As scholar-practitioner, my research interest encompasses community-school-university collaboration, local educational policy-making and leadership, along with the impact of community development in local educational efforts. My methodological interest range from critical qualitative approaches, including mixed methods to encompass the holistic/complex needs encountered in education today. Concurrent with my doctoral work, I co-lead a grassroots organization aimed to create educational collaboration across families, schools, communities, and universities for the betterment of underrepresented children in Columbia, Missouri (https://www.worleystreetroundtable.org/). Prior to entering my doctoral program, I received a master’s in counseling psychology, directed a K-5 literacy program, and taught in a Montessori preschool, all aimed to serve under-served students. Supervisors: Dr. Sarah Diem (Advisor) and Dr. Lisa Dorner (Advisor)
Research has yet to fully explore counselor advocacy for undocumented students and the leadership... more Research has yet to fully explore counselor advocacy for undocumented students and the leadership they use in their advocacy. This study asks the following questions: (1) What motivates counselors to pursue educational access for undocumented K-12 students? and (2) How do school counselors advocate for undocumented K-12 students? We integrate boundary spanning and border crossing leadership theories as a conceptual frame to offerholistic approach for leaders' socially just and inclusive practices concerning undocumented students on the borderlands. This embedded case study uses data from eight K-12 counselors. School counseling-related organizations explicitly detail advocacy competencies and the knowledge base, abilities and skills, and attitudinal dispositions professionals must develop. Knowledge of counselors' leadership advocacy efforts can help prepare preservice leaders and other educators to effectively support undocumented students.
Parent involvement in schools is often developed through one-way, deficit-oriented relationships,... more Parent involvement in schools is often developed through one-way, deficit-oriented relationships, where information flows from schools to families and parents are perceived to lack some capacity or knowledge. However, little is known about the conditions facing Spanish-speaking families at Spanish language immersion schools, which presumably might employ fewer deficit perspectives due to the language and culture focus of their educational model. In turn, this study asked: How does school climate discourse shape Spanish-speaking parents' abilities to engage at a Spanish immersion elementary school (SIES)? Do parents enact relational power at SIES, and if so, how? Data analysis centered on school climate surveys completed by 19 Spanish-speaking mothers. Framed by Ecologies of Parental Engagement (EPE) and Foucault's concepts of power, the study ultimately examined not only parent perceptions, but also the research project and its own deficit-driven norms. Findings include: While parents reported trusting the school and teachers, many felt discouraged in
RESEARCH ON THE INFLUENCE OF PARENTS AND FAMILIES on college students is limited, although plenty... more RESEARCH ON THE INFLUENCE OF PARENTS AND FAMILIES on college students is limited, although plenty of studies provide ev- idence of the benefits that parents have on college students (Wartman & Savage, 2008). As we have discussed thus far, there appear to be uncertainty and inconsistencies regarding the role that parents and families should play in students’ lives. In this section we review the role of parents and families in students’ postsecondary lives, focusing on research examining the role of families as contributes to college students’ success.
Seeing the benefits that all families bring to students’ learning offers a more complete understa... more Seeing the benefits that all families bring to students’ learning offers a more complete understanding of the role families play and the ways in which schools can better ac- knowledge and include them (Amatea, Smith-Adcock, & Villares, 2006). The lessons learned from PK–12 family engagement, including specific culturally relevant forms of engagement, while also acknowledging systemic barriers to engagement, help scholars and practitioners better understand the role that families play prior to the transition to college.
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN COLLEGE STUDENTS and their families and, in turn, between families and i... more THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN COLLEGE STUDENTS and their families and, in turn, between families and institutions of higher education, is long-standing and complex. Much attention has been paid to the role of parents, in terms of how much they should be available and present for their college-going children, and how much information can and should be shared with parents by members of higher education institutions. The discourse on parents in higher education is heavily influenced by media depictions and stereotypes about intrusive parenting styles (Kiyama & Harper, 2015; Self, 2013; Taylor, 2006; Wartman & Savage, 2008). The results are images of parents and families as hovering, pushy, entitled, and necessary to manage (see Kiyama & Harper, 2015). Working within this paradigm limits the discussion to a narrow set of parents, and has unintended con- sequences for the parents and families who do not fit this generalization. This monograph imagines a different reality that more fully reflects the di- versity of today’s college students and their families. Rather than focus on ways to limit or manage parents, we focus on ways to engage and involve families and other key actors in students’ lives. We also acknowledge the chal- lenges that exist in determining what role parents and families should play in students’ college experiences, because theory and research might not fully capture their contributions and thus provide little guidance on best practices among families or among institutions and their role in contributing to these relationships.
In hopes of promoting college success among Mexican Americans, researchers have identified factor... more In hopes of promoting college success among Mexican Americans, researchers have identified factors related to their academic performance. A gap in the literature exists between the interactive role of acculturation, enculturation, and generation status in predicting college self-efficacy and college performance (grade-point average, or GPA). To fill this void, this study investigated the relation of demographic variables (e.g., age, gender, socioeconomic status) and cultural variables (e.g., acculturation, enculturation, generation status) on academic outcomes (e.g., college self-efficacy, college performance) among 408 Mexican-American college students. Results of a series of hierarchical regression analyses indicated socioeconomic status, generation status, enculturation, and acculturation had significant positive effects on college self-efficacy; socioeconomic status and the interaction of higher enculturation and first-generation status were positively and significantly related to GPA. Post-hoc analyses indicated college self-efficacy predicted college performance for students who were second generation and beyond. Implications for research and practice are dis- cussed.
