The Community-Based Organization As Cultural Broker: Building Bridges
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The Community-Based Organization as Cultural Broker: Building Bridges Between Recent Immigrant Families and Schools in Low-Income Communities Catherine Samuelson A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy University of Washington 2013 Reading Committee: Michael S. Knapp, Chair Manka M. Varghese Ann Ishimaru Program Authorized to Offer Degree: College of Education ©Copyright 2013 Catherine Samuelson University of Washington Abstract The Community-Based Organization as Cultural Broker: Building Bridges Between Recent Immigrant Families and Schools in Low-Income Communities Catherine Samuelson Chair of the Supervisory Committee: Michael S. Knapp Educational Leadership and Policy Studies This qualitative case study delves into the work that community-based organizations do with recent immigrant families and schools in low-income communities by examining the cultural brokering process of one particular CBO. Understanding how an organization approaches working with families and their schools; how organization staff attempt to build understanding, trust, communication, and ultimately relationships between families and schools they work with; and how they attempt to develop the community’s capacity for mutually beneficial engagement—in particular, its sociocultural capital—as well as the schools’ cultural competence, sheds light on the brokering process and demonstrates the critical role that community-based organizations can play in bridging existing gaps between schools and recent immigrant families in low-income communities. TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Tables and Figures .............................................................................................................. iv! List of Appendices .......................................................................................................................... v! Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................ vi! Chapter 1: Bridging Existing Gaps Between Recent Immigrant Families and Schools ................. 1! The Research Problem: Investigating Ways to Realize the Unfulfilled Promise of Schools and Schooling to Recent Immigrant Families ................................................................................... 2! Beyond Schools’ Efforts to Engage Low-Income Communities ............................................ 2! Focus of Inquiry: The Cultural Brokering Work of CBOs in School-Family Relationships ... 12! Rationale For Undertaking This Research ................................................................................ 13! Organization of Report ............................................................................................................. 15! Chapter 2:!Informing Literature and Framing Ideas ..................................................................... 16! Forces and Conditions Shaping How Recent Immigrant Families in Low-Income Communities Participate in Education ............................................................................................................ 16! Issues Associated with Immigration ..................................................................................... 17! Discontinuities Between Immigrant Families and the Schools ............................................ 20! Conceptualizing the Challenge: Developing Sociocultural Capital and Brokering Cultural Resources .................................................................................................................................. 25! Developing Social Capital .................................................................................................... 25! Developing Cultural Capital ................................................................................................. 30! An Integrative Concept: Sociocultural Capital ..................................................................... 33! Brokering Cultural Resources: The Work of Community-Based Organizations ................. 36! Chapter 3:!Research Design and Methods .................................................................................... 52! The Research Tradition ............................................................................................................. 53! The Research Design ................................................................................................................ 55! Organizational and Community Setting ................................................................................ 55! Program Sites within this Setting .......................................................................................... 59! Participant Selection and Information .................................................................................. 65! Data Collection Strategies ..................................................................................................... 71! Approach to Analysis ............................................................................................................ 74! Limitations in the Research Design ...................................................................................... 76! Chapter 4:!Developing Sociocultural Capital Within the Community ......................................... 78! Lila’s Story: How a Latina Immigrant Mother Came to be an Integral Part of the CBO ......... 79 Laying the Foundation for Sociocultural Capital Development ............................................... 81! Establishing Trust and Building Relationships with the Community ................................... 81! Meeting Families’ Basic Needs ............................................................................................ 89! Starting to Develop Sociocultural Capital ................................................................................ 92! Strengthening Families and Building Relationships Among Community ............................ 93! i Supporting Students’ and Families’ Academic and Cultural Development ....................... 100! Conclusion .............................................................................................................................. 106! Summary ............................................................................................................................. 106! Discussion ........................................................................................................................... 108! Chapter 5:!Extending and Activating Sociocultural Capital Beyond the Community ............... 111! José’s Story: An Example of Student Success ........................................................................ 112 Opening Lines of Communication Between Families and Schools ........................................ 116! Developing Relationships with School Staff ...................................................................... 116! Making Connections Between Families and Schools ......................................................... 119! Supporting and Encouraging Families to Extend and Activate Sociocultural Capital ........... 128! Brokering Direct Relationships Between Schools and Families ........................................ 129! Parents Informed About and Engaged in Schools and Schooling ...................................... 131! Conclusion .............................................................................................................................. 136! Summary ............................................................................................................................. 137! Discussion ........................................................................................................................... 137! Chapter 6: Cultural Brokering: What’s Inside the Development, Activation, and Extension of Sociocultural Capital ................................................................................................................... 140! How Context Shapes the Brokering Work .............................................................................. 141! How Community Conditions Shape the Work ................................................................... 142! How School Conditions Shape the Work ........................................................................... 145! How CBO Conditions Shape the Work .............................................................................. 156! What Makes the Work Cultural Brokering ............................................................................. 164! Layering the Brokering Process .......................................................................................... 164! Enlisting Mechanisms that Contribute to Continuity Between Family Cultures and Mainstream Culture ............................................................................................................ 170! Conclusion .............................................................................................................................. 174! Summary ............................................................................................................................. 174! Discussion ........................................................................................................................... 177! Chapter 7:!Conclusions: Working from the Inside Out to Build Collective Sociocultural Capital for Success .................................................................................................................................