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Parent engagement is an essential piece of the education puzzle. Parental involvement can take many forms, and this week’s "Spotlight on Education Excellence" highlights NCLR’s approach to this essential education reform element.
This is the state of education for Hispanic students in America today:
- There are 16 million Hispanic children and youth living in the U.S.
- Fifty-nine percent of Latino youth live in poverty.
- Fifty-one percent of Latino fourth graders read below a basic level, according to the 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).
- Forty-six percent of Latino eighth graders are below basic in math, while 67% are below basic in science (NAEP, 2009).
- About 24% of Latinos from ages 16 to 24 have permanently dropped out of public schools.
These are startling numbers, and NCLR (National Council of La Raza) continues to work diligently to reverse this trend. We support the efforts of PreK–12 schools and programs to provide high-quality, outcome-driven, linguistically and culturally appropriate education for Latino and dual-language learner (DLL) students. We also work to create opportunities for Hispanic parents to proactively support the academic success of their children as they progress through each grade. Latino students consistently have low high school graduation rates and high dropout rates; this is especially troubling given that the Hispanic youth population boomed over the last decade. The situation is even grimmer when we look at early childhood education. Consider this:
- By age five, English-proficient Hispanic children are about three months behind White children in their pre-reading skills. This early gap is already wide upon students’ entrance into kindergarten.
- In 2008, Latino children constituted a majority of enrollees in first grade in several major U.S. cities.: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Antonio, San Diego, Dallas, and San Jose, Calif.
- By 2050, the child population in the U.S. is expected to be 62% minority.
To address these issues, NCLR has been heavily engaged in crafting useful parent engagement programs. We know that parents can be strong contributors to their kids’ educational success and that they are invested in the future of their children. Keeping this idea at the forefront from preschool through high school will promote "authentic, meaningful relationships, respectful open communication, and participation among families, children, and school staff." (NCLR Core Qualities “CQ 5: Sustained Meaningful Relationships”)
These ideas are the linchpin of our Padres Comprometidos, our parent engagement curriculum for prekindergarten, elementary, and secondary levels in English and Spanish to reach out to parents who are traditionally disconnected to schools. For more information on Padres Comrpometidos, visit www.nclr.org/education.
When parents are welcomed, supported, and valued in school they can engage in a collaborative process with teachers and school staff in supporting their student and enhancing their own skills. A collaborative process utilizes the resources and assets of families, and continually focuses on building respectful relationships with ongoing communication. Family values, knowledge, and interests are integrated with principles of teaching and learning to co-create learning goals and expected academic and social outcomes of growth. When schools empower parents, they become dedicated advocates for the school and for quality education for children.