School-Family-Community Collaborations: the Contribution of the Intercultural Worker in Accompanying Newly Immigrant Parents to School.

Notice bibliographique

Charette, J. et Kalubi, J.-C. (2016). School-Family-Community Collaborations: the Contribution of the Intercultural Worker in Accompanying Newly Immigrant Parents to School. Education, Sciences & Society 2, 127-149.

Résumé

Families who immigrate with school-aged children face two particular challenges: the practice of parenting in general and the practice of parenting in an unfamiliar or acculturating school environment. It is on these challenges that an emerging professional group is working in Quebec. Specifically, it is the group of intercultural community workers in schools (ICSI). This group supports the social and educational experiences of immigrant families, facilitating collaborations between schools, families and communities. This article explores the practices of ICSI that stimulate the effective accompaniment of parents of recent immigrant students. Through a qualitative exploratory approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted with three ICSIs from different administrative regions. The results show the relevance of implanting a welcome protocol to better accompany these parents. They also help understand the evolution of the relation between these parents and school, according to the adjustments of their family project and the challenges raised by their settlement in the host society.