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Bilingual/Bicultural Paraprofessionals as Brokers of English Learners' Family-Teacher Relationships

Bilingual/Bicultural Paraprofessionals as Brokers of English Learners' Family-Teacher Relationships

Eva I. Díaz, Diana Gonzales Worthen, Conra D. Gist, Christine Smart
Copyright: © 2021 |Pages: 19
ISBN13: 9781799847120|ISBN10: 1799847128|ISBN13 Softcover: 9781799869788|EISBN13: 9781799847137
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-7998-4712-0.ch003
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MLA

Díaz, Eva I., et al. "Bilingual/Bicultural Paraprofessionals as Brokers of English Learners' Family-Teacher Relationships." Bridging Family-Teacher Relationships for ELL and Immigrant Students, edited by Grace Onchwari and Jared Keengwe, IGI Global, 2021, pp. 46-64. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-4712-0.ch003

APA

Díaz, E. I., Worthen, D. G., Gist, C. D., & Smart, C. (2021). Bilingual/Bicultural Paraprofessionals as Brokers of English Learners' Family-Teacher Relationships. In G. Onchwari & J. Keengwe (Eds.), Bridging Family-Teacher Relationships for ELL and Immigrant Students (pp. 46-64). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-4712-0.ch003

Chicago

Díaz, Eva I., et al. "Bilingual/Bicultural Paraprofessionals as Brokers of English Learners' Family-Teacher Relationships." In Bridging Family-Teacher Relationships for ELL and Immigrant Students, edited by Grace Onchwari and Jared Keengwe, 46-64. Hershey, PA: IGI Global, 2021. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-4712-0.ch003

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Abstract

For over four decades, bilingual/bicultural paraprofessionals have been vital partakers in the education of English learners (ELs). Scholars have underscored school districts' reliance on them for instructional/learning support and their potential as builders of home-school bridges. Moreover, family-teacher relationships are essential to ELs' positive academic and well-being outcomes. Nevertheless, the paraprofessional's role in bridging relationships between teachers and families of ELs is less understood. This chapter presents a research synthesis of the extant peer-reviewed research literature published in the last 30 years on the role of bilingual/bicultural paraprofessionals in promoting more equitable relationships between the families and teachers of ELs. Three main themes emerged, including (a) building trust, (b) connecting families and teachers via linguistic and cultural brokering, and (c) activating biographical community cultural wealth. The findings also highlight the need for positioning relational brokering as equally crucial as linguistic and cultural brokering. Implications for practice and research are addressed.

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