Senior Capstone ℅ 2019

5-24-2019

Student and family: An Autoethnography

Natalie Faith Contreras

Los Angeles Leadership Academy HS, ncontreras100585@laleadership.org
Family and Education Contreras 1

Senior Capstone ℅ 2019

Abstract:

Tara. J. Yosso’s cultural wealth theory is divided into six key components. This essay will focus

on three of the six components of cultural wealth and how it affects the lives of students.

Studies conducted on Latino students demonstrated the importance of cultural values on these

students and how they play a pivotal role in academic lives of students. The questions regarding

these essays will include: How do barriers affect the lives of parents and students regarding

education, how are the aspirations of students molded, and what role does family play in

influencing the goals of students. When all these components are combined students are able to

use their cultural experiences to benefit academic wise. From examining cultural wealth theory,

it is clear that adolescent Latino students can become successfully independent after embracing

parent/guardian advice and cultural experiences such as aspirational wealth, familial wealth, and

resistant wealth.

Keywords: cultural wealth, aspirational wealth, resistance wealth, familial wealth

Acknowledgements
I’d like to thank my sister. Thank you for everything.
Family and Education Contreras 2

Family and Education: An Autoethnography

Natalie Faith Contreras

Los Angeles Leadership Academy HS, Los Angeles, California, USA

Tara. J. Yosso’s cultural wealth theory is divided into six key components. This essay will focus

on three of the six components of cultural wealth and how it affects the lives of students. Studies

conducted on Latino students demonstrated the importance of cultural values on these students

and how they play a pivotal role in academic lives of students. The questions regarding these

essays will include: How do barriers affect the lives of parents and students regarding

education, how are the aspirations of students molded, and what role does family play in

influencing the goals of students. When all these components are combined students are able to

use their cultural experiences to benefit academic wise. From examining cultural wealth theory,

it is clear that adolescent Latino students can become successfully independent after embracing
Family and Education Contreras 3

parent/guardian advice and cultural experiences such as aspirational wealth, familial wealth,

and resistant wealth.

The Incident

Before we get into this entire story, I believe it is necessary to give some sort of

background on my life leading up to this moment. I feel like this would provide a better context

of the situation at hand and the things running through my mind. I was raised by my sister. I

grew up in a house with my brother being away most of my life and my parents out working

graveyard shifts to support the family. I attended Hillside Elementary School from pre-k to 5th

grade. On campus, there were machines that dispensed pencils and erasers for twenty-five cents

and notebooks for seventy-five cents. Let’s just say I spent a lot of coins on those machines. As

time progressed, my family found themselves unable to assist me with homework. The excuse

was always that they were unable to find time, or were not able to grasp the concepts I was

learning. I decided to use all these notebooks that I purchased to create small workbooks for

myself. I had a book for math problems, reading logs, comprehension questions, and social

studies. I would use my brother’s old middle school textbooks to expand my knowledge on

subjects that I would not learn about in a classroom for the next of couple years. Sounds like a

pretty lame way to spend your childhood, huh? Overall, I was, and probably still am, one of the

biggest “nerds” in my family.

Fast forward to August 4, 2015, I am beginning my freshman year at Sotomayor High

School. I had attended the summer bridge program in July but missed a couple of days

scheduled for placement tests, so I was worried about how my schedule would look like. When

I received my schedule, my eyes came upon the words “Non-native Spanish 1”, “Integrated
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Math 1”, and “Math Support.” I could feel my blood boiling at the sight of these courses. In my

mind, I could not help but think, “I did not work this hard to be placed in these classes!” This

would be my third time taking Integrated Math 1, despite initially passing the class with a B

then an A the second time. This may sound extremely arrogant, but I, of all people, should not

have been placed in a math support class. I was not the best at writing in Spanish and I stuttered

on the pronunciation of some words, but I did not deserve to be placed in non-native Spanish.

