€¦ · Web viewBurmese immigrants have been a part of the Fort Wayne’s diverse community since the early 1990’s. Today thousands of Burmese reside and work in Fort Wayne and

Burmese Parents’ Perspectives Toward Education 1

Burmese Parents’ Perspectives Toward Education

By

Kyaw T. Soe

[email protected]

Indiana University Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW)

Capstone Course: EDUC E595 Research Project in Elementary Education

Instructor: Dr. Cheu-jey George Lee, Ph.D.

Summer II 2010


Abstract

Burmese immigrants have been a part of the Fort Wayne’s diverse community since the

early 1990’s. Today thousands of Burmese reside and work in Fort Wayne and its surrounding

areas. This study intended to seek insights from Burmese immigrant parents’ perspectives on

their involvements in their children’s education, their view points on the American school

system, and their knowledge about available educational services and opportunities for their

families. This study used a survey; it consisted of 22 questions. Eighteen Burmese immigrant

parents, including ten fathers and eight mothers, participated in the study. The findings reflected

a parental involvement in the immigrant parents’ aspect, their expectation of children’s

education, and an impact of an inefficient usage of translation service on homes’ and schools’

collaboration and communication.


Introduction

Starting in the early 1990’s, Burmese immigrant resettlements to the U.S. have not shown

any sign of slowing down. In fact, the number is increasing every year. Like many other new

immigrants across the U.S., the Burmese immigrants have faced challenges in adapting to a new

culture, country, and language. Young children, in particular, are ill-prepared for a new

environment like schools. For them, there is no window for adjustment! For immigrant parents,

they trust their children’s education entirely to teachers. Questioning or criticizing teachers is

viewed as disrespectful (Sohn & Wang, 2006). However, that is certainly not what American

schools expect from parents. In most cases, parental involvement that has traditionally been

understood and implemented in American school cannot apply to immigrant parents for the

parents-schools collaboration (Waterman & Harry, 2008). It is important to learn and to

understand the immigrant parents’ viewpoints and concerns, so bridging schools and homes

becomes possible. This research was conducted to find Burmese immigrant parents’

perspectives toward American’s education.

Background

Fort Wayne is home to six thousand Burmese immigrants. This rapidly growing Burmese

community in Fort Wayne is a result of the pro-democracy 1988 uprising and the subsequent

brutal crackdown of the ethnic minority populations by the military regime in Burma. Leaders of

the pro-democracy movement and ordinary citizens become targets of governmental

persecutions. Social chaos, human rights violations, ethnic cleansing, mass relocation, and

mismanagement of resources by the military regime cause people to leave their homes and seek

refuge in neighboring countries. Many of these former Burmese refugees settled in the U.S.A

and seventeen other countries around the world (Win, 2006).


In the early 1990’s, the first wave of the Burmese resettlement arrived in Fort Wayne. It

consisted mostly of college students who participated in the 1988 student-led uprising. The

political unrest, economic hardship, and frequent closing of colleges, universities, and schools

have forced thousands of Burmese to leave the country. Today, there are millions of Burmese

livings outside Burma. Because of the image of prosperous lives and promising futures in the

U.S., it, then becomes one of many preferred destinations for Burmese immigrants around the

world. The Burmese enter the U.S. in various immigrant statuses. Some come with political

asylum, some won a so-called “Green Card Lottery,” and some come with a family and spouse

visa. However, a majority of the Burmese immigrants are refugees who spent many prolonged

years in the Thai-Burmese border’ refugee camps and neighboring countries, i.e. Malaysia,

Japan, Indonesia, and India before being granted an opportunity to come to the U.S. with the help

of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugee (U.N.H.C.R).

“The Second Wave” of Burmese immigrant resettlements started in 2006 when President

George W. Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice granted wavier to 9,300 Burmese

ethnic people such as Karen, who have fought with the military regime and have been forced to

leave their villages and have lived in refugee camps, to resettle in the United States (The

Associated Press, 2006). As a result, in 2007, a total of seven-hundred Burmese were brought to

Fort Wayne, Indiana. Then in 2008, eight-hundred more Burmese arrived in Fort Wayne

(Editorial, 2010). Incentives for others Burmese immigrants across the U.S. to move to Fort

Wayne include friends & families, spiritual support, help & services available, affordable living

cost, and job opportunities. They contribute to a secondary migration. That makes Fort Wayne

the largest and the fastest growing Burmese immigrant resettlement community outside of

Burma.


