Family–School Partnerships for Rural U.S. Latine English Learners: A Systematic Review

Abstract

[Embargo until 2026-09-13]The expansion of Latine communities into rural areas of the U.S. highlights a need for research exploring Latine rurality, particularly in education. Schools have significant potential to implement family-engaged, culturally responsive pedagogy, particularly for English Language Learner (ELL) students. Establishing the current state of relevant research for family–school partnerships for rural Latine ELLs will support efforts to develop best practices for culturally responsive education. The present study was a systematic review of literature on family–school partnerships for rural Latine ELL youth in the U.S. Findings highlighted (a) the prevalence of empirical, qualitative research methods; (b) the use of guiding theories from multiple disciplines (including critical, sociocultural and relational, and developmental and educational perspectives); (c) the prevalence of teacher participants in the reviewed studies (relative to family participants); and (d) study findings included teacher factors, family–school relationship factors, family and community factors, and student factors. Findings offer insights into how research investigations may explore youth and family experiences in shifting educational environments (particularly through diverse theoretical perspectives, using methods that emphasize understanding lived experiences, and the role of rurality in research investigations). Study limitations, future research directions, and practical implications are discussed.This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Journal of Latinos and Education on March 12, 2025, available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/15348431.2025.2477496