Resources

Fairfax County Public School newsletter (December 2012)
A summary of the four stages of acculturation and suggestions on how to engage immigrant families at these different stages. http://www.fcps.edu/cco/fam/volunteer/documents/December2012Newsletter-ImmigrantParentInvolvementinAmericanSchools.pdf
Ferguson, Chris (2005). Reaching Out to Diverse Populations: What Can Schools Do to Foster Family-School Connections. National Center for Family and Community Connections.
http://www.sedl.org/connections/resources/rb/rb5-diverse.pdf
Parent and Student Rights: Empowering Families with Information
This pamphlet is a part of the Seven Resources for Parents and Schools, which is a series of publications for newcomer parents and families to American schools produced by the state of Washington. Among the publications are resources that cover topics like resolving conflict at school, parent and student rights, participating in your child’s education, making the most of parent-teacher conferences, bullying at school, and the inner-workings of a school district. Most of these materials are translated into Cambodian, Chinese, Korean, Russian, Somali, Spanish and Vietnamese.
http://www.brycs.org/clearinghouse/clearinghouse-resource.cfm?docnum=2684
Raising Children in a New Country: An Illustrated Handbook (2007).
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Handbook is available in multiple languages.
http://www.brycs.org/documents/upload/RaisingChildren-Handbook.pdf
Refugee Backgrounders
The Cultural Orientation Resource Center has produced numerous publications providing key information about various refugee populations. These Refugee Backgrounders and Culture Profiles include a population’s history, culture, religion, language, education, and resettlement needs, and brief demographic information. http://www.culturalorientation.net/learning/backgrounders#sthash.OJEX2gKS.dpuf
Refugee Children in U.S. Schools: A Toolkit for Teachers and School Personnel
The purpose of this toolkit is to facilitate information-sharing among school personnel and others working with refugee children in the schools on a national level; provide information on frequently asked questions in the form of brief “tools” that may be used in the professional development of teachers and other school personnel and; to raise awareness of the needs of refugee children in the schools.
Documents in this Toolkit include:
Tool 1: The Birthdates of Refugee Children and the Impact on Grade Placement
Tool 2: Schools and Refugee-Serving Agencies: How to Start or Strengthen Collaboration
Tool 3: Refugee Child Welfare: Guidance for Schools
Tool 4: Refugee and Immigrant Youth and Bullying: Frequently Asked Questions
Tool 5: Federal Requirements to Provide Interpretation/Translation in the Schools
http://www.brycs.org/publications/schools-toolkit.cfm
Schmidt, Susan (2005). Raising Children in a New Country: A Toolkit for Working With Newcomer Parents
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service
http://www.brycs.org/documents/upload/raisingchildreninanewcountry_web.pdf
The Education and Policy Leadership Center. Parent and Community Involvement Resources
http://www.eplc.org/education-policy/education-issues/parent-and-community-involvement/#Parent
The Family Engagement Tool Academic Development Institute 2012
The Family Engagement Tool (FET) is a web-based tool that guides a school team in assessing every aspect of its family engagement programs and practice. The team creates and monitors an improvement plan based on indicators of effective practice.
http://www.schoolcommunitynetwork.org/docs/FET_Booklet.pdf
U.S. Department of Education. Parent Resources
Some resources available in Spanish.
http://www2.ed.gov/parents/landing.jhtml?src=el
U.S. Department of Education. Parent and Family Engagement Resources
http://www.ed.gov/parent-and-family-engagement
The effects of comprehensive parent engagement on student outcomes. Retrieved September 6, 2013, from http://www.hfrp.org/publications-resources/browse-our-publications/the-effects-of-comprehensive-parent-engagement-on-student-learning-outcomes)
The Office of Head Start (OHS) Administration for Children and Families
Offers an in-depth description of the shifts in parent engagement that have occurred over time. http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/tta-system/family/docs/revised-parent-engagement-as-pi.pdf