After having my mental breakdown, I sped to advisory. I had spoken with my advisor about my

schedule and he claimed he would talk to the counselor about the situation.

It was September 10, 2015, a month went by without my schedule being changed and I

grew frustrated. Upon, arriving home from school, I decided to stomp up my driveway and the

stairs into my room. The entire scene did not help at all. It only resulted in me huffing and

puffing from how winded and how angry I was. I changed out of the crummy uniform and into

something more comfortable. I sat in bed thinking about my schedule. I was not learning

anything new in class and I was not being challenged by my teachers in a way that would help

me grow. I thought about all the conversations I had with my family about college. I could not

get to where I wanted to be if I was stuck in these classes. I could hear my sister’s voice in my

head saying, “I wish I would have stayed in school.” I did not want to experience any regrets

about things I should have done as she did. I had to do something about the whole schedule

situation. I decided to casually waltz into my sister’s room, which I tend to do when I want

something. “What do you want Natalie?,” she said as I plopped myself onto her bed. I tried to

maintain my confidence as the words started to roll off my tongue. “I want to move schools,” I

said hastily. She stared at me blankly and confused before saying, “What, why?” “I don’t think

Sotomayor is the right school for me. I have three classes I don’t deserve to be in and I don’t
Family and Education Contreras 5

think they’re planning on fixing it. I want to go to a school that will actually help me get to

where I want to be,” I replied. “Well you can’t go to Lincoln or Wilson, you already know that.

You can either move to LALA or to Smidt Tech, but it’s your choice.” I walked back to my

room and thought about seeing all my old friends again at LALA. The thought of that felt

comforting. I didn’t know anyone at Smidt Tech, so that didn’t really feel like an option for me.

I told my sister that I wanted to move back to LALA. The next morning my mom requested my

transcript from Sotomayor and filled out all the paperwork for me to move LALA. “You start

on Tuesday,” my mom said as she dropped my transcript on my bed.

On September 15, 2015, I started my first day at LALA. I walked to the office and

received my schedule from the counselor. I read the words “Geometry” and “Spanish 1.” I felt,

so relieved about my decision. I used my previous experiences to decide what I thought was

best for my education and it had a good outcome.

Analysis

Introduction

I was thirteen years old when I was transitioning from middle school to high school. I

understood that in order to get into the universities I hoped to attend, I had to follow a certain

educational path. I drew on cultural experiences to help guide me to my educational goals.

Tara J. Yosso’s Cultural Wealth Theory is designed to “capture the talents, strengths and

experiences that students of color bring with them to their college environment” (Locks, n.d.,

para. 3). According to, “A Framework for Understanding Latino/a Cultural Wealth,” by Vijay

Kanagala, Laura Rendón and Amaury Nora, Latino students have a “formidable cultural wealth,

both ventajas (assets or personal assets) and ‘concocimientos’ (knowledge or awareness that
Family and Education Contreras 6

evolves through specific life experiences)” (2016, para. 5). Latino students, like myself, are

wealthy in cultural value as we carry on advantages of personal value as well as stories and

experiences. Yosso’s Cultural Wealth Theory is divided into six forms of cultural capital:

aspirational wealth, linguistic wealth, social wealth, navigational wealth, and resistant wealth,

familial wealth (Kanagala, Rendón & Nora, 2016, para. 5). This essay will focus resistance

wealth, aspirational wealth, and familial wealth.

Resistance wealth is based on the experiences of communities of color in securing equal

rights and collective freedom (Locks, n.d., para. 8). Students experience “un choque” or

cultural collision as they transitioned from their familiar worlds to the unfamiliar world of

college (Kanagala, Rendón & Nora, 2016, para. 4). The choque “was marked by experiencing

liminality; experiencing separation anxiety; negotiating dislocation and relocation,and dealing

with racial and gender microaggressions” (Kanagala, Rendón & Nora, 2016, para. 4). Students

often found themselves operating entre mundos as they shifted through “multiple contexts such

as the family, barrio/community, native country, work, peers, and spiritual worlds” (Kanagala,

Rendón & Nora, 2016, para. 4).

