The Power of Mexican Descent Families in the Successful Education of Their Children.

Mexican descent students leave school before completions at a much higher rate than other ethnic groups. Marginalization is one contributing factor. Thirty-two Mexican descent students were interviewed with two main objectives: What marginalization factors did they experience in their secondary schools? What factors allowed them to overcome marginalization and graduate? This report focuses on the influence of family members. All participants reported that family members, usually parents, played a vital role in their educational progress. Such contributions ranged from providing sufficient food and shelter so the students did not have to work to physically forcing them to attend school, to providing assistance with homework and school assignments. The analysis of the data was conducted following general guidelines for qualitative data. The interviews were considered “narrative” life stories. This report documents the need for schools to consider family influence when attempting to assist Mexican decent students. Further studies are needed to examine how successful schools are able to make this connection. Thirteen references are included in the report. The Power of Families 3 Historically speaking, the role of families in the formal education of children has been that of the outsider. Schools were created and staffed to overcome the deficiencies of the families and their communities. This was especially true for students from immigrant and minority backgrounds (Tyack, 1974). Recent efforts have refocused the view of the family in relation to education, seeing them as partners and “Funds of Knowledge” (Moll, Amanti, Neff, & Gonzalez; 1992; Velez-lbanez & Greenberg 1992; Violand-Sanchez, Sutton & Ware 1991). Much research has identified family, community, and school as three interrelated spheres of influence effecting the education of a child (Comer & Haynes, 1991; Epstein, 1995; Garbarino, 1992). Each of these areas is also influenced by other conditions such as cultural values and socioeconomic conditions (Delgado-Gaitan, 1990; Griego Jones & Fuller, 2003). Consequently, the relationship between family and schooling is complex and open to multiple analyses. This study presents another view of this complex relationship, the perceptions of successful Mexican descent students. Mexican descent students are often presented through research that attempts to explain them from the perspective of the researcher. Through the use of narrative, this report allows the voices of the participants to become part of the educational landscape needed for a full understanding. The Study The impact that families can have on the academic success of Mexican descent students can be seen through the responses of the 32 participants who took part in an extended interview procedure that focused on their high school experiences. This study was based on two research questions: a) Did academically successful Mexican-descent students perceive themselves being marginalized during their secondary school career? b) What assisted these students in The Power of Families 4 overcoming the perception of marginalization? The role of families, especially the parents, emerged through the analysis of the second question.