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Parent Outreach

National Literacy Panel's Executive Summary

August, D. and Shanahan, T. (2006). Developing Literacy in Second-Language Learners: Report of the National Literacy Panel on Language-Minority Children and Youth. Center for Applied Linguistics, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates: Mahwah, NJ.

Topics Covered: About ELLs; Literacy and Reading / Writing Instruction; Multicultural Education / Diversity / Culturally-Responsive Inst; Parent Outreach;

Tags: Bilingual Instruction; Comprehension; Latino ELL Students; Transfer of Literacy Skills;

Summary:

In 2002, the U.S. Department of Education charged a panel of experts, chaired by Timothy Shanahan, with reviewing and compiling research on literacy attainment for language-minority students.

The panel's report, Developing Literacy in Second-Language Learners, identifies factors that support literacy development of language minority students in the classroom. It also discusses various findings on parent involvement and home literacy experiences and offers suggestions for reducing the over-representation of English language learners in special education.

Last year, the Department of Education said the report didn't stand up to peer review and decided not to release the report. The Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) has released the report's executive summary, written by principal investigator Diane August.

Not a Great Beginning to the School Year: Despite New Regulation Immigrant Parents Still Face Major Language Barriers

by Advocates for Children of New York and The New York Immigration Coalition

Advocates for Children of New York and The New York Immigration Coalition. (2006, September). Not a Great Beginning to the School Year: Despite New Regulation Immigrant Parents Still Face Major Language Barriers. New York, New York: Advocates for Children of New York.

Topics Covered: Access, Equity, and Adequacy; Parent Outreach;

Tags: Parent Involvement and Outreach / PTA; Rights, Parents;

Target Population: Preschool, Elementary school, Middle school, High School

Research Questions the Report Poses: How effective was the New York City Chancellor's Regulation A-663 in providing translated materials to immigrant parents?

Summary: Half of the students in the New York City school system, the "largest and most diverse" system in the country, come from homes where English is not the primary language. Department of Education Chancellor Joel Klein put into place Regulation A-663 which required school materials to be available in both English and the next eight most prevalent languages in the school system. Upon investigation of 13 of 15 registration centers before the 2006-2007 school year started, the study finds that the centers were in various states of preparedness. Many centers, says the report, were not adequately prepared and lacked foreign language materials in any language other than Spanish. Some of the most important school documents were only available in English. The report concludes that while the regulation was an important "step in the right direction" more has to be done to make sure that schools follow through with adherence to the policy.

Findings:

  • 13 of 15 registration centers were investigated and most were found to be unprepared to offer parents materials related to their children's education in any language other than English.
  • Many parents were unaware that they were entitled to receive educational materials in a language that they were most comfortable with

Policy Recommendations:

  • Better advertisement of the regulation to parents so that they know that they are entitled to receive materials in a language that they are most comfortable with
  • Follow through with various schools and registration centers to make sure that the regulations are being followed through with and not paid lip service.

To order a hard copy of the report, contact:
Advocates for Children of New York
151 West 30th Street — 5th Floor
New York, NY 10001
E-Mail: info@advocatesforchildren.org
Phone: (212)-947-9779
Fax: (212)-947-9790

Pre-K and Latinos: The Foundation for America's Future

Garcia, E.E., Gonzales, D.M. (2006). Pre-K and Latinos: The Foundation for America's Future. Pre-K Now Research Series: Washington, DC.

Topics Covered: Access, Equity, and Adequacy; Data (Demographics, Facts, and Figures); Literacy and Reading / Writing Instruction; Literacy and Reading / Writing Instruction; Early (Pre-K); Parent Outreach;

Tags: Bilingual Instruction; Bilingualism / Biliteracy; Latino ELL Students; Parent Involvement and Outreach / PTA; Reading;

Summary:

Latino families care about education, but many do not participate in preschool programs. Although Latinos are at great risk for school failure, research shows that they benefit more from Pre-K programs than children of other ethnic groups. This report from Pre-K Now discusses how to make preschool effective and accessible so that all Latino children get a strong foundation for learning.

School and Parent Interaction by Household Language and Poverty Status: 2002-03

by National Center for Education Statistics; Enyeart, Christine; Diehl, Juliet Hampden-Thompson, Gillian; Scotchmer, Marion

Enyeart, Christine; Diehl, Juliet Hampden-Thompson, Gillian; Scotchmer, Marion. (2006). "School and Parent Interaction by Household Language and Poverty Status: 2002-03." U.S. Department of Education: National Center for Education Statistics.

Topics Covered: Data (Demographics, Facts, and Figures); Parent Outreach;

Tags: Parent Involvement and Outreach / PTA;

Target Population: Preschool, Elementary, Middle, High School

Research Questions the Report Poses: What are the school-to-home communication practices and opportunities for parent involvement at school as reported by parents of U.S. school-age children from primarily English-speaking and primarily Spanish-speaking households? How do these practices and opportunities relate to household poverty?

Summary: There are differences in the communication practices and opportunities for parent involvement between English-speaking and Spanish-speaking households. A greater percentage of parents in English-speaking households than in Spanish-speaking households had parents who reported receiving personal notes or emails about the student; receiving newsletters, memos or notices addressed to all parents; opportunities to attend general meetings; opportunities to attend school events; and chances to volunteer. In English-speaking households, the amount of communication parents reported receiving decreased as income decreased.

Findings:

  • 92% of all parents reported receiving newsletters, memos, or notices from the school or teacher addressed to all parents.
  • 92% of parents from English-speaking households and 82% of parents from Spanish-speaking households reported receiving communication addressed to all parents.
  • 50% of parents from English-speaking households reported receiving personal notes or e-mails about the student. 40% of parents from Spanish-speaking households reported receiving personal communication about the student.
  • Parents in poor English-speaking households were more likely than students in poor Spanish-speaking households to report receiving personal notes or emails (49% to 40%)
  • There are differences in communication practices for English-speaking households across poverty levels.
  • Reports of opportunities for parent involvement differed by household language except in the case of parent-teacher conferences.
  • Parents from poor households were less likely to report that the school had opportunities for parent involvement than students from non-poor households.

Policy Recommendations:
The report did not provide policy recommendations.

To order a hard copy of the report, contact:
Call 1-877-4ED-PUBS or visit www.edpubs.org