Figure 1. A model of community cultural wealth. Adapted from: Oliver & Shapiro, 1995

Aspirational wealth can be defined as the “hopes and dreams” students have (Locks,

n.d., para. 4). These hopes and dreams are often shaped by validating agents such as parents,
Family and Education Contreras 7

siblings, grandparents, etc. who shared testimonios/life stories about overcoming adversity and

who provided support and consejos/sage advice (Kanagala, Rendón & Nora, 2016, para. 6).

Familial wealth can be defined as “the social and personal human resources students

have in their pre-college environment, drawn from their extended familial and community

networks” (Locks, n.d., para. 6). Familial wealth is accumulated through validation,

consejos/sage advice, and role modeling (Kanagala, Rendón & Nora, 2016, para. 8). Students

were motivated to complete life goals not only for themselves but for their families as well.

According to “Fostering the academic success of their children: Voices of Mexican Immigrant

Parents” by Jill S. Goldsmith & Sharon E. Robinson Kurpius, la familia or familismo refers to

closeness, interdependence, and commitment to family and extended kin over individual needs

and desires ( 2018, p. 565). Educacion, a core Latino cultural value, is learned in the home and

includes discipline, morals, proper behavior, good manners, and respect for elders as the

foundation for academic education. (Goldsmith & Robinson, 2018, p. 565).

Study of Focus

This essay will focus on Tara J. Yosso’s Cultural Wealth Theory as well as studies

conducted on Latino students that highlight their cultural experiences. From examining cultural

wealth theory, it is clear that adolescent Latino students can become successfully independent

after embracing parent/guardian advice and cultural experiences such as aspirational wealth,

familial wealth, and resistant wealth.

Claim #1: Resistant Wealth.

As adolescent Latinos mature and come of age, they are faced with racial discrimination

or microaggressions. They learn to resist these obstacles and accumulate resistance wealth.
Family and Education Contreras 8

Being a part of a minority group, many Latino students are not given what is called an equal

playing field. Most Latino families find themselves conflicted when it comes to the education of

students. According to the article, “Social-Demographic, School, Neighborhood, and Parenting

Influences on the Academic Achievement of Latino Young Adolescents” by Mary Eamon,

“Less-acculturated parents also might be ill-prepared to be involved in their youths’ academic

activities or unwilling or unable to interact with school personnel” (2005, p. 165). Latino

families who have not assimilated into American culture may find it difficult to be involved in

the academic lives of their children. The students then have to take on this weight for

themselves and their education. As a result, parents have to search for other alternatives on how

to be involved while students gain a sense of independence.

Latino parents are faced with language barriers when it comes to assisting their children

with academic tasks. In the study, “Understanding Latino Parental Involvement in Education”

by Maria E. Zarate, “Latino parents mentioned helping with homework but simultaneously

expressed limitations in this area” (2007, p. 9). Many Latino families find themselves unable to

fully assist their children when it came to academics. As a matter of fact, many parents believed

that language serves as a barrier for their involvement in their children’s academic lives as the

content became difficult to understand as their children progressed through school (Zarate,

2007). As a result, students are left to search for a substitute to further their education.

Latino families coming from low-income backgrounds faced numerous obstacles

regarding the education of their children. Not only did Latino parents have a language barrier

that prevented them from being involved in the academic lives of their children, but

circumstances regarding their daily lives got in the way as well. As stated in, “Gift and
Family and Education Contreras 9

Sacrifice: Parental Involvement in Latino Adolescents’ Education” by Rosario Ceballo, Laura

K. Maurizi, Gloria A. Suarez, and Maria T. Aretakis,:

On a practical level, a number of barriers prevent poor, Latino parents from engaging in

these more traditional, school based forms of parental involvement, including but not

limited to demanding job schedules, inaccessible transportation, a lack of English

language fluency, and unfamiliarity with the American educational system. (2014, p.