The literature on language brokering is scarce and the area remains open for researchers to explo... more The literature on language brokering is scarce and the area remains open for researchers to explore this phenomenon and it continues to accentuate the importance of investigating the experience of parents of language brokers. Consequently, the purpose of this study was to investigate how language brokering is experienced by child brokers and their parents. To achieve this aim, a qualitative case study approach was used to investigate in greater depth the experiences of a Mexican-Immigrant family with an identified child broker.
Research has yet to fully explore counselor advocacy for undocumented students and the leadership... more Research has yet to fully explore counselor advocacy for undocumented students and the leadership they use in their advocacy. This study asks the following questions: (1) What motivates counselors to pursue educational access for undocumented K-12 students? and (2) How do school counselors advocate for undocumented K-12 students? We integrate boundary spanning and border crossing leadership theories as a conceptual frame to offerholistic approach for leaders' socially just and inclusive practices concerning undocumented students on the borderlands. This embedded case study uses data from eight K-12 counselors. School counseling-related organizations explicitly detail advocacy competencies and the knowledge base, abilities and skills, and attitudinal dispositions professionals must develop. Knowledge of counselors' leadership advocacy efforts can help prepare preservice leaders and other educators to effectively support undocumented students.
Parent involvement in schools is often developed through one-way, deficit-oriented relationships,... more Parent involvement in schools is often developed through one-way, deficit-oriented relationships, where information flows from schools to families and parents are perceived to lack some capacity or knowledge. However, little is known about the conditions facing Spanish-speaking families at Spanish language immersion schools, which presumably might employ fewer deficit perspectives due to the language and culture focus of their educational model. In turn, this study asked: How does school climate discourse shape Spanish-speaking parents' abilities to engage at a Spanish immersion elementary school (SIES)? Do parents enact relational power at SIES, and if so, how? Data analysis centered on school climate surveys completed by 19 Spanish-speaking mothers. Framed by Ecologies of Parental Engagement (EPE) and Foucault's concepts of power, the study ultimately examined not only parent perceptions, but also the research project and its own deficit-driven norms. Findings include: While parents reported trusting the school and teachers, many felt discouraged in
RESEARCH ON THE INFLUENCE OF PARENTS AND FAMILIES on college students is limited, although plenty... more RESEARCH ON THE INFLUENCE OF PARENTS AND FAMILIES on college students is limited, although plenty of studies provide ev- idence of the benefits that parents have on college students (Wartman & Savage, 2008). As we have discussed thus far, there appear to be uncertainty and inconsistencies regarding the role that parents and families should play in students’ lives. In this section we review the role of parents and families in students’ postsecondary lives, focusing on research examining the role of families as contributes to college students’ success.
Seeing the benefits that all families bring to students’ learning offers a more complete understa... more Seeing the benefits that all families bring to students’ learning offers a more complete understanding of the role families play and the ways in which schools can better ac- knowledge and include them (Amatea, Smith-Adcock, & Villares, 2006). The lessons learned from PK–12 family engagement, including specific culturally relevant forms of engagement, while also acknowledging systemic barriers to engagement, help scholars and practitioners better understand the role that families play prior to the transition to college.
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN COLLEGE STUDENTS and their families and, in turn, between families and i... more THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN COLLEGE STUDENTS and their families and, in turn, between families and institutions of higher education, is long-standing and complex. Much attention has been paid to the role of parents, in terms of how much they should be available and present for their college-going children, and how much information can and should be shared with parents by members of higher education institutions. The discourse on parents in higher education is heavily influenced by media depictions and stereotypes about intrusive parenting styles (Kiyama & Harper, 2015; Self, 2013; Taylor, 2006; Wartman & Savage, 2008). The results are images of parents and families as hovering, pushy, entitled, and necessary to manage (see Kiyama & Harper, 2015). Working within this paradigm limits the discussion to a narrow set of parents, and has unintended con- sequences for the parents and families who do not fit this generalization. This monograph imagines a different reality that more fully reflects the di- versity of today’s college students and their families. Rather than focus on ways to limit or manage parents, we focus on ways to engage and involve families and other key actors in students’ lives. We also acknowledge the chal- lenges that exist in determining what role parents and families should play in students’ college experiences, because theory and research might not fully capture their contributions and thus provide little guidance on best practices among families or among institutions and their role in contributing to these relationships.
In hopes of promoting college success among Mexican Americans, researchers have identified factor... more In hopes of promoting college success among Mexican Americans, researchers have identified factors related to their academic performance. A gap in the literature exists between the interactive role of acculturation, enculturation, and generation status in predicting college self-efficacy and college performance (grade-point average, or GPA). To fill this void, this study investigated the relation of demographic variables (e.g., age, gender, socioeconomic status) and cultural variables (e.g., acculturation, enculturation, generation status) on academic outcomes (e.g., college self-efficacy, college performance) among 408 Mexican-American college students. Results of a series of hierarchical regression analyses indicated socioeconomic status, generation status, enculturation, and acculturation had significant positive effects on college self-efficacy; socioeconomic status and the interaction of higher enculturation and first-generation status were positively and significantly related to GPA. Post-hoc analyses indicated college self-efficacy predicted college performance for students who were second generation and beyond. Implications for research and practice are dis- cussed.
The literature on language brokering is scarce and the area remains open for researchers to explo... more The literature on language brokering is scarce and the area remains open for researchers to explore this phenomenon and it continues to accentuate the importance of investigating the experience of parents of language brokers. Consequently, the purpose of this study was to investigate how language brokering is experienced by child brokers and their parents. To achieve this aim, a qualitative case study approach was used to investigate in greater depth the experiences of a Mexican-Immigrant family with an identified child broker.
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