Families With Power: Centering Students by Engaging With Families and Community

by Mary Cowhey, Sonia Nieto (Editor)

What if the families of students most impacted by the opportunity gap somehow had the power to organize whatever activities they felt would best help their children succeed? That's the question that began Families with Power/Familias con Poder (FWP), a grassroots organization of low-income students and caregivers in Northampton, MA. Through vignettes and interviews, this premiere book in Sonia Nieto's Visions of Practice Series shares the stories and lessons FWP learned along the way. Inspired by Paulo Freire's educational philosophy and the radical tradition of the Highlander Folk School , a group of real families with few material resources and educators connected with each other, found common ground, and built their own programs to address the needs of their children. Readers will get an inside look at the benefits, successes, and challenges of more than a dozen years of student and family engagement in the community and school as FWP tackled issues ranging from academics, race, and class to immigration and public health.

Book Features:

The story of how the author cofounded Families with Power in cooperation with immigrant and low-income caregivers and fellow educators. Insight into multiple racial and ethnic perspectives as seen through a myriad of family engagement programs. A relatable collection of narratives that bring to life Freire's methods of problem posing, culture circles, and popular education, as well as Highlander Folk School's grassroots organizing. Guidance to help today's teachers and school leaders connect with students' families and community in meaningful ways. The author's experiences as a white teacher learning to bridge cultural, racial, linguistic, and class differences and building authentic relationships to better serve diverse communities.

240 pages, Paperback

Published April 8, 2022

Reviews

[Madison Riley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an Excellent book. I was drawn to this after being so inspired by Mary Cowhey's first book, Black Ants and Buddhists, in college. This one was no different- an inspiring, practical framework for bringing the community together with the schools they attend in a relationship of authenticity. In a lot of ways, I feel this book expands upon the more general and perhaps theoretical ideas of the first book.

I admire how Cowhey comes from a place of humble curiosity in her relationships with parents and community members. Her respect for differences and desire to learn lends well to her work in Families With Power/Familias Con Poder. She invites the people in her school and the local community who are typically overlooked and underrepresented to use their voices and become the leaders their children need. Importantly, she acknowledges that inviting families into space is a great start, but not enough- the space itself must be transformed with leadership and knowledge from the families themselves.


Cowhey's main message is that the work of schools cannot be done without meaningful connections to families of students, and this connection must be made meaningful in the eyes of the families themselves. She is of course referencing back to Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed in this idea, which she acknowledges often throughout. I love how she's given tangible examples of Freire's ideas in practice in a modern context.

I love this book. I have so much work to do and I am eager to jump in this upcoming school year. I hope to connect more deeply and authentically with my student's families this year. I hope to find ways to invite them into the space in a way that is meaningful to them, and allows them to feel empowered in their children's educational journey.

Cheers, Mary Cowhey, I love what you do and how you write about it. You are a major teaching inspiration of mine.

-A Third-Grade Teacher with Lots to Learn :)