Parental Involvement with Children’s Schooling: Exploring the Experiences of Hmong Parents in Charter Schools

Parental involvement is well-documented in the literature. Although research suggests a strong positive association between parental involvement and
children’s educational outcomes, few studies have examined parental involvement at home with children who attend charter schools, especially with small immigrant groups such as the Hmong. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine how Hmong parents of students in charter schools were involved
in their children’s education at home and what barriers they faced. This study
included 23 Hmong parents (9 fathers, 15 mothers) of elementary school-aged
children enrolled in three Hmong-focused charter schools in Minnesota. The
results showed several themes related to barriers for at-home school involvement, including work schedules, literacy barriers, lack of spousal support, and multiple children at home. Despite these barriers, Hmong parents also indicated that they sacrificed for their children’s education by taking on multiple
jobs, created and maintained regular family routines to monitor children’s education, and connected children to appropriate resources for homework help,
including older siblings. Implications for school administrators and teachers
who work with Hmong parents, especially Hmong parents who have children
enrolled in charter schools, are also discussed.