Date of Award
5-2026
Document Type
Dissertation
Selected Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Degree Name
Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Educational Leadership for Diverse Learning Communities
Department
Education
School
School of Education and Human Services
Abstract
Latinx students represent a growing population in public schools, and research highlights the importance of focusing on collectivist family engagement strategies to align with their cultural ideals. However, there is limited research on how school systems, beginning with teachers and administrators, can shift their definitions and practices to embed more collectivist-oriented strategies that foster more welcoming and inclusive spaces for Latinx families. This action-research study explored whether an asset-based lens introduced through a one-day professional development workshop could serve as a catalyst for such change. The workshop centered on participants’ storytelling, building understanding of the collectivist-individualist dichotomy, and presenting strategies grounded in the Bridging Cultures framework. There were 13 total workshop participants, 9 of whom participated in the secondary interview phase, a voluntary, purposive subset designed to gather more in-depth data. The results suggest that while ENL educators often expressed asset-based perspectives toward Latinx families, some deficit-based thinking persisted. While structural and relational barriers remained significant, including collaboration, participants demonstrated a strong interest in collectivist techniques introduced during the professional development. These findings highlight the need for more professional development and further research to support meaningful changes in family engagement practices, not just for Latinx families, but also for those who are often characterized as less engaged. The need for this work continues to grow with many opportunities awaiting to redesign family engagement strategies in more inclusive ways.
Related Pillar(s)
Study
Recommended Citation
Bell, Nicole Deanna, "Bridge Building in Professional Development for Educators Working with Latinx Families: An Action Research Approach Leading to Equitable Family Engagement" (2026). Theses & Dissertations. 245.
https://digitalcommons.molloy.edu/etd/245
