Finding Ways In: Community-Based Perspectives on Southeast Asian Family Involvement With Schools in a New England State

In this article, we describe the barriers that Cambodian, Laotian, Hmong, and Vietnamese families in a New England state confront in participating in their children's education. We examine the resources from productive activities with community-based organizations (CBOs) that help them find ways to do so. CBO activities help families move beyond assumptions about education based on their experiences in their homelands to understanding schools in a new land. This article describes interactions linking students, their families, and communities. This article includes data obtained from (a) focus groups with 60 Southeast Asian community members who identify barriers to participating in the U.S. school system that their families confront; (b) writings from 4 participants of a Career Ladder Program who reflect on issues based on their own educational experiences; and (c) a Summer Academy for 85 Southeast Asian middle school students. Sociocultural theory frames the analysis of data. CBO-school relations that engage multiple partners in sustainable education initiatives result in gains for students and their families at the community, interpersonal, and personal levels.