Module 2: What are Funds of Knowledge?
Culture is also important because it makes us unique. We each bring our funds of knowledge that can help us succeed together. Funds of knowledge is a concept that helps us explore the knowledge, assets, and practices that we, our students, and their families bring to our interactions with one another. The Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction describes funds of knowledge as:
- academic and personal background knowledge
- accumulated life experiences
- skills and knowledge used to navigate everyday social contexts
- world views structured by broader historically and politically influenced social forces.
In this video, Moll briefly describes the value of funds of knowledge.
Dr. Luis Moll- Funds of Knowledge
Too often, families’ funds of knowledge are not acknowledged or maximized. Culturally and linguistically diverse families are more likely to experience barriers (e.g., language, parental disregard, deficit-based perspective) and have limited access to information, opportunities to develop as advocates and school professionals who are responsive to their concerns (Rossetti et al., 2020). In fact, 51% of families in one study felt that the needs they viewed as important went unmet, particularly in the areas of receiving support and guidance (mean = 58%) and information (mean = 55%) (Murphy & Risser, 2022). Investing time in identifying and problem-solving barriers and learning about families’ funds of knowledge can lead to increased support and higher outcomes for all of the parties involved.
Families need to know they matter, they are important contributors to their child’s education, and make a difference! This is just one story about family engagement in early childhood; the outcomes of engaging families are just as powerful in elementary through high school.
Supporting Families to Boost Students’ Success
So, what are some strategies to build trust, provide support, and regularly communicate with families? Below are some actions you can take to get to know families in your school community:
- Visit places and people in the community (e.g., restaurants, parks, libraries, places of worship, community resources)
- Create a welcoming atmosphere for families (e.g., greeting, signs in languages spoken by families, art made by students, opportunities to visit)
- Make welcome phone calls to families
- Celebrate small successes by making positive calls home that share specific information about the student’s academic or social/emotional progress
- Maintain regular back-and-forth communication
- Learn about the family’s perspectives through conversations
- Share information about how schools and the special education processes work
- Help families prepare for meetings so they know what to expect
- Understand barriers to engagement and work to address them (e.g., access to language supports, child care, timing)
- Create a resource room/Connect families with resources they seek
- Be willing to make mistakes and learn from them!
As you build respect and trust with families, you learn more about their funds of knowledge. Integrating families’ knowledge into special education programming can lead to stronger, more meaningful education, which in turn strengthens engagement. We can incorporate the family’s language, traditions, preferences, occupations, and other knowledge in our meetings and development of the individualized education program. Check out the Funds of Knowledge Alliance and PBS learning Modules on Funds of Knowledge for examples of how to build lived experience into teaching practices.
Overall, families need to know that they matter! Through our approach and actions, we can show that we respect, honor, and value families. Check in with yourself and let these core beliefs drive how you connect with families:
- All families have dreams for their children and want the best for them.
- All families have the capacity to support their child’s learning.
- Families and school staff are equal partners.
- The responsibility for cultivating and sustaining partnerships among school, home, and community rests primarily with school staff, especially school leaders.
In the next module, you will learn about how to communicate with families to build trusting relationships and learn about their funds of knowledge.
- https://www.socialconnectedness.org/the-importance-of-parent-teacher-connections/ ↵
