Description of the educational centers selected

School in Seville: This public educational center is located in the district of Cerro-Amate in the city of Seville, which is defined as one of the main expansion zones in the city, with new residential and industrial areas.

The socio-familiar profile in the zone is truly varied: it is characterized by consisting of mono-parental families with children, very low economic status, low socio-educative level, sporadic jobs and informal economy, endemic addiction problems of various types in one or several family members and limited support or very deteriorated extensive relationships.

In educational terms, for the school term 2008-2009, the center had 242 students, 190 Spanish, 6 Bolivian, 6 Chinese, 1 Colombian, 1 Ecuadorian, 10 Moroccan, 1 Peruvian, 24 Romanian, 2 Russian and 1 Venezuelan, which implies 52 students whose native country is not Spain (21.48%). In the abovementioned school term, 21 students were diagnosed as having Special Educational Needs, two of them from Romania, however, one of them was transferred to a different school center.

In the school term 2009-2010 the center has 241 enrolled students, of which 44 students come from foreign families; this represents 18.25% of the total enrolled students. Classifying by nationalities, there are: 3 Bolivian, 6 Chinese, 3 Colombian, 2 Ecuadorian, 10 Moroccan, 1 Peruvian, 17 Romanian, 1 Russian and 1 Venezuelan.

As we notice, there is a decline in foreign students in the current academic term as a consequence of different factors: in the first place, several families left the neighborhood at the end of the last term due to the economic crisis and lack of jobs; in the second place, the two groups in the sixth grade of Primary Education of the last year gathered a high rate of students who come from foreign families. Therefore, the transition of these students to Secondary Schools has affected the numbers in those educational centers. Finally, and paying attention to the records in Childhood Education, it is worth mentioning there is only one foreign student from Morocco.

In respect to the school's teaching staff for the term 2008-2009, there were 23 teachers, 4 men and 19 women, plus a non-official religion teacher. The center also includes one educationist and one administrative staff member with school monitoring functions.

Finally, it is important to mention the Educational Plans and Projects in which the center participates for the term 2008-2009. They are the following: Learning Community Project; Quality Improvement Program; Project of Incorporating Information and Communications Technology to the Center's Education and Management; Opening Plan, consisting of services like Morning Hall, Canteen and After-school Activities; Sport in School; Learn to Smile (oral hygiene program); School Support Program (support lessons at after school hours for 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th grades); Intercultural Project. Temporal Classroom of Linguistic Adaptation (TCLA). Support Learning Programs in Spanish, maternal culture, Arabic culture and language workshop; Curricular Design of Children and Primary Education; Central Linguistic Project. Reading Plan and Library Language Communicative Approach. The local newspaper. PIN "School Radio"; Improvement Proposals following the results of the Diagnostic Evaluation Tests; and Space for Peace School.

It should be noticed that as of the 2006-2007 term this center is a Learning Community, which implies a transformation in its structures and pedagogic endeavors that would enhance and strengthen the relation of the educational center with families and community.

Following the work developed by Group Inter (²⁰⁰⁶), the benefits of working with Learning Communities are thought to be: a) for students: better academic results, attitudes and behaviors, lower absence rate; b) for families: the students' parents or tutors give more value to the educational processes, the teacher values families better, parents are more confident when thinking about the teachers' work with their children, more continuity and coherence is given to the work of families and school; c) for teachers: higher motivation and involvement, families value teachers better and the perception of school also improves in the community.

Jaén School. This public school is located in a blue-collar neighborhood, whose social class is middle and lower middle. The center is one of the first public buildings in this part of the city, it was built during the 1950s in order to assist the schooling necessities of the community at school ages. It is nestled in front of the market with the same name in a mixed area, residential and commercial.

In educational terms, during the term 2008-2009, there were 360 students, 39 were not Spanish natives. Even though, it is convenient to underline the high percentage of students who, in spite of being born in Spain, are children of foreign parents. If we classify by the students' country of birth, there are 321 Spanish, 12 Moroccan, 9 Colombian, 8 Ecuadorian, 4 Romanian, 2 Venezuelan, 1 Bolivian, 1 Indian, 1 Italian and 1 Pakistani. The center has 20% of students whose families were born in other country than Spain.

Moreover, and regarding students in Special Education, it is worth noting there are 10 students in the term 2008-2009. The school staff for that term was 31 teachers and supervisors. The teaching staff currently has the following profile: 17 permanent teachers in the center, 2 teachers in service commission, 7 teachers with temporary posting, 1 teacher in practices, 1 Catholicism teacher, 1 special education monitor and 1 administrative and service monitor.

Finally, it is important to include the Plans and Programs being developed in the educational center for the term 2008-2009, which are the following: Coeducation Plan; Educative Compensation Plan; Opening Project; Information and Communications Technology Program; Bilingualism Program; "Sports in School" Program; Support Program; Self-protection Plan; Space for Peace School Project; Scheduling; and Attention to Diversity.

By contrast, in the school in Seville the approach to diversity -related to immigration- is an issue tangentially and discontinuously incorporated in different educational programs, however, it does not imply the transformation of the organizational structure.

