Graduation Year

2024

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree

Ed.D.

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

Degree Granting Department

Language, Literacy, ED.D., Exceptional Education, and Physical Education

Major Professor

Ann Cranston-Gingras, Ph.D.

Committee Member

William Black, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Georgina Rivera-Singletary, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Elizabeth Shaunessy-Dedrick, Ph.D.

Keywords

cultural capital, migrant education, school leadership, seasonal farmworker

Abstract

Migrant farmworker students are a marginalized group with unique needs. Federal law provides funding for Migrant Farmworker Advocates who support the educational and material needs of migrant farmworker students and their families in public schools. This exploratory study examines the question, how do migrant advocates collaborate with other professionals to support their students with graduation and transitioning to post-secondary opportunities? The study analyzes this unexplored professional relationship between migrant advocates and high school personnel and how they work together to serve migrant students. Data were collected through semi-structured single subject interviews from seven current or former Title I funded Migrant Farmworker Advocates who worked within high schools from five Florida school districts with large migrant farmworker populations. Data analysis followed thematic coding procedures. The findings suggest that collaboration is situational depending on the advocate’s knowledge and skills and the relationships between the advocate and the school personnel of the students being served. Recommendations include: (a) develop formal training for migrant advocates, school staff, and administrators; (b) enact distributed leadership practices to facilitate supportive environments; (c) collaborate with the principal in the development of the migrant Critical Needs Assessment Plan; (d) adopt a collaborative framework for school staff use to improve working together; and (e) pursue future research studies concerning migrant advocate service models. Student outcomes could improve when the school staff worked together effectively maximizing their collaborative efforts. The findings of this study suggest ways to improve collaboration between migrant advocates and school personnel that could impact outcomes for migrant students.

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