Literature Review

Learning from their own experiences of a journey to this great nation, the U.S.,

immigrant parents deeply understand the barriers and obstacles they must overcome. Seeking an

American dream certainly requires long hours of hard work and strong willpower. They know

first-hand that without education, choices and opportunities are limited. Education is a key to

endless possibilities in America. A college degree and English language proficiency are the

gateway to a good paying job and ability to find prosperity in the U.S. society (Waterman &

Harry, 2008). Immigrant parents value education and want to help their children to be successful,

but they do not know how (Thao, 2009). Many immigrant parents do not speak or know little

English. They are reluctant to question schools’ authorities; many do not even understand their

rights. Immigrant parents believe their way of helping their children is preparing them for school

and teaching them to work hard and be respectful (Smith, Stern, & Shatrova, 2008). There is no

doubt that immigrant parents can be helpful for schools but lack of knowledge in the American

school system and limited English skill have prevented them from meeting such responsibility.

They need guidance; schools need to introduce them to school policies, procedures, and grading

systems. Translators and translations must be provided. At least once a year, schools should

plan a social or conversational meeting with parents in order to promote understanding about

parent’s background and culture, including their expectation of the school (Rhodes & Paez,

1998). Parental involvement in children’s education is important for American as well as

immigrant parents. Immigrant parents’ involvement can have a great impact on their children’s

academic success. In fact, immigrant parents and their high expectations of their children’s

education will usually increase their children’s learning motivations (Zhou & Booth, 2009).

Many researchers agree that to improve children’s achievement, schools cannot work alone.

They need to build partnership with parents, both American and immigrant parents;


unfortunately, figuring out ways to get parent’s involvement remains challenges for schools and

districts across the U.S. District-level strategies include teacher training, assess communication

between homes and schools. Nonetheless, parent involvement continues to be a policy on paper

that seems a long way from practicing. Most schools are obligated to include parents as partners,

but there is no pressure to do so (Mitchell, 2008). To engage immigrant parents with schools

seems much more complicated than to engage American parents. Communication strategies

must be carefully planned and schools must initiate the action. It is a crucial step for schools to

recognize the diversity of the populations and be attentive to parents’ concerns and individuals’

perspectives regarding involvement. It is the school’s responsibility for getting parents involved

(Keane, 2007). Experts agree that parental involvement effects children’s learning. The

question is how schools and homes find a common ground to work together and what parents can

do within their capability to assist schools.

Purpose of the Research

During their struggling period while seeking shelter in neighboring countries and survival

in the crowded refugee camps, both Burmese parents and children face a number of hardships to

make ends meets. The children, in particular, have limited access or not at all to formal

education (Barron, Okell, Yin, VanBik, Swain, Larkin, Allot, and Ewers, 2007). Many of them

come to the U.S. very ill-prepared for schooling. However, the children have to enter age-

appropriate classes in elementary, middle, or high schools and they have no choice (Hunter,

2005). These under schooled new immigrant children, who typically have been in the U.S. for

four years or less, usually perform three or more years below grade level in math and other core

subjects (Ruiz-de-Velasco, Fix, & Clewell, 2002). It takes nearly three to five years to acquire

oral proficiency in a language (Garcia, 1994). Ovando and Collier (1995) stated that it typically


takes five to seven years for non-English speaking children to master academic English as used

in reading, writing, and listening. It seems almost impossible for them to catch up!

According to the enrollment records kept by Fort Wayne Community Schools (FWCS),

nearly 4,000 students of its 31,500 enrolled students speak languages other than English at home

or have other languages besides English as their first language. FWCS now has nearly eighty

different languages spoken and Burmese is its second largest non-native English population in

FWCS (Abrams, 2010). Children are struggling and they need all the help they can get in order

to excel. Schools cannot do it alone. They need to get immigrant parents involved.

To address challenges and concerns of the Burmese immigrant families in the school

system, this research was designed and conducted to study the group. Due to limited research in

this area, it is very hard to find studies and information on this particular group. There is a sense

of urgency and it is more important than ever to connect homes and schools together; the

children are sinking! This pilot study on Burmese parent immigrants was intended to explore and

to understand Burmese immigrant parents’ concerns and thoughts to initiate collaboration

between homes and schools. In collaboration with schools, Burmese parents can play an

important role in their children’s academic success.

