Consejos: The Power of Cultural Narratives

Abstract

Consejos , cultural narratives, conveys the Estrada family's feelings, perceptions, actions, and responses to the educational system. The Estrada family's story of is one of persistence and love when dealing with schools. Their practice of consejos represents an eight‐year span of time in which conversations with the Estradas illustrated the family's force in the power relations that exist between families and schools in Carpinteria. The concept of consejos spotlights how, in spite of the perceived powerlessness on the part of Mexican immigrant families against the schools, this cultural practice identifies the family's force and unity in support of one another while challenging the schools' notions of learning. The Estradas are empowered through their consejos, their collective work with other families, and school personnel advocates.