preliminary findings

When it comes to resource allocation and attention to the needs of individual students, school administrators note that parents who advocate for their children vocally and assertively are able to get the resources necessary to foster the success of their children. Because Latino families—for cultural, economic, and political reasons—do not communicate their needs in this way, children from these families are underserved. School administrators attribute these discrepancies in resource allocation and care to shortcomings in self advocacy, rather than acknowledging that schools could make a greater effort to integrate Latino families in ways that take their cultural, economic, and political contexts into consideration.

Ms. Carol Gates, a North Carolina born speech therapist at Lake Myra Elementary School in Wake County, speaks fondly of the Latino community at her school. In the UNC student union, she tells stories of working with Latino children while recognizing their strengths and the systemic barriers that they and their families face. While Carol is confident in the services that she and her school provide, she also recognizes that it is not enough.

Ms. Magda Corredor has been working as a school counselor for over 10 years at Durham Public Schools. She is a native Spanish speaker, is bilingual, and also considers herself to be bicultural. She describes her role as a bridge between cultures and languages in Durham schools. Working closely with Latino families, she provides an interesting perspective on how schools serve these populations.

Garden at Frank Porter Graham Elementary, Chapel Hill Carrboro City Schools

All parents, regardless of race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status, want what is best for their children. In supporting their child's education, parents advocate for what they perceive to be best for their children by actively participating in decisions on curriculum choice and school run events. White, largely middle class, parents mobilize their privilege to support institutional practices that benefit their children, not necessarily children on the margins. In making decisions regarding what will be best for the school community as a whole, school administrators report pressure from white families to institute practices that alienate Latino families and students.

The insights of Dr. Bivins and Ms. Gates reveal a lot about relations between Latino families and other community members and particularly how these manifest in school settings. Wanting to do what will best support all families, school administrators are put under pressure by white families to maintain practices that already benefit them yet disempower others.

Considering the social contexts within which white families and Latino families exist, it is troubling that, as Ms. Gates suggests, those with disproportionate power are enacting their privilege in ways that promote the success of their children at the expense of others. Dr. Bivins reveals that larger social ideologies about immigrants, such as them not paying taxes as reason to neglect their needs, are mobilized by white families to maintain structures that work for them. It can be seen that white families do not passively enjoy privilege, yet actively mobilize it at the expense of others while pressuring schools to act in their favor. Schools play an active role by welcoming the voices of white, middle class families while silencing those of families on the margins by denying their social realities and ability to advocate in certain ways.