Native Families for Their Children's School Success
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Coming together at the table: partnering with urban Alaska Native families for their children's school success Item Type Thesis Authors Roth, Karen L. Download date 01/10/2021 15:27:35 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/11122/10534 COMING TOGETHER AT THE TABLE: PARTNERING WITH URBAN ALASKA NATIVE FAMILIES FOR THEIR CHILDREN'S SCHOOL SUCCESS By Karen L. Roth, M.Ed. A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in Cross-Cultural Education and Indigenous Studies: Interdisciplinary University of Alaska Fairbanks May 2019 © 2019 Karen L. Roth APPROVED: Amy Vinlove, Committee Chair Sean Asiqluq Topkok, Committee Member Maria Shaa Tlaa Williams, Committee Member Timothy Jester, Committee Member Amy Vinlove, Dean Graduate School Leah Berman, Dean College of Natural Science and Mathematics Abstract There is abundant research regarding the positive effects of family engagement as a factor in P-12 student success. Partnerships between home and school provide opportunities for students' families and educators to establish common goals and share meaning about the purpose of schooling. Unfortunately, mainstream outreach practices by Western educators have often failed to nurture authentic relationships with Indigenous families. This may be a contributing factor in lower academic success for too many Indigenous students. Historical educational practices in the U.S. for Indigenous students such as mandated attendance at distant boarding schools and English-only policies have adversely affected their languages and cultures worldwide and left a legacy of negative associations around schooling for many Native peoples. Non-Native educators continue to add to this disconnect with teaching pedagogies and curricula that are not responsive to Indigenous lifeways and values. In addition to inappropriate instructional methods and content, outreach strategies of non-Native educators may add to practices that marginalize Indigenous students and their families and discourage collaboration between home and school. This mixed-methods study sought to find family outreach strategies implemented by early childhood educators in the Anchorage School District (ASD) that build and nurture more culturally sustaining and relational approaches to building partnerships with Alaska Native families. Such practices are more likely to lead to student success for Native students. iii Research methods used were (a) a content analysis of ASD school-home communication fliers, (b) a survey of ASD preschool teachers on their outreach beliefs and practices with Native families, and (c) interviews with families of Alaska Native students. iv Table of Contents Page Title Page ..............................................................................................................................i Abstract .............................................................................................................................. iii List of Figures.................................................................................................................... xii List of Tables ................................................................................................................... xiii List of Appendices .............................................................................................................xv Acknolwedgments.............................................................................................................xvi Dedication .........................................................................................................................xix Chapter 1 Introduction .........................................................................................................1 1.1 Study Rationale ..................................................................................................1 1.1.1 Concerns for Alaska Native Student Success and Family Engagement in the Anchorage School District.......................................2 1.1.2 Disconnect between Worldviews of Urban Native Families and Non-Native Educators in the Anchorage School District .......................4 1.2 Statement of the Problem ...................................................................................5 1.2.1 Broader Definitions of Effective Family-School Engagement.............5 1.2.2 Mandates for School Outreach to Students' Families..........................7 1.2.3 Preschool Teachers as Models for Effective Family Engagement.......8 1.3 Purpose of the Study .......................................................................................... 9 1.4 Background of the Researcher .........................................................................11 1.5 Theoretical Frameworks ..................................................................................14 1.5.1 Family Engagement: A Critical Factor in Student Success ............... 15 v Page 1.5.2 Culturally Sustaining Family Engagement ........................................16 1.5.3 Relational Accountability: An Indigenous Epistemology.................. 17 1.5.4 History of Western Schooling for Alaska Native Peoples.................19 1.5.5 Intergenerational Trauma of Western Schooling for Indigenous Peoples .................................................................................................22 1.6 Research Questions .......................................................................................... 23 1.7 Overview of the Research Design.....................................................................24 1.8 Definition of Key Terms...................................................................................25 1.9 Assumptions and Limitations of the Study .......................................................27 1.10 Summary........................................................................................................ 29 Chapter 2 Literature Review ..............................................................................................30 2.1 The Importance of Family Engagement to Student Success ............................ 30 2.2 Family Systems Theories..................................................................................31 2.2.1 Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory ...................................32 2.2.2 Dunst's Family Empowerment Theory.............................................. 32 2.2.3 Coleman's Social Capital Theory.......................................................33 2.2.4 Moll's Funds of Knowledge Theory ..................................................34 2.2.5 Epstein's Family-School Partnerships Framework ............................ 34 2.3 Assumptions in Traditional School Outreach to Families ................................ 36 2.4 History of Western Schooling for Alaska Natives ........................................... 43 2.5 Intergenerational Trauma around Western Schooling for Alaska Natives ........47 vi Page 2.6 Relational Accountability: A Key Factor for Indigenous Family Engagement ..................................................................................................... 52 2.7 Culturally Sustaining and Revitalizing Family-School Engagement................ 59 2.8 Examining Existing Family Engagement Frameworks for Culturally Sustaining Components ....................................................................................65 2.8.1 The Power of Home Visits to Connect with Families........................71 2.8.2 Family Members: Mentors in School Settings................................... 76 2.9 Using a Strengths-Based Lens to Create Partnerships with Native Families .... 78 2.9.1 Examining Family Outreach and Engagement Practices in the Anchorage School District ...................................................................82 2.9.2 Title VI Indian Education Family Outreach: A Model for the Anchorage School District ...................................................................87 2.10 Summary........................................................................................................ 89 Chapter 3 Methodology ..................................................................................................... 91 3.1 Methodological Theoretical Foundations and Justification .............................. 92 3.2 Data Collection Groups ....................................................................................97 3.3 Location of the Study....................................................................................... 98 3.4 Data Collection Sources ...................................................................................99 3.4.1 Content Analysis ...............................................................................99 3.4.2 Survey of Anchorage School District Preschool Teachers .............. 100 3.4.3 Interviews with Alaska Native Families.......................................... 101 vii Page 3.4.4 Field Notes from Participant Observation at Family-School Events and Research Journal............................................................. 103 3.5 Development of the Data Collection Tools.....................................................104 3.5.1 Development of the Survey............................................................ 104 3.5.2 Survey Validity and Reliability........................................................105 3.5.3 Development of the Interview Protocol .......................................... 106 3.6 Changes and Adaptations to the Data