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Cultural Diversity

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Cultural Diversity in School
Lekesha Fraley
ELL 240 Linguistically & Culturally Diverse Learners
Instructor: Ashley Simpson
May 15, 2014

Connecting with families of ELLs is every bit as important as connecting with the learners themselves in the classroom (Syrja, 2011 ).Working with families is an important first step in helping children accept, understand, and value their culture in school. By creating culturally aware school-family partnerships, school systems can reduce cultural discontinuities, create diverse learning opportunities, improve ethnic and racial perceptions and attitudes, and foster interethnic friendships. Parents are a child's first teacher, and play a vital role throughout their child's formal education. Healthy relationships between home and school contribute to student achievement. Regardless of socioeconomic level, ethnic/racial background, or parents' education level, students do better academically when their families are involved in learning process (Antunez, 2000). Family and parent involvement can take many forms, from volunteering in the classroom, to setting high expectations for learning and creating a supportive learning environment at home; the more ways schools and family’s partner to support student learning, the more family involvement takes place. Family involvement is linked to higher student achievement, better attitudes toward learning, lower dropout rates, and increased community support for education--regardless of socioeconomic status, ethnic/racial background, or parents' education level (Antunez, 2000; Epstein, 2001). Parental involvement benefits both children and parents.

Schools can do many things to encourage parent participation. I’m going to provide three activities for parents and students at your school that honor and respect cultural diversity.

Family Story Time
A: The purpose

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