Research Method

Survey

This study used a survey. It consisted of 22 questions (see Appendix A for the English

version and Appendix B for the Burmese version). To eliminate language barriers, I gave

instructions in Burmese to the participants as a group, and each participant completed the survey

(the Burmese version) anonymously. All participants were allowed to write their responses and

comments in Burmese, that later were translated into English. Though the questions were


multiple choices, open-ended comments were also solicited. The Statistical Package for the

Social Science (SPSS) was used to analyze the data. All written comments from the participants

were also included in data analysis. The questions on the survey can be categorized into five

areas as follows:

1. Parents’ demographics, including, age, gender, marital status, educational

backgrounds, time stayed in refugee camps and time stayed in the U.S, and how they

came to the U.S.

2. Parents’ expectations of their children’s education.

3. Parents’ understanding of parental involvement.

4. Communication between schools and homes.

5. Parents’ knowledge of available services.

Participants

Table 1 Demographics

Ethnicity Ages Marital Status Gender

20-25 26-35 36-45 46-55 Single Married Male Female Burman 5 7 - Yes 6 6 Mon 1 - Yes 1 Kayin 1 2 - Yes 2 1 Muslim 1 1 - yes 1 1

Total 10 8

18

There were eighteen parents participating in the study; 56% of the participants were

Burmese fathers and 44% were Burmese mothers, who are actively involved in the New

Immigrant Literacy Program (NILP), Fort Wayne, Indiana. It is worthy to note that 100% of the

eighteen parents were from two- parent households. They represented diverse Burmese ethnic

minority groups, i.e. Burman, Mon, Kayin, Muslim, etc. In Burma, there are many ethnic groups.


Each group cherishes its own cultures and languages. There are one hundred and thirty different

languages spoken in Burma; however, Burmese is an official language in Burma.

The IPFW New Immigrant Literacy Program (NILP) was founded in 2003 in the

makeshift classroom apartment. In 2006, the program relocated to the Indiana University Purdue

University Fort Wayne (IPFW), under supervision of the Educational Studies Department /

School of Education. Hundreds of Education major students volunteer with the program. The

program is designed to support English reading, speaking, math, and literacy skills of recent

immigrant students (ages 6 to 15) to the city of Fort Wayne, Indiana.

All of the participants’ children attended elementary schools or middle schools in local

school districts and private schools in the Fort Wayne areas. For many consecutive years, these

parents continuously brought their children to Saturday tutorial sessions with the (IPFW) New

Immigrant Literacy Program (NILP) for additional help all year round. The parents themselves

also benefited from services provided such as translation, adult English classes, advising,

networking with other parents, etc. One of the program’s required activities was the parent

workshops. Participants’ parents attended at least two workshops per school year to keep them

well-informed and up-to-date on educational related issues.

Table. 2 Educational Backgrounds

Education Level

Gender Total Time Stay in

the U.S. Gender

Total Male Female Male Female

Elementary 0 1 1 Less than 2 yrs. 1 2 3 Middle School 4 1 5 5 – 10 yrs. 9 6 15

High School 2 5 7 11 – 15 yrs. 0 0 0 Some college 4 1 5 More than 15yrs. 0 0 0

Total 10 8 18 Total 10 8 18


The participants had different educational backgrounds; 5.5% of the participants had an

elementary education, 27.8% middle school, 38.9% high school, and 27.8% some college. In

their responses to the survey question 21(see Appendix B), 61% of the parents enrolled their

children in the NILP because they expected their children to excel in their reading and math skill.

33% of the parents wanted extra tutoring, so the children could do well in schools. This showed

that parents’ educational backgrounds did not impact their support for their children’s education.

These Burmese parents, like other Asian parents, shared a similar belief in education; they

ascribed great weight to the pursuit of academic success (Stevenson & Lee, 1990). They had

high educational expectations for their children (Zhou, 1997).

On the other hand, the time they lived in the U.S. varied. 22.2% of the parents lived in

the U.S. for less than two years and 77.8% of them for five to ten years. It is important to take a

closer look at the time they lived in the U.S. since it could impact their involvement in children’s

education. In addition, 90% of the participants entered the U.S. on refugee status. Starting a new

life required long working hours and learning English. These struggles could have an effect on

their involvement in schools. According to the Table 2, a percentage of the participants who

have been in the U.S. for 5 to 10 years were larger than the participants who have been living in

the U.S. less than five years. It indicated that time-stayed could have impact on parents’

involvement. It is possible that the Burmese parents who have been living in the U.S. long

enough are more likely to understand English, be financially stable, be employed, and own

transportation, etc. These factors could reinforce parents’ ability to be engaged in children’s

education.


