Immigrant and Refugee Hmong Parents: Parental Involvement in Their Children’s Schools

One of the largest Asian ethnic group in Minnesota are the Hmong. Its population has continuously increased since 1976. Many Hmong were not educated before they settled to the United States, as immigrants or refugees they encountered many barriers. Language and transportation was a problem for many, which hinder them from being involved in their child’s education. Therefore, the purpose of this research project is to examine Hmong immigrant and refugee parents’ perception and attitudes toward their child’s education, homework help, and school participation in K-12 education. The focused participants in this study include a sample of seven Hmong immigrant and refugee parents. Qualitative data collection methods included a face to face semi-structured interview in English or translated in Hmong as needed. The end results defined how parents perceive child’s education, educational experiences as an immigrant or refugee parent, barriers of parental involvement, and frequency in parental involvement.