelical movement's position on such issues as civil rights and immigration. Els de Graauw finds that many non-profit organizations without explicitly political agendas nonetheless play a crucial role in advancing the political interests of their immigrant members. Recent cuts in funding for such organizations, she argues, block not only the provision of key social services, but also an important avenue for political voice. Looking at community organizing in a suburban community, Sofya Aptekar finds that even when immigrant organizations have considerable resources and highly educated members, they tend to be excluded from town politics. Some observers worry that America's increasing diversity is detrimental to civic life and political engagement. Civic Hopes and Political Realities boldly advances an alternative understanding of the ways in which immigrants are enriching America's civic and political realms—even in the face of often challenging circumstances.

Immigrants and their American-born children represent about one quarter of the United States population. Drawing on rich, in-depth ethnographic research, the fascinating case studies in Across Generations examine the intricacies of relations between the generations in a broad range of immigrant groups—from Latin America, Asia, the Caribbean, and Africa—and give a sense of what everyday life is like in immigrant families. Moving beyond the cliché of the children of immigrants engaging in pitched battles against tradition-bound parents from the old country, these vivid essays offer a nuanced view that brings out the ties that bind the generations as well as the tensions that divide them. Tackling key issues like parental discipline, marriage choices, educational and occupational expectations, legal status, and transnational family ties, Across Generations brings crucial insights to our understanding of the United States as a nation of immigrants. Contributors: Leisy Abrego, JoAnn D’Alisera, Joanna Dreby, Yen Le Espiritu, Greta Gilbertson, Nazli Kibria, Cecilia Menjívar, Jennifer E. Sykes, Mary C. Waters, and Min Zhou.

In this book, internationally migrant families invite us to listen to the storylines of their mostly muted voices as they navigate the local schools in their new cultural context. They call us to hear them as they grapple with issues they encounter. They implore us to feel like an outsider and see the school as a foreign culture with language and communication barriers. The book is organized to enhance this carework. Each chapter begins with a vignette that includes the voices of one or more members of international migrating families, while introducing the context of the chapter. At the end of each chapter readers will find specific implications to consider. These are constructed with preservice teachers, practicing teachers, and educational administrators in mind. As you read each chapter, there is the call for school transformation. The families in this book entreat school personnel to engage with international migrant families and to embrace a risk and resilience model as we strive together for success. These storylines challenge us to examine our personal storylines for biases and deficit understandings and call us all to purposefully rewrite these in the spirit of possibilities as the families in this book have embodied for us.