Data Analysis

Parents’ Expectation of Their Children’s Education

Chart 1

What do you like about America?

Edcuation opportunity

88%

Job opportunity

6%

Starting new life

6%

Educational opportunity in the U.S. appeared to be the main attraction for the Burmese

immigrant parents; 88% of the parents agreed. It is important to note that the parents wanted

such an opportunity for their children rather than themselves. The immigrant parents may not

have had that same opportunity in their native country (Thao, 2009). Based on Chart 1 the

participant parents arrived with a deep respect for the U.S. schools’ system. Schools should view

parents’ commitment to education as the strength in helping to encourage children’s learning.

These parents resettled here for their children. They are fully invested in their children’s future

(Kugler & Price, 2009).

Parental Involvement

Chart 2 Chart 3

Do you think you are involved in your child's education?

Yes, I do.77%

No, I don't.6%

Not sure17%


Many researchers have found that parent involvement in schools is an effective strategy

for promoting students’ achievement. Yet schools struggle with ways to recruit and involve

parents, especially recent immigrant parents (Golan & Petersen, 2002). As shown on Chart 2 and

Chart 3, the Burmese parents showed the contradiction in their view about parental involvement.

As high as 77% of the parents thought they were involved in their children’s education; however,

the same group was divided, 50% versus 50%, when they were asked about their attendance at

schools’ activities. In their view, parental involvement would not limit to “showing-up” at

schools’ activities or events. Schools should explain to immigrant parents how physical presence

is important and it is expected. To understand the parents’ point of view, it could help schools to

better strategize to getting immigrant parents involved.

Communication between Homes and Schools

Chart 4 Chart 5How do you respond to school letter/survey? Does your child’s school send important letter/document home in the

language that you can understand?

Seldom39%

Sometimes39%

Always22%

Seldom/Never39%

Sometimes22%

Always39%

Chart 5 shows that schools did not do enough in keeping the immigrant parents informed

and connected. It was only 39% of letters/documents have been sent home compared to a total

of 61% of parents, who never or sometimes received anything from schools in the language they

could understand. That could be an answer to the low 22 percentage of parents’ response to

schools’ letters/surveys, demonstrated in Chart 4. Communication is a key to homes’ and

schools’ connection; however, schools should initiate such interaction. In fact, it is time for

schools to move parental involvement strategies beyond business as usual. Simply translating


flyers for current programs into the parents’ language is an important first step but is not

sufficient. A variety of communication styles should be implemented and conducted, i.e.

telephone call, home visit, meeting, etc. with competent translators available.

Chart 6 Chart 7

In this pilot study, 45% of parents had never made a phone call to school (Chart 6) while

as high as 89% of the parents had the contact number of teachers and schools (Chart 7). For

immigrant parents, the language barrier stands in the way of parent involvement in schools and

in their children education (Friedman, 2006). In their own words, the parents voiced similar

challenges, “My limited English is my weakness. It’s difficult for me to understand what people

are saying. That makes me feel embarrassed. I feel like people look-down at me because I

cannot read and write in English.” Evidently limited English skill could limit immigrant

parents’ involvement in schools. Without the translation services, they cannot participate (Lee,

2004). To reach out to the group; translation service should be provided. For the better result, a

verbal interpretation services must be put in place (New York Immigration Coalition, 2004). A

staff or a liaison at school who could speak the language they could understand in school,

immigrant parents would be unafraid to contact schools or even so, be more actively involve.

Do you know your child's teacher and school's contact number?

11.1% No, I don't.

88.9% Yes, I do.


Parents’ Knowledge of Available Services

Table 3 Table 4

How do you learn about your

child’s progress?

56% from classroom teacher Do you know where your child

can get help/tutoring/educational

service?

72% said they do not know.39% from a report card

5% from children 28% said they do.

The data showed in Table 3 reflected how immigrant parents counted on teachers; 56% of

the parents depended on classroom teachers to inform and to address their children’s learning

progress; teachers were their eyes and ears. However, 39% of the parents got such information

from a report card; what these parents have entailed; they have minimum access to their

children’s teachers or the parents have not made an effort to meet teachers. Whatever reason

behind it would be; schools should reach out and get them involved. According to data showed

in Table 4, 72% of the parents did not know where to get educational services or assistances. It

was considerably high and unacceptable; as stated in the previous section, most of the

participants have been in the U.S. from 5 to 10 years, their lack of knowledge of services

available, demonstrated how the families have been profoundly underserved. Schools should

understand such drawback; the immigrant parents would not equip themselves with information

like other American parents would know. Schools needed to keep them well-informed; the more

they know, the more they can get involved.

