2013

Empowering Hispanic Parents

Stephanie Dodson

EDU 647: Projects in Curriculum &

Instruction

Dr. Karin Lukacs

November 25, 2013

Dodson 1

Table of Contents

I: Needs Statement…………………………………………………..2

II: Project Goals, Objectives, & Indicators……………………………………5

III: Project Design………………………………………………7

IV: Project Results………………………………………………….15

V: Implications…………………………………………………….20

VI: Personal Reflection…………………………………………………….33

References……………………………………………………………34

Appendix I: Parent Survey………………………………………36

Appendix II: Program

Invitation………………………………………………….37

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I: Needs Statement

Immigrant parents experience communication barriers that impair their ability to

serve as partners in their children’s education (Guo, 2010; Guo, 2012; McCormick &

Ozuna, 2012). Green Leaf High School (GLHS), located in a small urban school district

in Northern Virginia, has a student population that is approximately 46% Hispanic

(National Center for Education Statistics, 2013). An organization is needed to support

Hispanic families by facilitating communication between Spanish-speaking parents and

the school. The goal of this project is to empower Hispanic parents to serve as equal,

involved partners in their child’s education.

Extensive literature supports the need for a strong partnership between a child’s

family and school. Reschly and Christenson (2012) discuss the importance of the

school-family partnership in the article "Moving from Context Matters to Engaged

Partnerships with Families." The authors define this partnership as a mesosystem, in

which school and family comprise a system that affects a student's educational

outcomes. The system is characterized by the principle of circular causality, which

"refers to the effect changes in one part of a system may have in other areas (p. 64).”

For example, “a change to family childcare arrangements after school may positively or

negatively change a student’s preparation and homework completion, which in turn may

affect grades and test performance in school (p. 64).” The mesosystem framework

illustrates the need for a strong partnership between schools and families. The two

systems must communicate effectively in order to function as part of the larger system

that determines a child's educational outcomes (p. 64).

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Effective two-way communication is an essential component of the school-family

partnership. In the case of immigrant parents, communication barriers may hinder this

partnership, and these barriers must be overcome in order for the two parties to work

together effectively (Guo, 2010; Guo, 2012; McCormick & Ozuna, 2012). Linguistic

barriers are a factor in cases where parents and school personnel do not share a

common language (Guo, 2010; Guo, 2012). At GLHS, for example, many parents speak

only Spanish. This makes it difficult for these families to communicate with English-

speaking teachers, administrators, and staff.

Language barriers are not the only roadblock for the school-family system.

Cultural differences also hinder communication. Immigrant parents may be unfamiliar

with the host country’s school system and thus lack the agency to advocate on behalf of

their child’s education (Guo, 2012, p. 123). Teachers, in turn, may lack the experience

and awareness necessary to communicate with parents from different cultures (p.122).

Teachers may misinterpret a student’s behavior, such as refusal to make eye contact,

because they are unfamiliar with that student’s culture (p. 125). According to Guo

(2012), some teachers fear diversity in the aftermath of the September 11th terrorist

attacks. She argues that “the current curriculum and teaching practice… characterized

by Eurocentric perspectives, standards, and values, do not reflect the knowledge and

experiences of our culturally and religiously diverse student and parent population (p.

122).” Furthermore, she argues that “barriers such as class and race” hinder

communication (p. 122). These include “educators’ cultural biases, and their generally

low expectations of immigrant parents (pp. 122-123).”

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Guo (2012) describes how immigrant parents are frequently viewed by schools

in terms of their “deficits,” rather than their strengths. This “difference as deficit” mindset

focuses on “parents’ inability to speak English and their difficulties in communicating

with schools, rather than on the strengths of these individuals (p. 122).” For example,

Guo cites “the unique way that immigrant parents engage in their children’s education,”

which “is often ignored by teachers and school administrators (p. 122 ).”

Guo presents an alternative model for the home/school relationship that

emphasizes immigrant parents’ strengths rather than their weaknesses. She argues that

schools should recognize the knowledge these parents possess, including “that drawn

from [parents’] own educational backgrounds, their professional and personal

experiences of interacting with schools in their countries of origin… their current

understanding of the host country’s education system, their own struggles as immigrant

parents, and their future aspirations for their children (p. 124).” Guo describes how

schools should view this knowledge as an asset rather than a deficit:

Knowledge is power; knowledge is socially constructed, culturally mediated, and

historically situated… Mobilizing [immigrant parents’] knowledge systematically in

the classroom by teachers and administrators would promote insightful

connections between curricular goals and immigrant students’ experiences… (p.

123).

