How the Funds of Knowledge Theory Shifted Teachers' Dominant Narratives of Family Involvement.

The purpose of this study was to understand how teachers reproduce and eventually resist middle-class, White, dominant narratives of family involvement so they can better engage with all students and families. This study occurred in an elementary school setting during a semester-long afterschool professional development course with nine elementary school teachers. The study employed a basic qualitative design with data sources such as field notes, discussion transcriptions, and participant journals. Results showed that teachers initially reinforced and reproduced middle-class, White, normative expectations of family involvement through their means of communication, the values they expressed, and the physical expectations placed on families. Results also showed that explicit work in this area, especially using the theory of funds of knowledge, led to change and opportunities for new, more culturally sustaining practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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