Conclusion

Due to political issues in Burma, Burmese immigrant parents left their country to seek a

new life. Through the U.N.H.C.R resettlement program and other immigrant statuses, they

became new immigrants in the U.S. Like most of Asian immigrants, the Burmese parents

entrusted their children’s educational needs to schools and respected teachers and their


professions. Despite of their educational backgrounds, the Burmese immigrant parents

demonstrated positive attitudes toward education. They valued education and had high

expectations on the American education. They displayed their involvement via efforts and

commitments in supporting their children.

Though the parents valued education, lack of knowledge about educational services and

assistances could minimize their ability to help their children. Informative workshops,

orientations, meetings, or family night could help. Schools and teachers should inform parents

about local agencies for educational assistances and services, so they can find help when needed.

A limited English skill is a major obstacle for immigrant parents to get involve in their children’s

education; translation should be done by qualified staff and it should not be limited to school

flyers/documents. Verbal communication can be more effective; Burmese speaking liaisons

should be on staff, so parents know there will be a person who can understand them at schools

when they call.


References

Abrams, H. (2010). Police, 911 tongue-tied in Burmese community. Fort Wayne

Journal Gazette. A1-A8.

Barron, S., Okell, J., Yin, S., VanBik, K., Swain, A., Larkin, E., Allott, A., & Ewers, K.

(2007). Refugees from Burma: Their backgrounds and refugee experiences.

Cultural Profile No. 21. Washington, DC: Center for applied Linguistics.

Retrieved October 10, 2007, from Online:

http://www.cal.org/co/pdffiles/refugeesfromburma.pdf.

Editionals. (2010). Abandoned upon arrival. The Journal Gazette, pp. A1.

Friedman, A. (2006). Civil Rights for Immigrant Parents. Drum Major Institute for

Public Policy, P1-2.

Garcia, E.E. (1994). “Hispanic” children: Effective schooling practices and related policy

issues. In N. Ellsworth, C. Hedley, & A. Baratta (Eds.), Literacy: A redefinition

(pp.77-87). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

Golan, S., & Petersen, D. (2002). Promoting Involvement of Recent Immigrant Families

In Their Children’s Education. SRI International, P1-8.

Hunter, D. (2005). Taking it one word at a time. The Communicator, pp. A1-2.

Keane, T. (2007). Improving parent involvement in schools: A cultural perspective.

River Academic Journal, Vol. 3(2).

Kugler, E., & Price, O. (2009). Helping Immigrant and Refugee Students Succeed:

It’s not Just What Happens in the Classroom. Center for Health and Care

in Schools, P1-5.


Lee, H. (2004). Voices That Must Be Heard: School restructuring doesn’t solve

immigrant parent access problems. New York Community Media Alliance,

112 (22).

Mitchell, C. (2008). Parent Involvement in Public Education: Research for Action,

P1-4.

New York Immigration Coalition. (2004). Denied At the Door: Language Barriers

Block Immigrant Parents from School Involvement. Advocates for Children

of New York, p. 1-4.

Ovando, C., & Collier, V. (1995). Bilingual and ESL Classrooms: Teasing in

Multicultural Contexts. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Rhodes, R., & Paez, D. (1998). Immigrant Parents and School A Handout for Teachers.

National Association of School Psychologists, P1-2.

Ruiz-de-Velasco, J., Fix, M & Clewell, C.B (2002). Overlooked and Underserved.

Harvard Educational Review, P-1.

Smith, J., Stern, K., & Shatrova, Z. (2008). Factors Inhibiting Hispanic Parents’ School

Involvement. The Rural Educator, P8-13.

Sohn, S., & Wang, X.C. (2006). Immigrant parents' involvement in American school:

Perspectives from Korean mothers. Childhood Education Journal. Vol.34, 125-

126.

Stevenson, H. W., & Lee, S. (1990). Contexts of achievement: A study of American,

Chinese, and Japanese children. Monographs of the society for research in Child

Development , 55(1-2, Serial No.221).

Thao, M. (2009, December). Parent involvement in school Engaging immigrant parents.

Wilder Research, P1-4.


The Associated Press. (2006). 9,300 Burmese may get political asylum in U.S.

Fort Wayne News-Sentinel, pp. A1, A6.

