Latinx Families’ and School Personnel\u27s Perceptions of Family Engagement in Virtual Learning in Five NC Elementary Schools During the COVID-19 Global Pandemic

The COVID-19 global pandemic of 2020 created many difficulties for both families and schools. Drastic lifestyle changes had to be made, and many schools across the United States were closed indefinitely, with a rapid transition to “remote/virtual/distance learning.” Latinx families, many from diverse backgrounds, were one of many special populations to struggle with the transition to virtual learning, for various reasons. This struggle with transition affected families’ levels of engagement with their children’s schools, which is a limited area of research. A myriad of research shows when there are strong partnerships among families, students, and schools and they work cohesively, students are more likely to be successful. Through this qualitative methods study, I sought to examine the perceptions of school personnel and Latinx families in regard to family engagement during the switch to virtual learning. Using two surveys, one for school personnel and one for Latinx families, I found the following themes: language barriers, lack of technology access/knowledge, economic constraints, and level of education. With a growing diverse group of students, it is imperative that stakeholders understand the Latinx special population to determine how to increase their engagement in their children’s schools. This study offers several areas for future research