“Respectful” Home-School Relationships

Abstract

This study uses a phenomenological approach to analyze interviews of minoritized parents about their perceptions of “respectful” and “disrespectful” experiences with school personnel. Holistic content analysis of the parental interviews revealed several themes that indicated a pervasive “deficit discourse” within public school communities serving minoritized youth. This list includes the heritage language or cultural practices of English language learners (ELLs), immigrants, and people of color. As parents recounted their experiences with school personnel, it appeared that—even when queried about their personal associations with the school—many parents calibrated their relationship based on their perception of the treatment their children were receiving from school personnel. Findings suggest that culturally affirming learning environments are not necessarily universal and that many educators lack the disposition or training to provide culturally efficacious pedagogy.