By focusing on knowledge rather than deficits, argues Guo, schools will be able to

develop stronger partnerships with parents from different cultures.

The literature indicates a clear need for an organization that facilitates

communication between Green Leaf High School and its Spanish-speaking parents.

Dodson 5

Overcoming linguistic and cultural barriers will enable schools and families to function

as partners in supporting their children’s education.

II: Project Goals, Objectives, & Indicators

Project Goal: To empower Spanish-speaking families to serve as equal,

involved partners in their child's education.

Green Leaf High School has a growing population of Spanish-speaking students

and families. The goal of this project is to develop and strengthen the home-school

connection with these families and to overcome communication barriers that may

prevent Spanish-speaking parents from becoming partners in their child’s education.

Spanish-speaking parents will gain the agency to serve as equal partners in the

educational process.

Objective: Parents will engage in constructive dialogue with teachers,

administrators, and staff members about issues affecting their child's

education.

Indicators that will be used to measure this objective include the following:

1) Parent attendance: Attendance at meetings by parents and staff is crucial to

the program’s success. Therefore, we will look for a measurable increase in

attendance from one meeting to the next. We will strive for 100% attendance

among Spanish-speaking families.

2) Staff attendance: All staff members will attend at least one meeting during

the school year.

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3) Parent participation during meetings: Program meetings are an

opportunity for parents to engage in dialogue with staff members. Parent

participation during meetings is an indication of the program’s success. We

may use the following indicator questions to determine whether a meeting

was successful:

Did parents and staff engage in active, constructive discussions?

Did every parent ask a question during the meeting?

Did parents receive satisfactory answers to their questions?

Were there enough interpreters present to facilitate communication?

Did the meeting lead to more frequent two-way communication

between parents and the school?

Did the meeting strengthen the home-school connection?

Dodson 7

III: Project Design

Vision

The overall vision for this project is to start an organization that will meet on a

regular basis and provide programs for Spanish-speaking parents. Parents will meet at

the school to participate in training sessions, panel discussions, Q&A sessions, and

other program events. All sessions will serve to further the goal of empowering Spanish-

speaking parents to serve as equal and engaged partners in their child's education.

Facilitating Two-Way Communication

Two-way communication is an essential component of the school-family

partnership. This project aims to overcome cultural and socioeconomic barriers by

inviting Spanish-speaking parents to interact with school personnel and learn how to

utilize school facilities, resources, and services. English-speaking school personnel will

also be invited to attend events and interact with parents. These interactions will

strengthen the school-family relationship and facilitate ongoing two-way communication.

Communication barriers between Hispanic families and U.S. high schools exist

on multiple levels: linguistic, cultural, and socioeconomic. Many parents speak only

Spanish, while school personnel may speak only English. Culturally speaking, Hispanic

families may be unfamiliar with the U.S. educational system and its norms, procedures,

and expectations. Finally, parents from lower socioeconomic backgrounds may lack the

skills necessary to advocate for their child’s education (Guo, 2012, p. 123).

To overcome communication barriers, parents will have the opportunity to attend

sessions in which they learn how the school is organized, how to communicate with

Dodson 8

their child’s teachers, and how to utilize school resources and services. Through panel

discussions, on-site parent-teacher conferences, and Q&A sessions, parents will have

the opportunity to interact with a wide range of school personnel, including teachers,

administrators, guidance counselors, librarian, and school nurse. Parents will acquire

the knowledge, skills, and confidence necessary to communicate with the school;

advocate for their child; and serve as an equal partner in their child’s education.

English-speaking school personnel will, likewise, have the opportunity to interact with

Spanish-speaking parents.

Recruiting Interpreters

Volunteer interpreters will be recruited to compensate for the language barrier

during program meetings. The interpreters will facilitate communication between

Spanish-speaking parents and English-speaking school personnel. Interpreters will be

recruited among bilingual parents and school personnel. Parents and staff will be

provided with contact information for interpreters who are available to assist with future

communications, including conferences, e-mails, and phone calls.

Planning Stage

I began planning this project in September of 2013. My initial proposal of a guest

speaker program was rejected by my principal due to security concerns. On September

19, I met with the principal to discuss a new idea: to start an organization to support

communication between the school and Spanish-speaking parents. My principal

Dodson 9

enthusiastically embraced this idea and directed me to collaborate with the ESL

teachers, who were planning a similar program for their department.

Throughout October, I attempted to plan the project in collaboration with ESL

teachers. However, these colleagues were busy with other priorities. On October 28, I

approached the principal and requested permission to host a small-scale event for just

my students and their parents. He approved the request, and we agreed that this event

would serve as a model for future, school-wide programs geared toward Spanish-

speaking families. We scheduled the initial meeting for the evening of Thursday,

November 14.

