Home Language and Literacy Practices of Parents at One Spanish-English Two-Way Immersion Charter School

This study looks at how parents in one Spanish-English two-way immersion (TWI) charter school report their participation in various home language and literacy practices. Parent groups, based on a cluster analysis, highlight the heterogeneity of Latino parents at the school while acknowledging the commonalities as well. Four parent groups emerged based not only on primary language, but also ethnicity, religion, socioeconomic status, and proximity to the school. Chi-square analyses revealed significant differences across parent groups in terms of reported home language and literacy practices. Implications are discussed for educators in TWI programs, who seek to more fully draw on the linguistic resources that their students bring with them to school, especially in supporting the maintenance and development of the Spanish language.