ORIGINAL ARTICLE Culture, food, and language: Perspectives from immigrant mothers in school science Sumi Hagiwara Æ Angela Calabrese Barton Æ Isobel Contento Received: 10 May 2007 / Accepted: 10 May 2007 / Published online: 3 July 2007 Ó Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2007 Abstract The article explores the role of immigrant parents in middle school science as both teachers and learners as part of an urban middle school curriculum, the Linking in Food and the Environment (LiFE) program. The curriculum engaged parents as partners with science teachers to teach science through food. Over a 2-year period, parents attended a series of bilingual workshops, collaborated with classroom teachers, managed activities, guided student inquiry, and assisted in classroom management. The following study analyzes the role of culture, language, and identity as four mothers navigated their position as ‘insiders’ in a science classroom. Keywords Immigrant parents Á Dominican mothers Á Culture Á Language Á Parent involvement Creating spaces for Dominican mothers in school science Recent data from the Census Bureau concluded that Latinos contributed to nearly half the population growth in the United States over the last five years (U.S. Department of Commerce, 2006). Contrary to previous immigration patterns, enclaves of Latino S. Hagiwara (&) Department of Early Childhood, Elementary, and Literacy Education, Montclair State University, 1 Normal Avenue, 3179 University Hall, Upper Montclair, NJ 07043, USA e-mail: hagiwaras@mail.montclair.edu A. Calabrese Barton Department of Teacher Education, Michigan State University, 329 Erickson Hall, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA I. Contento Department of Nutrition Education, Literacy in Food and the Environment (LiFE) Program, Teachers College, Columbia University, 525 W. 120th St., Box 137, New York, NY 10027, USA 123 Cult Scie Edu (2007) 2:475–515 DOI 10.1007/s11422-007-9063-z