The principal asked me to include a help session for online student registration.

This year, Green Leaf High School is trying to get all families to complete the

registration process so that we have up-to-date contact information for each student's

family. As of October 28, there were still 150 students whose parents had not completed

online registration.

Next, I needed to recruit staff members, and possibly parents, to help with the

program. The principal agreed to participate in a Q&A session with parents. I

approached the school nurse, Ms. Morris, with the idea of doing an informational

session for Spanish-speaking parents. She enthusiastically agreed. Ms. Morris, who

does not speak Spanish, was very excited at the prospect of being able to share

information on health services with the Spanish-speaking community.

My next step was to e-mail ten bilingual staff members from Green Leaf High

School and Middle School to request their services as interpreters and facilitators for the

November 14th program. Four colleagues agreed to help: Ms. Smith, ESL Teacher; Ms.

Dodson 10

Flores, Instructional Assistant; Ms. Gonzalez, Math Teacher; and Ms. Weaver,

Language Arts Teacher, who is also the parent of a current student. I assigned Ms.

Smith to serve as interpreter for Ms. Morris during the nurse's program. Ms. Smith and

Ms. Morris met prior to the initial meeting to review information and Spanish vocabulary

related to Ms. Morris's presentation.

On November 2, I sent home a parent survey to assess interest and availability

regarding school programs for Spanish-speaking families. Survey results will be

discussed in a later section. On November 6, I sent home parent invitations to the

November 14th meeting. Invitations were given to seventy-four students with one or

more Spanish-speaking parents, and to other students who expressed interest in

attending the program. During parent-teacher conferences, which were held on

November 5, I also distributed invitations and told parents about the program. Two of

these parents told me they planned to attend the program.

On November 13, the day before the first meeting, I made phone calls to twenty-

three Spanish-speaking households, inviting parents to attend the program. Twelve

parents told me they would try to make it, including the two I had spoken with at

conferences, while one father told me would be unable to attend because he had to

work on Thursday evenings. I left voice-mail messages for twelve households and left a

message with one household member. Three households appeared to hang up on me,

while the remaining phone numbers did not have functioning voice-mail systems.

Dodson 11

Timeline of Events

Initial Meeting

The initial meeting was held on Thursday, November 14, 2014, at Green Leaf

High School. There were nineteen participants, consisting of six parents (five mothers

and one father), five students, the principal, and seven staff members (one of whom is

also the parent of a current student). Several younger siblings were also in attendance.

The program consisted of a Q&A session with the principal, Mr. Jones, followed by an

informational session led by the school nurse, Ms. Morris. Plans for a session on online

student registration were canceled because those in attendance had already completed

this process.

As parents, students, and younger siblings arrived, Ms. Weaver, Ms. Smith, Ms.

Gonzalez, and I greeted them and thanked them for coming. After signing in,

participants were invited to mingle for a few minutes and enjoy snacks provided in the

library. Next, we began the program in the library meeting hall.

Dodson 12

Principal's Forum

We began with a session led by the principal, Mr. Jones. I interpreted the

program to Spanish and Ms. Smith (ESL teacher) was also on hand to help facilitate

communication. To begin, I thanked parents and students for coming and introduced Mr.

Jones. Mr. Jones began by sharing a PowerPoint presentation with information he

wanted to share with parents. He discussed AP (Advanced Placement) courses, which

allow students to receive college credit, and emphasized that all students are

encouraged to take these classes. He outlined the school's strengths and weaknesses

on state exams, and discussed how the school is striving to raise math scores.

Dodson 13

Next, parents were invited to ask Mr. Jones questions. Questions asked

[paraphrased] included the following:

“My son is struggling in all his subjects and I really want to help him. What can I do?”

“When can my child stay after school for tutoring?”

“What is the schedule for math tutoring?”

“Does my son need to sign up ahead of time for Saturday math tutoring, or can he just

show up?”

“Is there a way to find out if my son is really staying after school with teachers, or

whether he is just hanging out somewhere with friends?”

In addition, a student raised her hand and asked whether she should drop a history

course that she was currently failing.

Mr. Jones provided information and feedback in response to each question. Ms.

Smith, who frequently serves as an interpreter for parent meetings, also helped answer

questions and direct parents to appropriate resources. In response to their questions,

parents received information on after-school tutoring sessions, Saturday Math School

(assistance with math offered every other Saturday), and how to communicate with

teachers by phone or e-mail. Parents in need of an interpreter for communicating with

teachers were directed to contact Ms. Dodson or Ms. Smith. Mr. Jones made plans with

one mother to meet and develop an individual study plan for her son.

