Theses and Dissertations

Date of Award

5-1-2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Educational Leadership

First Advisor

Federico Guerra

Second Advisor

Marie Simonsson

Third Advisor

Alejando Garcia

Abstract

Historically, parental involvement has alternatively shifted from being a central participant within the United States’ education reform to being a secondary input stakeholder primarily due to the constant attempts to align its purpose, presence, and effects in education initiatives. Additionally, the varied constructs considered by multiple researchers and federal or state education agencies to define ‘parental involvement’, the variety of ‘population descriptors’, and ‘types of communication’ have increased the complexity to address the needs diverse family structures have to successfully build “lazos” to affix themselves and their students to education. This case study explores the perspectives low socioeconomic Hispanic families form in connection to a muti-faceted, family-centered organization rooted in South Texas that aims to create “lazos” to affix families and their students to education. Through focus group interviews, participants shared their perspectives about how a family-centered organization model has created “lazos” to affix families and their children to education. Three themes emerged: 1) Family-Centered Organization Creating “Lazos” to Affix Families and Their Children to Education For Life, Not Just Their Current Schools, 2) A Haven and Source of Impetus For The Constant Factor: Families as Change Catalysts, and 3) A Social Problem: Policies and Education Reform. These findings support and challenge prior research and how Bourdieu’s social and capital theory has been utilized as a theoretical framework lens to analyze parental involvement.

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Copyright 2025 Erica Gonzalez. All Rights Reserved. https://proquest.com/docview/3270219371

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