In this first issue under our editorial leadership, we are proud to present the work of a diverse group of scholars whose research reflects the reimagined focus and scope of the JFDE. In the first featured article, Dr. Cynthia C. Reyes and colleagues not only center the experiences and knowledge of refugee families but do so through the use of decolonized methods that “[...] interrogate the power structure inherent in research relationships between ‘researcher’ and ‘researched’ (p. 2). The second featured article, centers the experiences of families of students who are classified as both English learners and with dis/abilities. In their work, Dr. Jamey Burho and Dr. Karen Thompson highlight the actions parents took to actively subvert power structures inherent in the communication process and flow of information received from school officials. 

Continuing the trend of intentionally centering the voices and experiences of parents and families, the third featured article by Robert Cotto Jr. and Dr. Sarah Woulfin utilizes mixed-methods to explore the family decision-making process of returning to in-person schooling during the Covid-19 pandemic and in the process calls into question the concept of “school choice with(out) equity.” The fourth featured article in this issue utilizes institutional agency and community cultural wealth frameworks to explore the collective work of the Council of African American Parents (CAAP). In centering the collective work of Black parents, Dr. Raquel M. Rall nuances how Black parental collective involvement “[...] influences the academic preparation, path, and destination of Black students” (p. 81). Finally, Zhen Lin provides a book review of the edited volume from Dr. Guofang Li and Dr. Wen Ma entitled Educating Chinese-heritage Students in the Global-Local Nexus: Identities, Challenges, and Opportunities that centers the experiences of Chinese-heritage students from a more global perspective.

Collectively these works challenge deficit and racist ideologies that perpetually surround historically marginalized families, parents, and communities. We hope that these pieces serve as a reminder for JFDE readers to continue engaging in practices, research, and work that creates equitable, collectivist, liberatory, and humanizing spaces with and alongside historically marginalized families, parents, and communities.