Before asking her question, one mother thanked the school for organizing this

program. She told us that she had previously attended a school program for Spanish-

speaking parents while living in another city, and that she thought it was important to

have a similar program here.

Dodson 14

Nurse's Program

Next, participants went to my (Ms. Dodson's) classroom for the nurse's program.

Ms. Smith (ESL Teacher) served as interpreter for this segment. Ms. Morris shared

information on a free clinic offered at the local community center, as well as a local

program offering vaccinations. She explained her role as the school nurse and

discussed what she can and cannot do in this capacity. She explained the form parents

should complete to give permission for their child to take medication at school, and

explained the procedure for taking medication at school (she keeps the medication in

her office, and students can come to the clinic to use it). She also discussed the

importance of informing the school about any allergies a child may have, so that the

school is prepared to take action in case of an allergic reaction that occurs at school.

Ms. Morris distributed literature in Spanish, including information on the free clinic

and copies of the medication and allergy forms. She answered questions on how to fill

out the forms. One parent completed an allergy form for a condition that had not been

previously disclosed to the school.

At the conclusion of the nurse's program, I thanked parents for coming and

invited everyone to take a tour of the clinic and have their blood pressure checked by

Ms. Morris. Following the clinic tour, several parents stayed longer for one-on-one

conversations with teachers, the nurse, and the principal. I brought one parent to see

the principal and obtain a schedule for Saturday Math School, a twice-monthly program

for students struggling in math.

Dodson 15

IV: Project Results

Parent Survey

Prior to the initial meeting, a Spanish-language survey (see Appendix) was

deployed to assess parent interest and availability regarding school programs for

Spanish-speaking parents. The survey was sent home with students who reported

having one or more Spanish-speaking parent(s). Additional copies were distributed

during parent-teacher conferences and to former students known to have Spanish-

speaking parents. Twenty-six completed surveys were collected out of approximately

one hundred copies distributed.

Spoken & Preferred Languages

Parents were asked to identify language(s) spoken at home and their preferred

language(s) for communicating with the school. They were instructed to check all

applicable boxes: “Spanish,” “English,” and “Other” (those who selected “Other” were

asked to identify language spoken).

Dodson 16

Fourteen out of twenty-six respondents (54%) reported speaking only Spanish at

home. Eight respondents (31%) reported speaking both Spanish and English, while

three respondents (12%) reported speaking only English at home. One respondent

reported “Spanglish” as the language spoken at home.

Sixteen respondents (62%) identified Spanish as their preferred language for

communicating with the school. Seven respondents (27%) selected English, while three

respondents (12%) selected both Spanish and English as preferred languages for

communication.

Program Interest

Parents were asked to check all applicable boxes for school programs they

would be interested in attending. Choices included “Q&A session with principal,” “How

to use PowerSchool [online parent portal],” “Communication with teachers,” “College

and scholarship applications,” “How to help your child be successful in school,” “English

Dodson 17

as a Second Language classes,” and “Other.” Respondents who selected “Other” were

asked to specify program type(s).

The greatest number of responses (13) was recorded for “How to help your

children be successful in school.” The second most popular selection (12 responses)

was “College and scholarship applications.” The fewest number of responses (3) was

recorded for “Q&A session with principal.” Zero respondents marked “Other.”

Availability to Attend Programs

Parents were asked to check all applicable boxes indicating when they would be

available to attend programs at the school. Respondents could select from the following

choices:

Dodson 18

Day Afternoon Evening

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Twenty-one out of twenty-six respondents marked at least one selection. Five

respondents left this section blank.

Dodson 19

For day(s) available, Monday was the most popular selection, with thirteen

responses. Thursday was the least popular selection, with eight responses. For time of

day, evening was the most popular selection, with twelve responses. Seven

respondents selected afternoon, while two respondents selected both afternoon and

evening.

Interest in Serving as Interpreter

The last survey question asked parents to check “yes” or “no” regarding their

interest in serving as a volunteer interpreter for school programs. Out of twenty-six

respondents, three selected “yes.” One of these parents included a personal note

inviting me to contact her if she could be of assistance. Twenty-two respondents marked

“no,” and one did not mark a selection.

Dodson 20

V: Implications

Analysis of Survey Data

Green Leaf High School has a student population of 790. Since 46% of students

are Hispanic, this means that there are approximately 363 Hispanic households. We will

use this total for further analysis.

