This article presents a social ecological model to increase our understanding of the dynamic interplay between the home and school contexts of Mexican American children and to promote the engagement of their parents and families in the educational process. More specifically, the social ecological model is used to explain processes that occur within those contexts in order to bridge the sociocultural gap that often exists between the home and school experiences of Mexican children and adolescents. The application of the social ecological model will hopefully lead to higher levels of effectiveness in efforts to promote parental engagement and greater academic success among Mexican Americans. (Contains 1 figure and 1 footnote.)