The Power of Community: Mobilizing for Family and Schooling (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780742515505)

Fifteen years ago, Concha Delgado-Gaitan began literacy research in Carpinteria, California. At that time, Mexican immigrants who labored in nurseries, factories, and housekeeping, had almost no voice in how their children were educated. Committed to participative research, Delgado-Gaitan collaborated with the community to connect family, school, and community. Regular community gatherings gave birth to the ComitZ de Padres Latinos. Refusing the role of the victim, the ComitZ paticipants organized to reach out to everyone in the community, not just other Latino families. Bound by their language, cultural history, hard work, respect, pain, and hope, they created possibilities that supported the learning of Latino students, who until then had too often dropped out or shown scant interest in school. In a society that accentuates individualism and independence, these men and women look to their community for leadership, support, and resources for children. The Power of Community is a critical work that shows how communities that pull together and offer caring ears, eyes, and hands, can ensure that their children thrive-academically, socially, and personally. It offers a fresh approach and workable solution to the problems that face schools today.

Author: Concha Delgado-Gaitan
ISBN-10: 0742515508
ISBN-13: 9780742515505
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Language: English
Published: 11/13/2001
Pages: 208
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.66lbs
Size: 9.00h x 5.98w x 0.50d

Review Citation(s):
Reference and Research Bk News 02/01/2002 pg. 176
Multicultural Review 12/01/2002 pg. 86