By and large, the main objective of this article is to analyze the way in which families -local and foreign- participate in the academic environment, reflecting on the casuistic differences that stop their more "normalized" presence in the educational center, as well as to learn the activities organized at schools which try to promote family participation. All of this, paying attention to the teachers' perspective in relation to family presence in school and with the transversal axis: "the intercultural".

Family participation in school, foreign families in particular

In any democratic context, taking and thinking about participation is basic and fundamental. In educational contexts, this should be equally essential. Besides a democratic response, family participation in educational centers implies a primordial necessity for the adequate development of students. However, reflection on this topic is not free from difficulties.

For the participation analysis and school-family relations study, it is worth touching on some factors: one of them would suggest, as a theoretical starting point, at the very meaning of participation and what it is meant by this concept. Another factor worth taking into consideration is the reflection on the communication channel and their resources used to bring schools and daily life with the family. Another issue to consider is the expectation level families have toward the school and everything organized inside. Another factor to reflect on would be those aspects to which participation is directed and those in which with no participation is encouraged, among many others.

(...) school has a very important educative function, but if it is not supported by families, then there is nothing we can do. Child education must be a joint undertaking (primary teacher in Jaén, 2009).

Following ^{Pozuelos' indications (2008)} and taking into account the research conducted, we can point out that in the case of Seville's school, there is an important participation of the families in the school's educative aspect, given the fact that it is a Learning Community. Taking a step forward, there is also actual integration of immigrant population, which is considered a positive factor among the rest of the families. In the following testimony of a Spanish mother, a school council representative, we can verify it:

Interviewer: What do you think of Faitha being in the School Council this year?

Interviewee: I think that's very good.

Interviewer: How do you think that happened?

Interviewee: Because that's ok. Why the heck wouldn't a Muslim be part of it? If the girl is involved in everything, poor thing. When we have to make cakes, they are ready immediately. When people from Almería came, they were ready immediately to the meeting, they are people who give themselves, who come to every meeting and face the music, who have the right for being Muslims (family in Seville).

It is true that we pointed out Seville's school as it is the only one found to have families involved in purely didactic aspects of the education of their children at school. In the rest of experiences, participation is merely linked to after-school activities —which are no less important—.

One of the apparent key aspects to think about family participation in educational centers is to take into account the parents' opinion of school functioning and the professionals involved. In this sense, data show that if parents hold a good opinion about the school and everything organized in it, participation will be more encouraged and naturally produced than if, on the contrary, there are significant differences between the educational center and families.

The following testimony of a Spanish father from Jaén is a clear example of absolute inconformity with after-school activities in the center and their organization, which leads to scarce participation:

Interviewer: Do your children participate in after-school activities in the center?

Interviewee: They have activities outside the center. I had them in some activities center last year, but to be honest, I think they were just wasting their time, come on, they did nothing. They began computer science and did nothing, then they enrolled in sport in the school and I didn't see why either. I have tried because I'm interested in the center working and this kind of activities too, but they are not well organized and it's just a waste of time (parent from Jaén, 2009).

However, and against such argument, throughout the investigation we have proved, mostly, several speeches of families who express their agreement with the center's guidelines. They also have a very good opinion of teachers, as manifested by one mother in Jaén:

(...) teachers don't back down, they are totally willing to undertake and start new things (...) the bilingualism thing comes up and they go for it. Another project of coeducation comes up, which implies them going to English classes and they go for it (...) they are truly participative people (...) I see this center is very positive because the teachers are involved and active (parent from Jaén, 2009).

Despite the good relationship between families and the educational center, participation, in general, is deemed scarce by the different agents in the academic field. The discourse that refers to participation of local and foreign families in different after-school activities the educational center organizes highlights two factors among which the justification of the scarce participation, somehow, is essential.

One of the factors rests on economic grounds and the possibilities they offer, or not, for the paying no fee in the case of the Parents Associations or the activities they organize. In turn, this factor seems to be related to the families' available time to be at the center and join their children in the activities. In the following testimony from a Spanish mother, member of the Parents Association, we grasp this idea:

(...) those activities that are a little more expensive, well, they don't take place because nobody will pay for them. So, while doing the activities, we have to consider the economic capacity of the families. For example, we can't go to farm schools as it is really expensive, we think these outings are really expensive for these children, and we look for other activities (parent from Jaén, 2009).

Another factor we encounter —without differentiating between foreign and local families—refers to the families' interest in the centers' after-school activities and their attendance to planned activities; the following testimony of a Spanish mother, member of the Parents Association, is an example:

The information given by the college is ok, the Parents Association has a general meeting at the beginning of the term. Some 15 to 20 people at most go to this reunion, even though this year was incredible because there were only us, Parents Association members, five people from the whole school (...) there has been a poor attendance (...) and that's all, the lack of interest of the parents (parent from Jaén, 2009).

In turn, such interest seems to be related to the way of understanding such activities, and the aims and expectations of the families and their children who approach them. And it is here where we find two kinds of arguments, one that understands after-school activities as entertainment for the children and the center like the place in which they can be until their parents finish working, just as explained by one Moroccan mother in Jaén:

Interviewer: Are they enrolled in any after-school activity?

