Unheard Voices: Counterstories of Latinx Immigrant Parents’ Experiences Navigating Metro Atlanta Public Schools

Schools in the Atlanta area are experiencing a significant influx of Latinx populations (Odem & Browne, 2011). Even though educators and school systems are aware of this movement and provide services in an attempt to increase Latinx parental involvement in their schools, few studies have been conducted that explore the perspectives of Latinx parents on metro Atlanta schools and little effort has been put into understanding the nuances of the Latinx parents’ culture (Georgia Department of Education, 2010). The lack of Latinx parents’ participation in school programs has led to a common misconception that Latinx families do not place a high value on education and therefore do not want to get involved in their children’s academic experience (Delgado-Gaitán, 2004). As communities of Latinx families - a group constantly misunderstood by school officials - grow and develop in the metro Atlanta area, in this study I explore the value Latinx place on education. More specifically, I presented in-depth interviews with Latinx immigrant parents of metro Atlanta public school students. Special attention was paid to their navigation of the educational system and the negotiation of their culture in the process, including the challenges rooted in language barriers, cultural differences, and immigration status. I explored such characteristics through a Critical Race Theory (CRT) framework. Yosso (2006) described cultural wealth in Latinx communities as the sum of different forms of capital, or “the total extent of an individual’s accumulated assets and resources” (p. 50). She identified such resources as aspirational, familial, social, navigational, resistant, and linguistic capital. This study revealed these forms of capital through Latinx parents’ counterstories, which are narratives centered on the experiential knowledge of people of color. This study provides a unique contribution to the limited educational research on Latinx immigrants in metro Atlanta’s public schools by highlighting educational tensions as well as identifying the kinds of cultural wealth that assist Latinx parents in navigating them. Findings are useful because the Latinx’ counterstories help educators develop more successful school programs by considering the Latinx families’ needs and taking into account their contributions to education

Unheard Voices: Counterstories of Latinx Immigrant Parents’ Experiences Navigating Metro Atlanta Public Schools

Schools in the Atlanta area are experiencing a significant influx of Latinx populations (Odem & Browne, 2011). Even though educators and school systems are aware of this movement and provide services in an attempt to increase Latinx parental involvement in their schools, few studies have been conducted that explore the perspectives of Latinx parents on metro Atlanta schools and little effort has been put into understanding the nuances of the Latinx parents’ culture (Georgia Department of Education, 2010). The lack of Latinx parents’ participation in school programs has led to a common misconception that Latinx families do not place a high value on education and therefore do not want to get involved in their children’s academic experience (Delgado-Gaitán, 2004). As communities of Latinx families - a group constantly misunderstood by school officials - grow and develop in the metro Atlanta area, in this study I explore the value Latinx place on education. More specifically, I presented in-depth interviews with Latinx immigrant parents of metro Atlanta public school students. Special attention was paid to their navigation of the educational system and the negotiation of their culture in the process, including the challenges rooted in language barriers, cultural differences, and immigration status. I explored such characteristics through a Critical Race Theory (CRT) framework. Yosso (2006) described cultural wealth in Latinx communities as the sum of different forms of capital, or “the total extent of an individual’s accumulated assets and resources” (p. 50). She identified such resources as aspirational, familial, social, navigational, resistant, and linguistic capital. This study revealed these forms of capital through Latinx parents’ counterstories, which are narratives centered on the experiential knowledge of people of color. This study provides a unique contribution to the limited educational research on Latinx immigrants in metro Atlanta’s public schools by highlighting educational tensions as well as identifying the kinds of cultural wealth that assist Latinx parents in navigating them. Findings are useful because the Latinx’ counterstories help educators develop more successful school programs by considering the Latinx families’ needs and taking into account their contributions to education

Finding Evidence of Community Cultural Wealth in Georgia: Testimonios of Latina Immigrants on Navigating Cultural, Social, and Economic Barriers

