Creating inclusive parent engagement practices: lessons learned from a school community collaborative supporting newcomer refugee families

Parental engagement in education has proven to be important to children's academic success. Research suggests that when parents are involved in their children's schooling, children tend to be motivated learners, have high educational aspirations, get good grades, and experience a sense of school belonging (Cheung & Pomerantz, 2012; Hill et al., 2004; Kuperminc, Darnell, & Alvarez-Jimenez, 2007). Research also shows that the advantages of parental involvement benefit all students, including minority and immigrant students (Jeynes, 2003). In light of globalization, schools in many Western countries such as Canada and the United States receive large numbers of immigrant and refugee students each year. As a result of these demographic shifts, ways to engage culturally diverse parents are gaining increased attention in the literature. Interest in best practices and models of working with culturally diverse families is growing. This article seeks to contribute to this body of knowledge by reporting on a case study of refugee parent engagement. Specifically, this article reports on how inclusive parent engagement was understood and facilitated in the context of a multi-agency program for refugee families in an urban center in Western Canada