The Harvard Family Research Project separated from the Harvard Graduate School of Education to become the Global Family Research Project as of January 1, 2017. It is no longer affiliated with Harvard University.
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The cases in the Create Your Own Case Toolkit were developed by the Community Engagement Team (CET) outreach workers in the Department of Human Service Programs in Cambridge, Massachusetts. You can use the cases to draw inspiration for your own case writing or as a basis for discussions with others to improve your family engagement skills and knowledge. |
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| CASE 6: The Real Meaning of Back to School Night Rabeya Akther
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THE BACK STORY:
Nadya is a 30-year-old woman who came to the U.S from Bangladesh 2 years ago with her twins, a 5-year-old boy and girl. Her husband is the owner of a “7-Eleven” convenience store. Nadya does not have enough English skills to read, write, or speak the language. She would like to participate and help her children in school, but hasn’t attended any school events.
A school-family liaison asked me, the community outreach worker, to reach out to Nadya to invite her to the public school’s “Back to School Night.” I called her and introduced myself and told her that she should go to the Back to School Night at her children’s school. She told me that she planned to go and had gotten a flyer about it from the school two different times. The day before the event, though, I called to remind her and she told me that her plans had changed. She would not go. She could not drive, and her husband did not have time that day to take her. It was not possible for her to take public transportation because she was afraid she wouldn’t find the address and was also afraid to walk there with her twins in the dark. She also thought the Back to School Night was a dinner party or potluck to meet with other parents and teachers. So she didn’t think the event was very important, even though she had received the event flyer from the school twice.
DISCUSSION QUESTION:
If you were the outreach worker, how would you explain the importance of Back to School Night in U.S. schools?
THE FULL STORY:
I explained to her that it was not a dinner party or a potluck. It was very important for her and her children. She would meet her children’s teacher to learn about the syllabus and subjects her children would study. I explained that the Back to School Night event was an opportunity to ask questions about her children’s education and see her children’s classroom. After I explained why she should attend it, she was very thankful because she did not understand the importance of the Back to School Night when she had seen the flyers. She convinced her husband to drive her before he went to work, and she attended the Back to School Night. Nadya now goes to most school events throughout the school year. Not only does she attend, she calls other parents to make sure they attend as well.
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