117)

Latino parents found themselves unable to participate in the traditional forms of parental

involvement, as a result of conflicts from their daily lives. Parents’ work schedules may have

rendered them unable to attend the parent conferences or open houses of their children;

however, this was a sacrifice parents had to make in order to support their child or children

financially. Families may have one car, or no car which will make it difficult for parents to

participate in school activities if they have no form of transportation to get to the school. Many

Latino parents did not complete their education, so they are unaware of the

expectations/standards in the American education system. This lack of comprehension, results

in their inability to get involved. Students from low income neighborhoods are confronted with

barriers themselves within the American education system. According to the “Educational and

Occupational Aspirations of Latino Youth and Their Parents,” by Andrew O. Behnke, Kathleen

W. Piercy, Marcelo Diversi, students mentioned “lack of understanding of the pathway to

achieve aspirations, racism, and the effects of low English proficiency” served as three barriers

that blocked them achieving their academic goals (2004, p. 28). Students had high hopes and

aspirations for their future, but lacked the guidance on how to complete their goals. Students

experienced racism resulting in their accumulation of resistance wealth. Their low english
Family and Education Contreras 10

proficiency influenced their academics. Overall, real life factors posed as barriers for both

parents and students.

Latino parents play an important role in providing a basis for the education of their

student, despite the language barriers. “In elementary school, their parents had established an

educational foundation by enforcing school attendance, establishing high expectations for

academic performance, and enforcing discipline. These actions became crucial to later

educational success” (Zarate, 2007, p. 14). Latino parents were able to recognize the

circumstances the students found themselves in and try to build a foundation that would play a

pivotal role as their children furthered their education. By the time Latino parents found

themselves unable to assist their children, students may find themselves prepared for what lies

ahead of them as a result of this foundation. According to the study, “Understanding Latino

Parental Involvement in Education” by Maria E. Zarate:

Realizing that by high school they often had more formal educational experiences than

their parents, many students also noted that they were capable of making their own

decisions. Although they verified the importance of parental involvement, the students

appeared comfortable and at ease in making individual educational choices. (2007, p.

14)

Students are able to gain a sense of independence from the disadvantages they face. They

recognize that although parental involvement is important, their parents are unable to assist

them, so the students take on this role for themselves. They make decisions on what they

believe is best for them regarding their education.

As Latino students transition into the college realm, they experience a cultural collision

known as “un choque.” These students may experience separation anxiety as a result of being
Family and Education Contreras 11

out of their comfort zone away from family for what may be the first time. According to “Gift

and Sacrifice: Parental Involvement in Latino Adolescents’ Education,” Garcia Coll and her

colleagues developed a theoretical framework that describes a protective “adaptive culture” for

racial/ethnic minority youth that is emphasized through the role of culturally unique values

(Ceballo, Maurizi, Suarez & Aretakis, 2014, p. 118). Latino families instill cultural values into

the minds of Latino students which they can take with them to college. Before this can happen,

parents often believe in order to get their child into a good college, they must attend the best

schools. In the article, “Understanding Latino Parental Involvement in Education” Maria Zarate

states, “Another noted pivotal factor in their college-bound trajectory was their parents’

selection of middle school and high school, which was often not their residence school [they

don’t want their kids going to school in the barrio]” (2007, p. 14). Parents living in low income

areas offer their children the chance of going to a school farther from home in hopes that they

will get a better education. Students find themselves operating entre mundos as they

differentiate their behaviors around family, community, and school. Students may experience

culture shock within these new environments whether it’s at school or college. Along the way,

they may experience discrimination or microaggressions that will result in their accumulation of

resistant wealth. They used this form of capital to overcome the various barriers they or their

parents may face as they further their education.

Claim #2: Aspirational Wealth.

