Publication Date

Spring 2023

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Education

Advisor

Rebeca Burciaga

Keywords

Community Based Action Research, community engagement, PAR, parental participation, school gardens

Subject Areas

Educational leadership

Abstract

This study researched how a school could increase parental participation and community engagement while building a new Culinary Garden and Teaching Kitchen project. This engagement was foundational for expanding parental participation opportunities and further developing the community school. The study explored ways to balance power relationships between the home and school to develop an implementation plan that better reflects the community being served. Theoretical lenses such as CRT and LatCrit were the basis for centering the voices of Latinx families and valuing their various forms of capital consistent with the Community Cultural Model. Participants influenced the design of the garden and kitchen space, inform the curriculum, infuse health and nutrition, teach environmentalism, provide more opportunities for volunteers and community activities, and ensure the wealth of knowledge from the community is revered and taught to the youth. This study is significant because it offered an alternative form of parental participation, expanded community engagement to a level of shared leadership at the school, and resulted in collective pride and sense of ownership for the program developed. The school saw increased participation in volunteer opportunities because the project was an access point for connection.

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