Spoken & Preferred Language(s)

Fifty-four percent of respondents reported Spanish as their only language spoken

at home. We can use this percentage to predict the total number of households where

Spanish is the only language spoken. We will calculate the predicted number by solving

for “X” using the following ratio:

54 (percentage) = X (households)

100 (total) 363 (total households)

We can solve for X as follows: X = 54 x 363 ÷ 100.

This calculation yields a result of X= 196 households. Thus, we can predict that

Green Leaf High School has 196 households where Spanish is the only language

spoken.

Language(s) Spoken

at Home

Number of

Households

(Out of 26)

% of Total Predicted Number of

Households

(Out of 363)

Spanish 14 54% 196

Spanish & English 8 31% 113

English 3 12% 44

Other: “Spanglish” 1 4% 15

Dodson 21

We can repeat this calculation to predict that there are 113 households where both

Spanish & English are spoken, 44 households where only English is spoken at home,

and 15 households that may identify their home language as “Spanglish.”

Regarding the forty-four households where only English is spoken at home, we

can infer that these households boast at least one bilingual parent. The bilingual parent

is sufficiently proficient in Spanish to be able to complete the survey, but he/she speaks

only English at home with their family. This figure indicates that there are at least forty-

four bilingual parents school-wide who are proficient in both Spanish and English. I will

attempt to recruit these parents to serve as volunteer interpreters for future programs.

Preferred Language

for Communicating

With School

Number of

Households

(Out of 26)

% of Total Predicted Number of

Households

(Out of 363)

Spanish 16 62% 225

Spanish & English 7 27% 98

English 3 12% 44

I repeated these calculations for respondents' preferred language for

communicating with the school. We can predict that out of 363 Spanish-speaking

households, 225 prefer using Spanish to communicate with the school; 98 prefer

Spanish or English; and 44 prefer to use English.

Especially important is the number of respondents (225) who prefer to use

Spanish to communicate with the school. This figure represents 28% of the entire

student population. It is extremely important that these parents have access to

interpreters and Spanish translations of printed communications from the school.

Likewise, English-speaking teachers need access to interpreters and translators in

order to communicate effectively with this population.

Dodson 22

Program Interest

Respondents were instructed to check all applicable boxes for programs they

would be interested in attending. The following response numbers were recorded:

Program Type Number of responses

Q&A session with principal 3

How to use PowerSchool [online parent portal] 6

Communication with teachers 10

College and scholarship applications 12

How to help your child(ren) be successful in school 13

English as a Second Language classes 9

“Q&A with the principal” received the fewest number of responses (3). Despite

this low number, six parents attended the principal’s Q&A session during the November

14th program. Based on program interest alone, we can use this data to extrapolate

predictions for attendance at future sessions.

Let’s begin with “How to use PowerSchool,” which received 6 survey responses.

This is twice the number of responses (3) for “Q&A session with principal.” We can

extrapolate, therefore, that there is twice as much interest in the PowerSchool program

as in the Principal’s program. We will use this ratio to calculate predicted attendance at

the PowerSchool program.

Y (predicted attendance at P.S. program) = 2 x 6 parents (attendance at principal’s program)

Y = 12 parents

By solving for Y, we can predict that 12 parents will attend the PowerSchool program.

We will repeat this procedure to calculate predicted attendance for the remaining

programs types. Answers will be rounded to the nearest whole number.

Dodson 23

Q (predicted attendance at “Communication with teachers”) = 3.3 X 6

Q = 19.8

Z (predicted attendance at “College & scholarship applications) = 4 X 6

Z = 24

P (predicted attendance at “How to help your children…”) = 4.3 X 6

P = 25.8

F (predicted attendance at “ESL classes”) = 3 X 6

F = 18

Program Type

Number of survey responses

Predicted Meeting Attendance (in number of parents)

How to use PowerSchool [online parent portal] 6

12

Communication with teachers 10

20

College and scholarship applications 12

24

How to help your child(ren) be successful in school 13

26

English as a Second Language classes 9

18

Based on these calculations, we can predict that if the same population of

parents is invited future meetings, we can expect that 12 parents will attend the

“PowerSchool” session, 20 parents will attend “Communication with teachers,” 24 will

attend “College and scholarship applications,” 26 will attend “How to help your child be

successful in school,” and 18 will attend “ESL classes.”