Similarly, to any parent, Latino parents have high hopes for their children. According to

“Gift and Sacrifice: Parental Involvement in Latino Adolescents’ Education,” published in

2014, “By many accounts, Latino parents express high educational aspirations for their

children” (Ceballo, Maurizi, Suarez & Aretakis, p. 117). As evident in this quote, Latino
Family and Education Contreras 12

parents hold high expectations for their children. Despite this, there is a stigma associated with

Latino parent involvement within the education of their children that characterized them as less

involved. However the reality is:

Although less visibly involved at school, Latino parents care deeply about their

children’s success in school, but they define their roles and responsibilities in their

children’s education as providing informal support at home, which includes: providing

advice through cultural narratives and teachings (consejos), helping with homework,

discussing future plans, providing a quiet place for homework, and excusing children

from chores to do schoolwork. (Goldsmith & Robinson, 2018, p. 565)

Latino parents are involved in the academics of their children; however their form of parental

involvement differs from traditional ideas of parental involvement. The consejos families

provide influences the goals of students as they hope to aim high. Parents want their children to

succeed, so they provide a different type of support that they believe will benefit their children.

Latino students value the intituatives their parents take for them to succeed, therefore

they form great respect for their parents. According to “Gift and Sacrifice: Parental

Involvement in Latino Adolescents’ Education,” published in 2014, the researchers found “that

with greater valuing of respect for parents, Latino adolescents are more likely to be influenced

by parental efforts in support of educational pursuits. (Ceballo, Maurizi, Suarez & Aretakis, p.

118). Students who respected their parents were greatly influenced by their support which

motivated them to complete their educational goals. Furthermore, “Students who perceived their

parents as providing educational encouragement, expectations, and monitoring had stronger

positive beliefs about school and intentions to persevere academically” (Mena, 2011, p. 501).

Latino students use their parents as a source of fuel to complete their academic efforts. Students
Family and Education Contreras 13

are able to accumulate aspirational wealth as their hopes and dreams are shaped by their parents.

Their parents serve as the primary motivation for these students to make the best decisions

regarding their education.

Many Latino families migrate from different Latin American countries in hopes of

pursuing greater opportunities that would not otherwise be offered in their home countries.

Parents often sacrifice their time, money, and lives for their children. In the journal, “Gift and

Sacrifice: Parental Involvement in Latino Adolescents’ Education,” the research reported that

the students involved were motivated to do well in school as a way to give back to their parents

(Ceballo, Maurizi, Suarez & Aretakis, 2014), Students saw the sacrifices their parents made for

them and felt obligated to validate the value and importance of those sacrifices and the impact it

had on them. Latino families follow a non-traditional school based parental involvement that

can be divided into two key components. As stated in “Gift and Sacrifice: Parental Involvement

in Latino Adolescents’ Education,”:

Two components of parental involvement, Gift/Sacrifice and Future Discussions, may

be especially salient to low-income, Latino youth since they tap a desire to succeed

academically that is motivated by parents’ hard work and sacrifice as well as parents’

communication about the value of education and future opportunities. (Ceballo, Maurizi,

Suarez & Aretakis, 2014, p. 124)

The idea of sacrifice and reward is prominent among low income Latino students. Students

hope to emphasize that the sacrifices their parents made were worth the while by setting high

goals for themselves and aspiring to complete them for their parents.

