Understanding families of North Elementary School: a narrative research study of one suburban school.

• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2047/D20201401

There are many circumstances affecting the families who live within the boundaries of the North Elementary School district. These include poor nutrition, limited health care, drug and alcohol involvement, and lack of reliable and/or regularly accessible public transportation. The purpose of this qualitative study is to understand the challenges that primary caregivers of North Elementary School students face in order to effectively communicate with and support both students and families. In addition, the purpose of this study is to develop possibilities for building a reciprocal relationship between home and school to improve the academic success of all students. Three caregivers provided rich narratives of their background, current interactions with school, current daily struggles, current supports being received, and ideas that would increase participation at the school and in the community. All of the primary caregivers have children receiving free or reduced lunch and one did not speak English as their primary language. An additional interview was held in place of a focus group and opportunities were identified where both the school and the community could develop future engagement with those served by North Elementary School. The findings demonstrate that the school needs to provide instruction to parents in areas of math and writing. Community supports are needed with the most critical focusing on transportation and improved methods to apply for financial supports. This study illustrated the need for North Elementary School staff to communicate with caregivers in smaller settings to understand the needs of families and share supports for their children.