However, we must consider the fact that future meetings will be expanded to

include all Spanish-speaking households in the school, not just those of my students. As

a base population for the initial program, we will use the seventy-four students with one

Dodson 24

or more Spanish-speaking parents who received program invitations. We will refer back

to our earlier figures for school-wide population:

Language(s) Spoken

at Home

Number of

Households

(Out of 26)

% of Total Predicted Number of

Households

(Out of 363)

Spanish 14 54% 196

Spanish & English 8 31% 113

English 3 12% 44

Other: “Spanglish” 1 4% 15

For these calculations, we will assume that every household is potentially interested in

attending every program. (We will not consider the effect of specialized programs such

as English as a Second Language Classes, which would only be relevant to non-

English-speaking families). Thus, we will use our total population of 363 Spanish-

speaking households to predict meeting attendance.

We will calculate predicted school-wide attendance per program type using the

following ratio:

Predicted attendance = Predicted school-wide attendance (S)

74 households 363 households

We can calculate predicted school-wide attendance by solving for S. Let’s began with

“How to use PowerSchool.”

12 parents = S

74 363

S = 12 X 363 / 74

S = 58.9 parents

Dodson 25

By solving for S, we can predict that fifty-nine parents will attend the PowerSchool

session. I repeated these calculations for the remaining program types. Answers are

rounded to the nearest whole number.

Program Type

Predicted Attendance (out of 74 households) Measured in Number of Parents

Predicted School-wide Attendance (out of 363 households) Measured in Number of Parents

How to use PowerSchool [online parent portal]

12

59

Communication with teachers

20 98

College and scholarship applications

24

118

How to help your child(ren) be successful in school

26

128

English as a Second Language classes

18

88

Availability to Attend Programs

Now, we will turn our attention to the effect of day of the week on program

attendance. As mentioned, respondents were instructed to select all applicable choices

for days available. The responses numbers are below:

Day Number of Responses

Monday 13

Tuesday 10

Wednesday 11

Thursday 8

Friday 10

The initial meeting was held on a Thursday, which was the least popular day

according to the survey. Based on the survey responses, it is logical to predict that

changing the program day will result in a greater turnout of parents. We can calculate

Dodson 26

the predicted increase in attendance as a percentage. Let’s start with Monday, the most

popular day, with 13 responses.

Percent increase (P) = (End Value – Starting Value) / Starting Value

P = (13 [Monday Responses] – 8 [Thursday responses]) / 8 [Thursday responses]

P = .63 = 63%

By solving for P, we can predict that moving the program from Thursday to Monday will result in

a 63% increase in meeting attendance.

Day Predicted % Increase in Meeting Attendance

Monday 63%

Tuesday 25%

Wednesday 38%

Friday 25%

By repeating this process for the remaining days of the week, we can predict that

moving the meeting day from Thursday to Monday will result in the greatest percentage

increase (63%) in meeting attendance.

Regarding time of day, our data shows that the majority of responses were

recorded for “evening” as a preferred meeting time. This result indicates that we can

maximize attendance by continuing to hold meetings in the evening versus afternoon.

Based on the survey data, I predict that Monday evening is the meeting time that will

yield the highest level of parent attendance.

Dodson 27

Interest in Serving as Interpreter

We will use two methods to predict interest in serving as interpreter among the

Hispanic parent population. First, we will predict the number of parents who may be

interested based on the percentage of affirmative survey responses. Second, we will

examine the percentage of parents who may be identified as bilingual based on their

stated languages spoken at home.

Three out of twenty-six (12%) respondents indicated that they would be

interested in serving as a volunteer interpreter for future programs. We can use this

percentage to calculate predicted interest among the general Hispanic population.

12 = N (interested parents)

100 363 (total Hispanic parents)

N = 43.56

By rounding our answer to the nearest whole number, we can predict that there are 44

parents school-wide who may be interested in serving as interpreters. Strikingly, this is

the same predicted number of Spanish-speaking parents who report speaking only

English at home:

Language(s) Spoken

at Home

Number of

Households

(Out of 26)

% of Total Predicted Number of

Households

(Out of 363)

Spanish 14 54% 196

Spanish & English 8 31% 113

English 3 12% 44

Other: “Spanglish” 1 4% 15

Survey results indicate that the interest level (12%) in serving as an interpreter is

identical to the percentage of Spanish-speaking parents (12%) who report speaking

Dodson 28

only English at home. To me, this result indicates that there is strong interest among

bilingual parents in serving as an interpreter for school programs.

Conclusions

To evaluate the success of the first program, we can return to our list of goals,

objectives, and indicators. Our overall goal is to empower Spanish-speaking families to

serve as equal, involved partners in their child's education. Our objective is for parents

to engage in constructive dialogue with teachers, administrators, and staff members

about issues affecting their child's education. Our indicators for this objective are parent

attendance and parent participation during meetings.

