Initial evaluation of a Latino parent college planning program: "It changed my life and my child's life.”

UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Laura McLaughlin Gonzalez, Associate Professor (Creator)
Institution
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/

Abstract: Parents have long served a crucial role in their children’s postsecondary success through guidance and support. In an effort to help Latina/o parents in emerging immigrant communities overcome any limits to their knowledge around college-going practices, this study evaluates the feasibility and beginning efficacy of a parent-focused, Spanish-language psychoeducational program (Padres Promoviendo Preparación). The program is novel in that it centers on increasing parent college-going knowledge and self-efficacy for guiding their children forward; it was delivered in both school and congregational settings; and the content was delivered in Spanish by community advocates working in collaboration with university-based personnel. The quantitative pre/post measures indicate that the program was successful at increasing par¬ents’ knowledge and self-efficacy, and the qualitative data help to expand upon the ways that parents perceived the impact or benefit of the program for their families. Implications for educators, advocates, and policymakers center on the impact of parent-focused programs on knowledge gains and how that knowledge transforms the parent–child relationship. As schools and communities seek to engage with families to increase Latina/o student post-high school options, this program and these findings can provide both context and content for doing so.

Additional Information

Publication
School Community Journal, 28(1), 145-166
Language: English
Date: 2018
Keywords
Latina/o immigrant families, outreach program, college planning

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