Latino families provide students with testimonios/life stories about overcoming

obstacles. According to, “Gift and Sacrifice: Parental Involvement in Latino Adolescents’
Family and Education Contreras 14

Education,” students in the study claimed testimonios “about parents’ struggles with poverty,

immigration, and lack of education may provide an important and meaningful form of parental

involvement” (Ceballo, Maurizi, Suarez & Aretakis, 2014, p. 124). The life stories imparted by

parents allow students to recognize the mistakes of their parents and the obstacles they faced to

be where they are today. In the journal, “Fostering the academic success of their children:

Voices of Mexican Immigrant Parents,” by Jill S. Goldsmith and Sharon E. Robinson Kurpius,

Mexican parents accredited adversities from their childhood with shaping their motivation to be

involved in the academic lives of their children as they believed that in the United States there

were greater opportunities for those who succeed academically, possessed unrealized dreams to

pursue their own education, and desired to support their children’s dreams (2018). The earlier

experiences of parents allow them to recognize they would not want their children to face the

same obstacles, so parents would rather make sacrifices to grant their children more

opportunities in life. Students carry these testimonios in the back of their minds when making

decisions regarding their education as they can look back at the lives of their parents and hope

to give back to their parents.

Claim #3 Familial Wealth.

Familial support plays a pivotal role in the academic lives of Latino students which

allows them to accumulate familial wealth. Although, the lives of adolescent Latinos are shaped

by a variety of environmental factors just like any other human, the parenting strategies of

Latino parents affect the academic lives of these adolescents. According to the article, “Social-

Demographic, School, Neighborhood, and Parenting Influences on the Academic Achievement

of Latino Young Adolescents” by Mary Eamon, the Bronfenbrenner model suggests that

“social-demographic characteristics of the youth and family might influence academic

Family and Education Contreras 15

achievement directly, or indirectly by exposing youths to high-risk outside environments or by

affecting parenting practices within the home” (2005, p. 164). Characteristics like age, gender,

ethnicity, education level, income, and location of Latino youth and their families influence the

educational goals. Adolescent Latinos may be forced to experience high-risk outside

environments if they are living in low income neighborhoods. This may result in positive or

negative parenting strategies within their home environments. A home environment that

practices positive parenting strategies and offers their children support benefits the child when it

comes to their academics. In “Social-Demographic, School, Neighborhood, and Parenting

Influences on the Academic Achievement of Latino Young Adolescents” Eamon states:

Parenting practices that are emotionally supportive and responsive, are involved in

youths’ academic lives (e.g., discuss school issues, assist in planning school courses, and

contact the school about academics), and provide youths with cognitively stimulating

materials and experiences, have predicted better academic outcomes for children and

adolescents in diverse samples, including Latino samples. (2005, p. 165-166)

Eamon’s idea of emotionally supportive parenting practices is a form of traditional parental

involvement. Family support and communication with school impacts the educational lives of

adolescents as it allows students to gain new experiences within the academic sphere. Students

are able to communicate with their parents about what is going on at school and receive advice

that will allow them to make reasonable decisions regarding their education.

Student’s are well aware of how family plays a crucial role in their education and

embrace how it has positively impacted their success, despite not fully following traditional

roles. In the article, “Understanding Latino Parental Involvement in Education” Zarate states,

“students placed emphasis on a kind of parental involvement that was not directly related to
Family and Education Contreras 16

academic performance but was reportedly important to their academic success” (2007, p. 14).

Although, Latino parents were not able to play a role in the academic performance of their

children, most likely due to various obstacles, students still believed they played an important

part regarding their academic success. As a matter of fact, “Students placed significant

importance on the emotional support and motivation that their parents provided and felt that it

was more important than having their parents volunteer at the school or participate in the PTA”

(Zarate, 2007, p. 14). Students recognized that their parents being emotionally available for

them was more important than the more traditional parent volunteer work. Having emotionally

supportive parents, held more value than parents showing up for a meeting as they could

communicate with their parents about struggles. Students connection to family can be

strengthened though communication resulting in the accumulation of familial wealth.