First, let’s address the parent attendance indicator. Since I was unsure if anyone

would attend, I was pleased that six parents attended the first meeting. In the “Analysis”

section, I discussed strategies that I will implement to increase parent attendance at

future meetings. First, we will choose meeting topics that are of interest to parents.

Survey results predict the highest turnout for programs related to “How to help your

child be successful in school” and “College and scholarship applications.” I will include

these sessions at future meetings, and I will continue using surveys to assess parent

interest in different program types. Next, we will schedule meetings for days and times

when parents report being able to attend. The next meeting will be moved to Monday

evening, since the highest attendance is predicted for this day and time.

Next, let’s address the staff attendance indicator. Once again, I was very pleased

with the number of staff who attended the first meeting. I will invite staff members to the

next meeting and try to have every staff members attend at least one meeting before

Dodson 29

the end of the school year. This way, every staff member will have the opportunity to

interact with Spanish-speaking parents, and the parents will have opportunities to

interact with a wide range of staff members.

Our third indicator is parent participation during meetings. We can use several

questions to determine whether this indicator was met.

Did parents and staff engage in active, constructive discussions?

Parents and staff engaged in active, constructive discussions during this meeting.

Both parties had the opportunity to share information with one another, and parents had

the opportunity to ask questions and receive answers from the principal and staff.

Did every parent ask a question during the meeting?

Every parent in attendance asked at least one question.

Did parents receive satisfactory answers to their questions?

My perception was that parents received satisfactory answers. However, I plan to

contact the parents who attended and ask for their feedback.

Were there enough interpreters present to facilitate communication?

There were five interpreters (all staff volunteers) present at the initial meeting. They

were able to manage the workload of facilitating communicating between parents and

staff. Our data analysis predicts that there are forty-four bilingual parents school-wide

who may be interested in serving as interpreters. This is a sufficient number to start a

network of interpreters to facilitate communication at program meetings.

Dodson 30

Did the meeting lead to more frequent two-way communication between parents and

the school?

Did the meeting strengthen the home-school connection?

I will address these two questions together. Evidence suggests that this meeting

strengthened the home-school connection and will lead to more frequent two-way

communication between parents and the school.

Ms. Morris, the nurse, commented to me that “the whole meeting was worth it just to

get that allergy form.” She was referring to the parent disclosure of a child’s allergy that

was previously unknown to the school. During the meeting, the parent was able to

provide the nurse with valuable, life-saving information regarding the child’s condition. In

addition, the nurse and the parent now know how to contact one another. This session

paved the way for future two-way communication related to the child’s health.

One parent made plans to meet with the principal and develop a plan to help her

son, who is struggling academically. This meeting is likely to lead to further

communication between this parent, the principal, and her son’s teachers.

One father inquired about math tutoring and received a copy of the schedule for

Saturday Math School. As a result of the meeting, he knows about the math sessions

and how his son can attend. My perception is that the father will begin taking advantage

of these tutoring opportunities for his son, and that this is likely to lead to further

communication with his son’s teachers.

Parents were told how to contact Ms. Morris and Ms. Dodson when they need an

interpreter. Now that they know there are interpreters available, and how to access

them, I believe that parents will be likelier to initiate contact with their child’s teachers.

Dodson 31

Several parents thanked me for organizing the meeting. Based on this feedback,

I believe that parents had a positive experience that will make them likelier to attend

school functions in the future.

Next Steps

The principal has given approval for a second meeting to be held in January, at

the end of the second grading quarter. The second meeting will be expanded to include

all Spanish-speaking families in the school. The principal has also discussed hosting a

program of similar format for English-speaking families.

I am hopeful that this project will grow into a cohesive group that meets regularly,

perhaps once a month. Prior to the next meeting, I will enlist other bilingual teachers to

help make phone calls inviting parents to attend. We will strive to call every Spanish-

speaking parent in the school to let them know about the meeting. I am also hopeful that

word of mouth among Spanish-speaking parents will encourage more families to attend.

My plan is for as many school personnel as possible to be involved in this

program. I plan to invite school personnel including teachers, administrators, guidance

counselors, nurse, librarian, and others to attend meetings and interact with Spanish-

speaking parents. Staff members will be invited to participate in Q&A sessions, panel

discussions, and training sessions for Spanish-speaking families. I will send an

introductory e-mail to staff explaining the project purpose and letting them know that

there will be interpreters on hand to facilitate communication. For the next meeting, I

Dodson 32

plan to ask guidance counselors to give presentations on college and scholarship

applications.

