Kids at schools across America are learning English at faster rates than their non-English speaking parents and some kids may have surpassed their parents own educational attainment, which sometimes makes it challenging for parents to help their children with school homework, or even participate at their child’s school. Many parents may not feel like they have a role at the school.

Dr. Stephen Krashen has researched and published work about Second Language Acquisition and particularly in bilingual communities. http://www.sdkrashen.com

Language and Literacy in the ELL population is diverse and complex, but by far, the largest number of English learners is lead by Spanish speakers with more than 82% of all English Learners.

The Latino Family Literacy Project brings out the best in parents and shows them how they can help their children with reading, using their own skill set, and then provides them with meaningful opportunities for parental engagement and second language acquisition.

Teachers are invited to attend a workshop or webinar to help them understand the fastest growing population in America, and the largest segment of the ELL population.

If a teacher does not speak Spanish, try to attend a workshop or webinar with another teacher or staff who does speak Spanish to work together as a team because there is a role for everyone for a successful parent program!

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There are many ways for parents to be involved with kids in Preschool and Elementary grades, but what about when kids are in middle school and high school at the very time in their lives when their developmental age is naturally pushing their parents away?

In the middle and high school years, students may be seeking more autonomy from their parents, which makes the home school connection even more challenging for parents. That is why schools need to consider a structured way for parents to come to campus with their middle or high school student and be involved in encouraging their teen’s next steps. It’s just as crucial to be involved at this stage as being involved in their younger years with reading and homework.

And, if the teen years aren’t already challenging enough to stay close and connected, many Hispanic parents face a language barrier with teens who have been schooled in English, but the parents may not have the same English language skill set. Often parents are left feeling like they cannot help or even sometimes communicate with their teenaged children.

For these important reasons, Lectura Books publishes books and curriculum in Spanish and English so that the needs of the family are met. One of the main tools for this is the College Awareness Program, which uses a dynamic 10-chapter book to help parents and students learn about how to get to college.

The book is told through one family’s journey and how they worked out their challenges, discussed their old belief system, and financial concerns about college. The book is culturally relevant to a Latino family’s experiences as well as equally relevant to all families who wonder about how to support and encourage their teen with their dreams, which may be radically different than their own parents’ journeys, particularly if the parents did not go to college.

This is an age-appropriate novela style book that is enjoyed at the heart level and is far from the average cut-and-dried informational book.

Parents discover that they are their teens’ biggest supporters and they also learn how to maximize their help, because it really matters!

The program includes an engaging chapter book (in both English and Spanish) with illustrations and an interactive parent- student journal that introduces key educational terms. A step-by-step Teacher’s Guide with English As A Second Language curriculum is also included. Teachers can register online for a program training workshop or an online webinar.

The Latino Family Literacy Project can train school staff to provide a parent and student family engagement program using a 6-week curriculum, a culturally relevant chapter book, a premade PowerPoint, and parent/student handouts.

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Research shows that parent involvement in their children’s education is one of the most important barometers for academic success and increasingly seen as an essential element of a school’s programming, and there is 30 years of support research.

The most important skill that a student can learn is how to read in English. Learning to read becomes the avenue to all other academic skills and successes. Becoming a reader is an easier process when parents are involved. This is especially true for English language learners whose parents are primarily Spanish speakers. In essence, the key to parent involvement for English language learners is to embed family reading in the educational process.

-Create an inclusive and welcoming environment. Parent involvement is an interactive process and is best accomplished by involving the parents in the learning process as much as possible. It’s best to start with informing Hispanic parents about the activities in the classroom and the events at school. Keep in mind that Hispanic parents may sometimes feel left out due to language differences.

-Two-way Communication. It’s good to listen and observe before reaching out. Get a sense of the Hispanic family home culture before communicating. Conveying a sense of respect and interest by listening to parents’ concerns, signals your sincere interest. Once you have a good sense of the home culture and the parents’ hopes and dreams for their children, then begin to communicate with parents every chance you can through bilingual and translated flyers, meetings (both formal and informal), using interpreters, and encouraging an atmosphere of excitement about learning. If the parents are excited about the learning process that enthusiasm will be transmitted to their children.

-Provide instruction and meaningful engagement. It will help to offer instruction, coaching and tips to parents about how they can be involved in their child’s learning process. For educators and teachers the goal is to support parents in their home. Providing meaningful material and coaching with effective strategies, and then discussing the importance of the home environment is crucial in this process.

–Make it a family experience. This method allows parents who speak Spanish to read the same books at the same time with their children who are learning English in school, and provides children the opportunity to practice reading to their parents in English.

Parent involvement and family reading go hand in hand and it only happens when the school is committed to real engagement with Hispanic parents and their children. It’s a two-way process and given the immense amount of research regarding the importance of parent involvement and the fundamental role of reading in education, reaching out to Hispanic families is a must to ensuring academic success for their children.

Still not sure? Contact our office for an information kit at info@Latinoliteracy.com

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The Latino Family Literacy uses award-winning bilingual books in its reading programs for parent involvement. The reason why bilingual books are so effective (in Spanish and English) is because many children are learning English and parents are often Spanish-speaking. A bilingual book will help adults to read with their children and develop English language, along with their children. See for yourself and view our view our bilingual books at Lectura Books Publishing. These books are also very effective for Dual Immersion programs throughout the United States.

Our bilingual books, published by Lectura Books Publishing, are fully bilingual and engaging to parents and children, and have Spanish and English vocabulary in the back of our books for review, so Latino parents can develop strong vocabulary with their children, while English speakers in a Dual Immersion program can develop strong Spanish vocabulary.

Hispanic families are in transition with language as they learn to live in the United States and kids are often learning English faster than their parents, so a bilingual book will support the family no matter their language strengths.

Our award winning bilingual books are available in our program kits or as individual books and are perfect for teachers and libraries throughout the United States.

California and Texas have the highest Latino population in the country. Many teachers and administrators are seeking quality bilingual books for EL Students and Parent Involvement Programs, Dual Immersion Programs and practical parent opportunities to help their children.

See for yourself the various types of bilingual books published by Lectura Books.

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