The type of parental involvement adolescent Latinos receive affects their educational

success. Families offer support for their children from various stand-points. According to, “Gift

and Sacrifice: Parental Involvement in Latino Adolescents’ Education,” by Rosario Ceballo,

Laura K. Maurizi, Gloria A. Suarez, and Maria T. Aretakis, “Traditionally, researchers

classified parental involvement into two distinct categories: school-based and home-based

involvement” (2014, p. 117). Simply put it as, parents are either participate in school activities,

or parents provide at home support for their kids. Mena states “Latino parents also tend to

practice structuring and monitoring; activities highly aligned with home-based parental

involvement” (2011, p. 492). Parents monitor the educational lives of their children, examples

could be a simple question like asking if they have homework, or how their day was at school.

Micro-managing situations like these allows parents to provide emotional support for the

student when needed. Students are able to build upon their communication skills with their
Family and Education Contreras 17

parents by expressing what they are learning and how school went. With this communication set

up, parents and children may exchange consejos, and testimonios for the situation at hand.

Familial wealth can be accumulated by Latinos through validation that comes from their

family. The support of family, influences the academic success of Latino students; however the

form of support they receive from parents often goes unrecognized. In the article, “Latino

Parent Home-based Practices That Bolster Student Academic Persistence” by Jasmine A. Mena,

a myth regarding Latinos not caring about education was debunked by Valencia and Black as

they claimed Latinos are less involved with school-based activities, as a result of the common

separation between the home and school environments in their countries of origin (2011, p.

492). Latino parents find themselves unfamiliar with the American education system as it

operates differently from the education systems from their mother countries. Therefore, Latino

parents distance themselves from a school based parental involvement and switch to an

alternative form of parenting practice. Mena states, “Parental involvement has been found to

positively influence student academic success; however, less is known about home-based

emotional and behavioral parental involvement practices among Latino parents” (2011, p. 491).

Rather than go for the traditional school based parent practice, Latinos turn to home based

involvement for the benefit of their child’s success. Home-based involvement goes unnoticed

which leads to the assumption that Latinos do not care for education; however the reality is that

parents do care about the education of their children, they just struggle with following the

conventional route. Latino students receive validation and support through home based

involvement from their family which builds upon familial capital.

The cultural values instilled in adolescent Latino students provides support for their

academic success. Family is very important to many Latinos as they often share strong bonds
Family and Education Contreras 18

and connections with one another. In “Fostering the Academic Success of Their Children:

Voices of Mexican Immigrant Parents” by Jill S. Goldsmith & Sharon E. Robinson Kurpius, the

research demonstrated that although parental involvement played a key role in securing the

academic success of students, home-based and school-based involvement differs based on a

families’ cultural values and beliefs on what is best for the education of the child (2018, p. 565).

How a parent decides to raise their child varies based on their values and what they believe will

benefit their child. Often times “Latinos rely on cultural values such as la familia and educacion

to help their children succeed in school.” (Goldsmith & Robinson, 2018, p. 565) Although, la

familia refers to the bond and commitment that everyone in the family shares for one another, la

familia allows for students to become independent as they learn to navigate between the worlds

of family and school (entre mundos). Educacion is a home based involvement taught value, that

allows students as they come of age to be aware of the set of behavioral attitudes they must

follow. Students have a foundation to build off when they arrive at their new found sense of

independence.

Parental involvement has been shown to play a positive role for students and their

grades. In the article, “Latino Parent Home-based Practices That Bolster Student Academic

Persistence,” Mena states, “Aspects of home-based parental involvement have been found to

have stronger effects on academic achievement than traditional school-based parental

involvement” (2011, p. 492). Compared to traditional school based parental involvement

students did better when their parents used aspects of home based parental involvement such as

emotional support when it came to their education. The generalized message is that parental

involvement is helping students achieve the academics goals they have set for themselves.

According to, “Gift and Sacrifice: Parental Involvement in Latino Adolescents’ Education,” the
Family and Education Contreras 19

study reported that across multiple grade levels, numerous studies connected parental

involvement in education with “higher grade point averages, achievement in reading and

mathematics, academic motivation, and school engagement, even while controlling for prior

academic achievement” (Ceballo, Maurizi, Suarez & Aretakis, 2014, p. 116). Multiple studies

are reporting that with parental involvement students in multiple grade levels are motivated and

engaged as they achieve reading and mathematical goals all while having higher grade point

averages. Latino students are motivated to accomplish their goals for their families which

allows them to build familial wealth.

