Increasing English Learner Parent Involvement
While 40 percent of the students at California’s John Burroughs High School are Latino, very few of their parents were attending Back to School Night or Parent Teacher Association meetings. Attendance at their English Learner Advisory Council (ELAC) meetings was also very low. Principal Emilio Urioste gathered his Latino staff together to focus on this issue. It was clear to them that these parents were intimidated by the school and did not know how to contribute. The planning team decided to use food and personal attention to begin attracting parents to ELAC meetings. The Latino population at Burroughs is very diverse ethnically, so the staff decided to break the ice with a potluck where parents could explain traditional foods from all the Latin American countries they represented. Urioste had a Spanish-speaking secretary call each of the parents to personally invite them to this potluck. The school also sent note cards, and a letter from Urioste in both English and Spanish inviting parents to this meeting.
At this first potluck, parents and staff spent time enjoying each other's food. Staff encouraged parents to bring friends and neighbors next time. The planning team also made sure that parents received useful information at every meeting. They found that parents did not really understand how to read a report card, so they began by thoroughly explaining all aspects of the report cards, including the attendance summaries. At future meetings, they continued to help parents better understand important school policies and procedures. In clarifying the attendance policy, staff let parents know it was okay to write a note in Spanish. Also, Burroughs has an automated phone answering system with many options and extensions. At these meetings, parents were given a list of extensions that would put them immediately in touch with a Spanish speaker. At one meeting, the staff brought all the parents to the library computer lab and walked them through the school's web site, so they could learn how to access the calendar and other useful features.
In addition to helping parents understand school policies and procedures that would help their child be successful, the planning team also invited community members to speak. A Latino Councilman told the parents about his own adjustment to the United States as a student and how he was able to achieve success. Area college recruiters also came to speak to parents to tell them about the admissions process, financial aid, and to allay their fears about their children applying for college if they were undocumented immigrants.
Before this effort, usually only 2 parents would attend ELAC meetings. Now they often have 50 parents attending along with their children and grandparents sometimes. Parents have now created their own phone tree and call to remind each other about ELAC meetings and other important school events. Parents of English Learners now feel a sense of belonging at Burroughs.
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