Interpreters are critical to the program's success. For a larger scale program, we

will need many interpreters. I plan recruit as many volunteer interpreters as possible to

facilitate communication during meetings. I will contact bilingual parents and staff

members to enlist their services. We will hold a session for interpreters prior to the next

meeting. During this session, we will discuss the program's goals and the role volunteer

interpreters will play during meetings.

Plans for the initial meeting included a help session for online student

registration. However, this segment was cancelled because everyone in attendance had

already completed the registration process. Our administration wants every parent to

complete the online registration to ensure that we have up-to-date contact information

for every household. It is difficult to contact parents who haven’t completed registration

because we may not have their current phone numbers on file. (This may explain the

experience of people “hanging up on me” when I called to invite them to the meeting).

Prior to the next meeting, I will attempt to make contact with as many of these families

as possible and encourage them to attend. We will help all attendees who haven’t done

so complete the online registration process. Getting everyone registered will improve

home-school communication because teachers will have the right contact information

for parents.

Future meetings will be held in the library or in specific locations (such as the

guidance office or computer lab) pertinent to the meeting topic. Volunteer interpreters

will facilitate communication, enabling parents and personnel to engage in Q&A

Dodson 33

sessions, information and training sessions, panel discussions, and on-site

parent/teacher conferences.

VI: Personal Reflection

On the evening of the initial meeting, I was nervous because I did not know

whether any parents would attend. In the end, there were six parent attendees (seven

counting the staff member who is also a parent). I was thrilled that so many attended,

and I am hopeful that there will be an even greater turnout at future meetings. The

meeting proved to be a rewarding experience that opened doors for future

communication between the school and Spanish-speaking parents.

I believe that as a result of this program, parents who attended the meeting will

feel more confident communicating with the school in the future. The result will be a

stronger relationship and ongoing two-way communication between Spanish-speaking

parents and the school.

Future research is necessary to explore the long-term implications of this

program. Specifically, I would like to investigate the effects of the parent program on

academic performance among children of Spanish-speaking parents. I predict that

these students will show higher levels of academic achievement as a result of the

program and its strengthening of the home-school connection. I predict that they will

show increased participation in tutoring sessions and AP sessions. Furthermore, I would

like to investigate whether these students graduate at a higher rate.

Dodson 34

References

Bennett-Conroy, W. (2012). Engaging parents of eighth grade students in parent-

teacher bidirectional communication. School Community Journal, 22(2), 87-110.

Retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1001614.pdf.

DeFur, S. (2012). Parents as collaborators: Building partnerships with school- and

community-based providers. TEACHING Exceptional Children, 44(3), 58-67.

Guo, Y. (2012). Diversity in public education: Acknowledging immigrant parent

knowledge. Canadian Journal of Education, 35(2), 120-140. Retrieved from

http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ975278.pdf.

Guo, Y. (2010). Meetings without dialogue: A study of ESL parent–teacher interactions

at secondary school parents’ nights. School Community Journal, 20(1), 121-140.

Retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ891835.pdf.

McCormick, J. & Ozuna, S. (2012). Community partnerships: Working across institutions

to support parent advocacy and education. Online Yearbook of Urban Learning,

Teaching, and Research, 26-32. Retrieved from

http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ980018.pdf.

Dodson 35

National Center for Education Statistics. (2013). [Name of School Redacted]

[Data set]. Retrieved from http://nces.ed.gov/.

Reschly, A. & Christenson, S. (2012). Moving from “context matters” to engaged

partnerships with families. Journal of Educational & Psychological Consultation,

22(1-2), 62-78.

Dodson 36

Encuesta para las familias hispanohablantes

¿Cuál(es) idioma(s) habla usted en casa? (Escriba un ✓ a todos los que le aplican).

Español

Inglés

Otro: _________________

¿Qué idioma prefiere usar para comunicarse con el colegio?

Español

Inglés

Otro: _________________

¿Le interesa asistir a programas que tratan de...? (Escriba un ✓ a todos los que le aplican).

Sesión de pregunta y respuesta con el director.

Como usar el sistema de PowerSchool.

La comunicación con los maestros.

Las solicitudes de entrada a la universidad y para las becas.

Como ayudar a su hijo(a) a tener éxito en los estudios.

Las clases de inglés como segundo idioma.

¿Cuándo está disponible para asistir a un programa del colegio? (Escriba un ✓ a todos los que le aplican).

Día Por la tarde Por la noche

Lunes

Martes

Miércoles

Jueves

Viernes

¿Le interesa ofrecerse como intérprete voluntario para los programas?

Sí

No

Si le interesa ofrecerse como intérprete, por favor, llame a Stephanie Dodson: (123) 456-7891,

ext. 23456. ¡Muchas gracias!

Dodson 37