The Latinx immigrant population in Georgia has hopes of settling in a community that provides economic stability for their families, and academic opportunities for their children. This study explores the journeys of five Mexican women, from their decisions to leave their home country to their settling in the United States. The findings are based on a qualitative study that reveals the testimonios of the participants’ navigational challenges of crossing borders, settling in Georgia, and raising bicultural children in the New South. The participants’ testimonios show evidence of Yosso’s community cultural wealth, and the findings counter the deficit narrative about Georgia’s Latinx immigrant communities by addressing the ways in which the participants and their families overcome the socioeconomic struggles that they face daily in their local schools and communities. The participants’ compelling testimonios serve as a path for teachers’ and administrators’ better understanding of the community they serve

Grace Abbott Training and Supervision Academy Annual Report 2022

GATSA trainings target social workers, students, and other professionals in practice areas including major mental disorder, addiction, LGBTQ bias and stigma, aging and dementia, children and families, corrections and forensics, suicide, cultural literacy, public and private mental health, supervision, research/policy/ licensure, domestic violence, rural and underserved communities, and school social work

Identification of antisense nucleic acid hybridization sites in mRNA molecules with self-quenching fluorescent reporter molecules

We describe a physical mRNA mapping strategy employing fluorescent self-quenching reporter molecules (SQRMs) that facilitates the identification of mRNA sequence accessible for hybridization with antisense nucleic acids in vitro and in vivo, real time. SQRMs are 20–30 base oligodeoxynucleotides with 5–6 bp complementary ends to which a 5′ fluorophore and 3′ quenching group are attached. Alone, the SQRM complementary ends form a stem that holds the fluorophore and quencher in contact. When the SQRM forms base pairs with its target, the structure separates the fluorophore from the quencher. This event can be reported by fluorescence emission when the fluorophore is excited. The stem–loop of the SQRM suggests that SQRM be made to target natural stem–loop structures formed during mRNA synthesis. The general utility of this method is demonstrated by SQRM identification of targetable sequence within c-myb and bcl-6 mRNA. Corresponding antisense oligonucleotides reduce these gene products in cells

Growth of Pedagogical Practice in an Active Multidisciplinary FLC on Flipped Learning

Faculty Learning Communities (FLCs) have gained a lot of attention in higher education. Research has shown that they support student learning, faculty development, and congenial relations among faculty. This paper will shed light on a successful, multidisciplinary FLC comprised of nine faculty members who engaged in Flipped Classroom pedagogy over a two-year period. Guided by Cox’s (2015) recommendations, the FLC members sought to improve their students’ learning while at the same time enhance their instructional practice. Participation in the FLC led to (1) course redesign, (2) instructional redesign, (3) professional growth, and (4) a sense of community

The Candida albicans transcription factor Cas5 couples stress responses, drug resistance and cell cycle regulation

We thank Cowen lab members for helpful discussions. We also thank David Rogers (University of Tennessee) for sharing microarray analysis of the CAS5 homozygous mutant, and Li Ang (University of Macau) for assistance in optimizing the ChIP-Seq experiments. J.L.X. is supported by a Canadian Institutes of Health Research Doctoral award and M.D.L. is supported by a Sir Henry Wellcome Postdoctoral Fellowship (Wellcome Trust 096072). B.T.G. holds an Ontario Graduate Scholarship. C.B. and B.J.A. are supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Foundation Grants (FDN-143264 and -143265). D.J.K. is supported by a National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases grant (1R01AI098450) and J.D.L.C.D. is supported by the University of Rochester School of Dentistry and Medicine PREP program (R25 GM064133). A.S. is supported by the Creighton University and the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (LB506-2017-55). K.H.W. is supported by the Science and Technology Development Fund of Macau S.A.R. (FDCT; 085/2014/A2). L.E.C. is supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Operating Grants (MOP-86452 and MOP-119520), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Council (NSERC) of Canada Discovery Grants (06261 and 462167), and an NSERC E.W.R. Steacie Memorial Fellowship (477598).Peer reviewedPublisher PD