A school is only as good as the people who study there, work there, and become part of the school’s daily life. These are the students, teachers, and parents who are the lifeblood of any school.

Part of what keeps a school functioning well year after year is the legacy that it is building and has built.
So, the question becomes: how do you build a lasting legacy at your school or for your whole school district?

First, what is a legacy? [leg–uh-see]

A legacy can be anything handed down from the past, as from an ancestor or a predecessor.

For us, this is the meaning of legacy. It’s something handed down from generation to generation. Imagine it to be similar to a torch that’s passed from teacher to student, from parent to child, from one class to another. On a day-to-day basis, that means creating a community of people who build a school of value, a school that stands for excellence in education for everyone, and pride in the ongoing good result of its daily efforts.

One of the most important ways to create a legacy for your school is to make sure that parents are involved in the life of your school.

Creating a parent involvement program with the intent to create a legacy, particularly with the expectation of parents handing down the continued ritual of reading and learning with their children, might seem daunting, especially if parents at your school may not be engaged currently in a culture of literacy at home.

Fortunately, there are tools and programs that can help you build that legacy. Here at The Latino Family Literacy Project, we have researched, organized, and created the most meaningful programs for Parent Involvement with Spanish-speaking parents. Our programs have a proven track record of success for almost 20 years in more than 20 states.

The parents, who attend our programs, speak with pride about their children’s school. This is because parents are brought into the school’s information loop. Parents are trained to read with their children and learn how to be their children’s Language Arts teacher at home.

The children, whose parents attend our programs, speak with pride about their parents’ participation at their school. In addition, they benefit greatly from their parents attending programs and learning new skills.

These good feelings and practices will help to create a strong legacy of reading and participation with the next generation, and good experiences in your school community. When you look back, you can say that in 2016 you took the steps to help build a strong legacy for your school.

The Latino Family Literacy Project provides proven, cost-effective parent involvement programs and training for teachers to provide meaningful programs for English Learners. The literacy programs and training workshops are designed to establish family reading routines for Spanish- and English-speaking parents and their children at your school site. The Project introduces the teachers to a language acquisition method and a step- by-step literacy instruction process. It involves family reading for Hispanic parent involvement, vocabulary development, and English-language development for parents and their children. Please contact our office to receive a free information kit with book samples to review at your leisure. Click to Request Information.

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