Best partnership, situated at the intersection of design, education, and immigrant families, explores how to encourage communication between immigrant parents and public school teachers. My qualitative and quantitative research indicates that immigrant parents come from different cultural and educational backgrounds that make it difficult for them to navigate the educational system in the United States that requires being an active participant or as consider a “partner” in their children’s education. Whether these are cultural misunderstandings, language barriers, stereotyping, or other barriers, the lack of communication reflects negatively on their child’s learning experiences and their own ability to support their children’s education. In order to address this problem, I listened to schoolteachers and immigrant parents as they spoke about their experiences and aspirations. It was evident that immigrant parents were worried and afraid to reach out to teachers due to several barriers. I highlighted the barriers that face immigrant parents and communicated them with the teachers and the school system , where they in return reflected on their ability to provide the needed accommodations for immigrant parents. The poster reflects all the accommodations to assure parents that support is available and their involvement and partnership is key for their children’s academic success. The poster encourages immigrants and reflects how important it is to reach out to teachers as a major element in providing the needed support for the children. The narrative poster highlights the importance of communication and its ability to provide immigrant parents and their children with the needed resources throughout their education journey. "Best partnership" empowers immigrant families and is designed to be used by all schools to create a welcoming, understanding envirnment that is fueled with kindness and empathy.
