The 20th Annual Conference of the National Association for the Education and Advancement of Cambodians, Laotian and Vietnamese Americans.

"Honoring Our Past As We Enter Our Future"

Hiep Chu is Project Director of the National Asian Family/School Partnership Project at the National Coalition of Advocates for Students (NCAS). From 1994-99, Hiep was the Program Coordinator of the Institute for Asian American Studies at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. From 1990-94 he was the Executive Director of the Vietnamese American Civic Association, Boston, MA.

The goal of this workshop is to increase Southeast Asian parents’ capacity to participate in education reform at local, state, and national levels by working with the Southeast Asian American community-based organizations and local associations to establish Southeast Asian parent associations. The Presenter will present on ways and steps to work with teachers, community leaders and parents to organize Southeast Asian parents in establishing parent associations. The session will help participants to work with parents to: 1) overcome language and cultural barriers; 2) know their own and their children’s legal rights; 3) know what the U.S. schools expect of them and what they should expect of the schools; 4) identify parents leaders to strengthen their advocacy capacity; and 5) establish Southeast Asian parent associations. The session will also help participants to identify parent training materials and to support the work of establishing parent associations.