Interviewee: No.

Interviewer: Why?

Interviewee: Because I haven't enrolled them. Because they stayed at home every day. Because you enroll them and pay more.

Interviewer: So, you are with them.

Interviewee: Of course, I had no other choice. If I have work, we enroll them. If I don't have, I stay at home. Why enrolling them? (Family from Jaén, 2009)

The other argument sees a formative and enhancing function in these activities organized in the center and, therefore, the need to participate in them, just as one Spanish mother from Seville points it out: "(...) everything they do here do it so children have fun, involve, learn, and parents participate" (parent in Seville, 2009).

Concluding on the families' interest in participating in the events taking place in their children's educational center, this seems to depend neither on the foreignness nor on their families, but on a more personal matter that is not related to the origin of the family nuclei and this is the way one Spanish mother in Jaén explains it: "(...) I believe it doesn't matter if they are foreign or Spanish, you can see this in people with little interest and it's not because they are immigrants" (parent in Jaén, 2009).

Truth is, the collected discourses show that families -foreign mostly- know about the Parents Association in the educational centers, which indicates that the possible lack participation does not depend on the lack of knowledge of the organizational or functional aspects of the school; just as the following argument from a Moroccan mother in Jaén:

Interviewer: Do you know that there is a Parents Association?

Interviewee: Yes.

Interviewer: And, do you take part in it?

Interviewee: Yes, but with money.

Interviewer: And do you assist to the PA meetings?

Interviewee: I've been there twice and the other time I couldn't go. Sometimes I have too much work at home, and I've been twice and that's it (family in Jaén, 2009)

Even the following discourse of a school teacher from Jaén highlights the good relation between the PA and the school: "Well, those activities are very important, uh, in this school I'm blown away with the good relation with the PA, with the smooth running of the directive council (...) the PA members respond perfectly, and parents in the School Council respond wonderfully". However, they evenly indicate the scarce parents' general participation in school activities:

(...) But I have to say that in general, participation is poor. I wish parents, well, would respond better to those activities. I don't know if we would have to promote them more, maybe we could make some kind of promotion, perhaps it's just a matter of publicity. Then, after the activity, we can also have some activities, like the experiences, showing photos. Maybe it's possible, we could improve participation a lot, it could grow (primary teacher from Jaén, 2009).

As it is evident in this last fragment of a teacher's answer, there is willingness and concern in the teachers for the improvement and growth of family participation in the educational center, and, in this sense, they reflect and search for possible actions in order to improve it: promoting and informing about what is organized and assessing the activities to acknowledge the level of family satisfaction about the event, and also concretizing the activities at a classroom level and not involving the whole school:

There was a teacher who used to organize meriendas [light suppers] and every parent came, but she didn't do it generally. And as there were people from other countries, well, they brought candies from their countries. And they did participate more than at a whole-school level. At that level it is more disperse and it gets lost (parent in Jaén, 2009).

After-school intercultural activities

Along this investigation period and our contact with the educational centers, we have verified that the after-school activities organized and practiced in the centers and where families' presence is more or less visible generally revolve around different topics:

(...) We have a great time, a large meal, three women came to my house and we prepared it. We celebrate everything here, from Romania, China and well... everything is ok with the principal. A lot of mothers, Spanish, everyone. It was a huge supper; the big table was full. The day of the party, as we were a lot, there weren't any leftovers (parent from Seville, 2009).

As this last testimony by a Romanian mother, the after-school activities that involve more participation of the families in the organization as well as in the development are welcomed by the parents.

At the same time, families explicitly demand the organization of festive activities that show and recreate part of the culture of foreign families in the school. In the following speech, by a Colombian father with an enrolled child in Jaén, it is evident:

Interviewee: Man!, I think the year is too long, it has a lot of days and for example, once a year, they should tell us how many Ecuadorian there are, and make an Ecuadorian activity. Then, I, for example, the Colombians, we can say, look, a Colombian activity, that's great and we organize it. The Ecuadorian on another day, the Indian another, but of course, if there are not a lot of Indians... then that is the problem, there are not many. What activity would they do?

Interviewer: Then, do you think they should speak more about cultures and celebrate specific days?

Interviewee: Of course, doing activities. It also depends on how many people there are. If it's only one, what kind of activity can one person do? There are a lot of Colombians, Ecuadorians, Peruvians, but that's the problem (...) but at least giving the opportunities to show the culture and activities they do in their countries. For example, doing a Spanish activity and let the Colombians later in the same day, but showing a bit of every country and every culture (parent in Jaén, 2009).

As we notice, the main objective in demanding these "more cultural" activities is to reconcile and integrate the "cultures" in the educational center, having some space to show fundamental aspects of those "cultures". However, despite the acceptance of the center and families of this kind of activities, from our theoretical stance, we refute their realization, as they respond to the "reification", "essentialization" and "folklorization" of the "culture" of the families and students' native country. It can convey the broadening of the existing cultural distances, which have to be accompanied by a more didactic treatment of these topics, not with the aim of promoting differences unintendedly by the different agents involved.