Waterman, R., & Harry, B. (2008). Building collaboration between schools and parents

of English language learners: Transcending barriers, creating opportunities.

National Center for Culturally Responsive Educational Systems. Arizona State

University: Tempe, ARIZONA.

Win, K. (2006). A Burmese Perspective of: Going to Third Countries. Asian Tribune.

7(1), 2-3.

Zhou, M. (1997). Growing up American: The challenge confronting immigrant children

and children of immigrants. Annual Review of Sociology, 23, 63-95.

KYAW T. SOE: Since late 1990’s he has been helping Burmese immigrant children and families with education related issues. He currently serves as a Program Coordinator at New Immigrant Literacy Program at Indiana University/ Purdue University Fort Wayne. He resides in Fort Wayne with his wife and is the father of three children.


Appendix A:

The Burmese Parents Survey

(English)


The Burmese Parents Survey 1. What is your age?

◊ 20-25 ◊ 25 – 35 ◊ 36 – 45 ◊ 46- 55 ◊ 56 - 65

2. What is your gender? ◊ Male ◊ Female

3. What is your marital status? ◊ single ◊ married with children ◊ single parent

4. What is your ethnic group?◊ Mon ◊ Kayin ◊ Burman ◊ Shan ◊Chin ◊ Ra Khaing ◊ Muslin ◊ other

5. How long have you been in Fort Wayne/ the U.S?◊ less than 2 yrs. ◊ 5 – 10 yrs. ◊ 11 – 15 yrs. ◊ more than 15 yrs.

6. How did you come to the US?◊ Refugee Resettlement Agency ◊ Spouse visa ◊ Family sponsorship ◊ Green Card/Lottery ◊ Asylum ◊ Work Visa ◊ Church Sponsor ◊ Other ………..

7. What was your educational background in Burma?◊ Elem. School ◊ Middle school ◊ High School ◊ Some college ◊ College graduate

8. How long have you stayed in the Refugee Camp in Thai-Burmese border?◊ never ◊ 1 – 5 yrs. ◊ 6 – 10 yrs. ◊ 11 – 15 yrs. ◊ more than 16 yrs.What is the camp name? ...................................................................................................

9. What do you like about America?◊ Education opportunity ◊ Job opportunity ◊ Starting new lifeExplain……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

10. What do you NOT like about America?◊ foods ◊ weather ◊ language ◊ cultures ◊ other …………..Explain……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

11. What kind of challenges you are facing now?◊ foods ◊ weather ◊ employment ◊ language ◊ otherParticularly in ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

12. What is your concern about your children’s education?◊ funding ◊ school choice ◊ grades ◊ teacher ◊ other …………………….


13. Do you like to attend your child’s school activities?◊ No, I don’t. ◊ Yes, I do. ◊ Not worthwhile to attend ◊ do not have time. ◊ Other

14. How often do you respond to any school survey or letter?◊ never ◊ seldom ◊ sometimes ◊ always

15. How often do you call/contact with your child’s teacher?◊ never call ◊ will call ◊ 2-3 times/month ◊ 2-3 times/year

16. Do you know your child’s teacher and school’s contact number/person?◊ No, I don’t ◊ Yes, I do.

17. Do you think you are involved in your child’s education?◊ No ◊ Yes ◊ not sureIf so, please explain how?………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………If you do not, please explain why?◊ don’t have time ◊ cannot speak English ◊ work schedule ◊ other …………….…………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

18. How do you learn about your child’s progress e.g. strength, weakness, etc.?◊ classroom teacher ◊ report card ◊ my child ◊ friends

19. Do you know where your child can get help/tutoring/educational services if he’s needed?◊ No, I don’t. ◊ Yes, I do. ◊ not sure

20. Does your child’s school send important documents/letters home in the language that you understand? ◊ never ◊ seldom ◊ sometimes ◊ always

21. What is a reason why you sent your child to the IPFW New Immigrant Literacy Program? ◊ extra tutoring ◊ improving reading/math skill ◊ friendly environment ◊ other Please explain ......................................................................................................……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……………………………………….…….…….

22. Do you see any progress or any particular improvement since your child attends the IPFW program?…………………………………………………………………… …….

………………………………………….……………………………………….…….…….


Appendix B:

The Burmese Parents Survey

(Burmese Version)



Documents

€¦ · Web viewBurmese immigrants have been a part of the Fort Wayne’s diverse community since the early 1990’s. Today thousands of Burmese reside and work in Fort Wayne and