Chapter 1. Introduction: The Need to Take a Strengths-Based Approach to Facilitate Children’s Educational Growth.- Chapter 2. Latino and African American Parental Resources, Investments, and Socialization Practices: Supporting Toddler’s Language and Social Skills.- Chapter 3. Concerted Cultivation among Low-Income Black and Latino Families.- Chapter 4. Contexts of African American Children’s Early Writing Development: Considerations of Parental Education, Parenting Style, Parental Beliefs, and Home Literacy Environments.- Chapter 5. Parent- and Preschool-Teacher-Perceived Strengths among Black and Latino Boys in Miami: Links to Early Success in Elementary School.- Chapter 6. Latino Families and Schools: Identifying Challenges and Highlighting Strengths to Support Children’s Early Learning.- Chapter 7. Intersectionality as a Framework for Understanding School Involvement and Advocacy Beliefs of Latina/o Families of Young Children.- Chapter 8. Little Talks: A Modular Treatment Approach for Promoting Infant and Toddler Language Acquisition Through Parents' Preferences and Competencies.- Chapter 9. Madres Educando a Sus Niños: Integrating Culture into Intervention.- Chapter 10. Towards Improving the Educational Opportunities for Black and Latinx Young Children: Strengthening Family-School Partnerships.- Chapter 11. Academic Socialization in the Homes of Black and Latino Preschool Children: Research Findings and Future Directions.
Susan Sonnenschein, Ph.D., is a developmental and educational psychologist at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. She is a professor and graduate program director of the Applied Developmental Psychology program. Her research focuses on ways to promote at home and school the educational success of children from different demographic backgrounds. She is particularly interested in home experiences of children often at risk for difficulties in school (e.g., immigrants, low income, ELL, minority groups).
Brook E. Sawyer, Ph.D., is an associate professor in the College of Education at Lehigh University. She is an educational psychologist and teacher educator who conducts descriptive and intervention research on teachers’ and parents’ practices to support the language and literacy development of young vulnerable children, including children who live in poverty, dual language learners, and children with disabilities. She also focuses on interventions to develop collaborative relationships between parents and educators.
This book offers a strengths-based, family-focused approach to improving the educational performance and school experience of struggling Black and Latino students. The book discusses educational challenges faced by low-income families of color and the different strengths within Black and Latino family life that can affect these challenges. It focuses building on these strengths within the children’s home environments that can serve as a foundation for subsequent learning. The chapters describe a wide range of family practices and beliefs, including development of interventions to support families that promote early language and literacy, early mathematics, and social skills. The chapters also present quantitative and/or qualitative studies using a strengths-based approach to parents’ socialization of their children’s early academic skills.
Topics featured in this book include:
Latino and Black parental resources, investments, and beliefs.
Academic socialization in the homes of Black and Latino preschool children.
Development of culturally-informed interventions to promote children’s school readiness skills.
Family-school partnerships as a tool for improving educational opportunities.
Directions for future research.
Academic Socialization of Young Black and Latino Children is a must-have resource for researchers, educators, clinicians and related professionals, and graduate students in diverse fields including education, developmental and school psychology, family studies, counseling psychology and social work, and sociology of culture.