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Inclusive Multicultural Schooling:. How to enhance the participation of immigrant parents in the education system. Immigrant Involvement in the School System: . School populations increasingly diverse Planning often ad hoc and non-accountable
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Inclusive Multicultural Schooling: How to enhance the participation of immigrant parents in the education system
Immigrant Involvement in the School System: • School populations increasingly diverse • Planning often ad hoc and non-accountable • Immigrant parents under-represented at parent-teacher meetings, on school councils, on school boards, etc. • Linguistic and cultural diversity in the community not matched by diversity among educators
Enhanced confidence –> increased participation? • Educational opportunity is a strong “pull factor” for immigrant parents • Education system is often their first point of contact: local and personal • Increased confidence, satisfaction, and involvement with education system may enhance participation in other institutions and processes
Reception centres ESL support Upgrading programs Homework clubs Bilingual or first language tutoring First language assessment Multilingual resource collections Translation/interpretation services Orientation/mentoring for teachers trained in other countries Heritage language schools Heritage language programs Visiting artists and writers Programs for parents Multicultural Liaison Exemplary Programs and Services
Roles and Responsibilities • At the school level • At the school board level • At the provincial level • Federal involvement?
At the School Level • Reception and orientation • Assessment and placement • ESL programs • Monitoring/counselling • Ongoing communication and involvement
At the School Board Level • Reception centres • Data collection • Multilingual services • ESL and heritage language programs • Programs for parents
At the Provincial Level • Data collection: asking the right questions • Funding for ESL and heritage language programs • Multilingual communications • Recruitment/training of teachers
Federal Involvement? • Data collection • National standards and transfer funds for the provision of ESL support and multilingual services • National benchmarks for second language acquisition among school-aged learners
Indicators of Success • Equitable academic achievement among immigrant children and the children of immigrants • Equitable academic achievement among sub-groups • Equitable participation of immigrant parents and educators at school, school board, and provincial levels