Parents and their involvement in their academic lives of their children allow for students

to take all their culture experiences and use it in a way that will benefit their educational

success. In the article, “Understanding Latino Parental Involvement in Education” Zarate

claims, “Parents believed that monitoring their children’s lives and providing moral guidance

resulted in good classroom behavior, which in turn allowed for greater academic learning

opportunities” (2007, p. 9). Parents provide the educacion for their children which they can use

in the classroom regarding proper classroom behavior. The moral guidance parents provide

serve as consejos and testimonios that may influence their decisions as they think back on the

words of their parents. By monitoring their children, parents are strengthening a bond between

parent and child as they communicate about school. Overall, as stated in, “Gift and Sacrifice:

Parental Involvement in Latino Adolescents’ Education, an article published in 2014, “our

findings confirm that Latino parents continue to play an influential role in their children’s

educational beliefs and school effort during adolescence, at the beginning of high school’

(Ceballo, Maurizi, Suarez & Aretakis, p. 124). Family motivates students to try and aim high

when it comes to their goals. Without this motivation as a result of familial wealth, students
Family and Education Contreras 20

would not be able to gain a sense of independence that will allow them to succeed in the

education realm.

Opinion

From a very young age, I was taught to believe that as an adolescent Latina, I would

have to work five times as hard as a student from an affluent background in order to achieve my

goals. By my house there were about three high schools within close range that almost everyone

from the community attended. Rather than attend these public schools which my siblings had

previously attended, I was enrolled in schools that my family believed were best for my

education similarly to how other Latino students attended schools farther from their residence

schools. My mom and dad worked grave shift hours, so I was not able to see them during the

week. With my family being unable to assist me on homework or on furthering my education

outside of school, I took it upon myself to learn new subjects. I made sure I would not fall

behind despite my parents inability to follow school-based parental involvement.

My dream was always to make my family proud. I wanted to show them that the

sacrifices they made were worth it as I strived to accomplish my goals. Like many Latino

students I wanted to give back to my family who provided me with the best type of support

despite the various obstacles that blocked them from assisting me at times. I was motivated to

go to college by the “what if” regret stories of my sister and brother. I did not want to live my

life constantly looking back and wondering what I could have been if I had done something

differently regarding my education. When I realized I was not being challenged enough, I took

it upon myself to change that and move schools.

My family has always served as a primary motivation for me to complete high school

and go to a top notch university. The consejos and life stories my family imparted me with
Family and Education Contreras 21

motivated me to try my best. I felt obligated to accomplish my goals for not only myself but for

my family as well. The at home emotional support I received allowed me to communicate about

my struggles with my sister. I would come home and she’d ask me how was my day, what did I

learn, and if I said I didn’t learn anything she would ask why. I was able to make my own

reasonable decisions regarding my education. I honestly believe without my family I would not

be in the position I am today.

Conclusion

Latinos are wealthy when it comes to the value of their cultural experiences. Latino

students take these cultural values and use them to their advantage as a way to fuel their drive

towards academic success. Students and their families are conflicted with barriers that may

prevent them from accomplishing their goals, however their motivation to continue going and

persevere despite these obstacles allows for greater success and opportunities. Adolescent

Latinos draw upon their family to motivate them to accomplish their high dreams and dreams.

Latinos are able to become successfully independent as they learn from their not only their own

experiences, but the experiences of their family as well. Latinos who pursue a college level

education are able to channel their strengths as they enter a new found world of education. The

educational decisions are greatly influenced by cultural values instilled in the minds of Latino

youth. Thus, resulting in Latino youth becoming independent and they seperate from family and

make their own decisions.

Family and Education Contreras 22

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