How can students, their families, and their teachers all work together towards common educational goals?

Teachers want the best for their students, and a student’s family wants the best for them too. But what “best” looks like can be different for everyone. A student’s social identity and family context will have a significant impact on how they and their family define success at school. It is crucial for teachers to be aware of their own social identities, those of their students, and how these various identities might intersect, in order to understand what success might look like for each child in their classroom.

Exploring various aspects of social identity – including gender identity, race, ability and disability, and socioeconomic status– this book tackles the question of how teachers can work together with their students, as well as how social identity will inform various kinds of advocacy from parents, carers, and family. Vital reading for teachers and educators in practice and in training, this book features suggested discussion questions, practical extension activities, and real-life case studies from the context of K-12 schools in the US.

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• vivii
• viiiix
• xxiContents
• xiixiiiLearning objectives
• Introduction
  • Chapter learning objectives
  • Genesis of book
  • Parent advocacy
  • Getting started: American families
    • What is a family?
    • Families—race and ethnicity
    • Families and ability
    • Families with transgender or nonbinary children
    • Families—socioeconomic status
  • Social identities and biases
    • The “good parent”
  • The family-school relationship
    • Relational engagement
    • The educator and parent advocacy
  • Discussion questions
  • Extension activities
• 1 Race and ethnicity
  • Chapter learning objectives
  • Introduction
  • Vignettes
    • Emily and Lewis’s story
    • Angela and Adan’s story
  • Vocabulary
  • Reflection
  • Deficit views and parent advocacy
    • Deficit views—are you a gatekeeper or an ally?
    • Deepen your practice
      • Flip the script by considering the issues from other perspectives
  • “Acceptable” parent advocacy
    • Acceptable advocacy—are you a gatekeeper or an ally?
    • Deepen your practice
  • Advocating across the discipline gap
  • The discipline gap—are you a gatekeeper or an ally?
    • Deepen your practice
  • The parent advocacy bind
    • Unconventional advocacy (Marchand, 2019, p. 376)
    • Bold gestures
    • Cautious anger
    • The parent bind– are you a gatekeeper or an ally?
    • Deepen your practice
  • Chapter discussion questions
  • Extension activities
• 2 Ability
  • Chapter learning objectives
  • Introduction
  • Vignettes
    • Eve and Toby’s story
  • Emily and Lewis’s story
  • Cassie and Joseph’s story
  • Common vocabulary
  • Reflection
  • Knowledgeable advocacy
    • Deepen your practice
  • Advocacy and relationships
    • Stigma and judgment
    • School relationships
    • Deepen your practice
  • Impact of resources on parent advocacy
    • Deepen your practice
  • Chapter discussion questions
  • Extension activities
• 3 Gender identity
  • Chapter learning objectives
  • Introduction
  • Vocabulary
  • Vignettes
    • Kit, Geoff, and Leah’s story
    • Alex, Rich, and Willa’s story
  • Reflection
  • Coming out and coming to terms
    • Adjusting and adapting
    • Deepen your practice
  • Parental transformation
    • Gathering information
    • Facing stigma
    • Compassion
    • Deepen your practice
  • Will my child be OK?
    • Deepen your practice
  • Chapter discussion questions
  • Extension activity
• 4 High socioeconomic status
  • Chapter learning objectives
  • Introduction
  • Vignettes
    • Ben’s story
    • Beth, Rose, and Shawn’s story
    • Shane, Ginny, and Patrick’s story
    • Ryan’s story
  • Vocabulary
  • Reflection
  • Types of advocacies
    • “More is better” advocacy
    • Deepen your practice
  • The unintended consequences of privilege
    • “Elevated maladjustment”
    • Deepen your practice
  • Chapter discussion questions
  • Extension activity
• Conclusion
  • Final reflections on parent advocacy: issues of urgency and possibility
• 118119References
• Index

Liz Dempsey Lee PhD is an educator, consultant, and writer. Her field of expertise is in the interactions among and between families, schools, and communities, and how the concept of equity relates to those interactions. She strongly believes that equity is central to creating just schools, organizations, and communities, and through her company LizDempseyLee Consulting, she works with parents, students, schools, and organizations towards that goal.

On Thursday April 25, 2024, we held a seminar in our Topics in Education Studies series:

From “My Child” to “Our Children” – Fostering Positive Family Advocacy as a Path to Educational Equity

This free seminar was a conversation between author Liz Dempsey Lee and Janise Hurtig, Lived Places Publishing Collection Editor. They discussed how recognizing and addressing family advocacy is critical to creating educational equity. They also explored how conflict is a normal and expected byproduct of the family-school relationship and how demystifying and educating families around effective advocacy can build relationships and move educational communities from a focus on “my child” to a focus on “our children.”

>> VIEW SESSION REPLAY