Understanding and Working with the New
Latino Immigrant Community
MALDEF
Isabel Sance
Program Director
34 Peachtree St. Ste. 2500
Atlanta, GA 30303
Tel. (678) 559-1071
Fax: (678) 559-1079
isance@maldef.org
Who we are
• MALDEF is a national non-profit
organization, whose primary objective
is to promote, protect and defend the
civil rights of Latinos through
education, leadership development,
and if necessary, legal action.
Why is it important?
• WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO ADDRESS THE NEEDS
OF IMMIGRANT STUDENTS?
– According to the Urban Institute 25% of all youth are
children of immigrants.
– The future of America and its economy will be related
to how well these children do in school.
– Schools are first systematic contact with the new
culture.
• Latino students have the highest dropout rate in the
nation (approximately 50%).
• Georgia is one of the worst state in graduating Latino
students (40%+/-).
The Latino Community in Georgia
• According to the census bureau, there are approximately 1
million Latinos living in Georgia.
• Most of the Latino population in Georgia come from
Mexico, Colombia, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.
• Spanish is the primary language spoken in Latino
households.
• Hall, Gwinnett, Cobb, Whitfield, Colquitt, Fulton and Dekalb
counties have the largest concentration of Latinos.
• There are approximately 200,000 Latino students enrolled
in Georgia schools and over 150,000 students attend Title I
schools (Georgia Department of Ed).
Make up of the Hispanic Community
According to the Census 2010 estimates, there are :
Approximate Hispanics
Population:
50,477,594
Racial Make up
White
26,735,713
Black
1,243,471
American Indian
685,150
Asian
209,128
NHPI
58,437 (Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander)
Mestizo (some other race)
18,503,103
Two or more races
3,042,592
Hispanic Migration to Georgia
• Political reasons: Cubans in the 1960’s and 70’s;
more recent immigrants are coming from El
Salvador and Colombia
• Economic reasons: most immigrants are from
Mexico, Central America, and Caribbean
• Four metro counties with the highest Latino
population: Cobb, Gwinnett, Dekalb, Fulton
Education in Mexico
• Many parents in Mexico, especially those who live in the
rural areas, have not had an education.
• Many, but not all, students in rural communities are
isolated and poor. They are often unable to attend
school due to impossible roads, family responsibilities, or
the need for children to work.
• Some families cannot afford to pay for travel, textbooks,
uniforms and other costs after 6th grade. The same is
true for poor urban students, although there are more
school choices where they live.
Parent Involvement in the Hispanic
Community?
• Parent Involvement is not common in Latin America
• Parents may feel that no one in the school will listen to
them if they cannot communicate in English.
• Their feelings of self-worth are diminished because they
do not understand forms that are sent home.
• Hispanic Parents need to know what the school means
by parental involvement and what the school expects
from Hispanic Parents.
• Latino parents oftentimes do not know that they need to
know
Schools Perceptions …
• Latino parents are responsible for the ills of low-performing
schools.
• Declining student performance, as measured by state
standardized test scores is due solely to the changing faces in
the neighborhood.
• Low student performance is the result of an influx of
uneducated families who are not supportive of an do not care
about their children’s education (Quiocho & Daoud, 2010).
• Schools often assume that parents know basic information
pertaining to school.
• Schools often expect that parents are literate in their own
language (Illiteracy or functional illiteracy in Mexico is
approximately 30% in Guatemala is over 40%).
Why is there a lack of Latino parent
participation in schools?
• A commonly held misconception concerning Latino parents is that
they do not value education and do not want to be involved in their
children's education. The truth is, however, that many Latino
parents tend to be hesitant about communicating with teachers and
schools. The hesitance stems from:
• Language barriers
• A lack of understanding of the U.S. educational system.
• The inability to help children at home with school work due to low
level of education and English proficiency
• Feeling judged by the school and teachers.
What is PSP?
• The Parent School Partnership Program (PSP) is a
national program designed to train parents, school
personnel and community-based organizations to lead in
the educational attainment of children.
• The program offers:
• National Parent School Partnership Training Manual and
Curriculum
• National Education Policy Forums
• National Multimedia Awareness Educational Campaigns
Objectives of the PSP Program
• Parents will:
• Learn about their rights and responsibilities within the school
system.
• Acquire knowledge about how the school system functions.
• Dialogue effectively with the administrators and teachers at
the school.
• Develop analytical, organizing, and advocacy skills and use
them to make sure their children receive a good education.
• Increase their knowledge about college opportunities.
• Develop leadership skills.
Curriculum Themes
• Parents Rights &
Responsibilities
• The Parent Teacher
Conference
• Structure & Function of
Schools
• Structure of the School
District
• The Road to the
University
• (Introduction to PTA)
• Principles of Leadership
• Understanding Group
Process
• Politics of Education
• Accessing the Media
• Educational Forum
• Graduation
How does the PSP Program work?
• This program works best by partnering with a local
school. (Conducting the training at a school site.)
• The school is chosen using a criteria that determines the
needs of the school.
• Using the curriculum and manual designed by MALDEF.
• Using a holistic approach that provides parents who
want – and need – to learn more about why it is
important to participate in their children’s education
How to Implement PSP?
• Choose a school site and use the parent center, auditorium or
classroom. You may also use a community center.
• Recruit approximately 25 to 30 parent participants for the 16week training.
• Schedule an orientation time for all recruited parent
participants.
• Establish a calendar that outlines all scheduled classes:
• Total of 12 weeks / Each session is 2 hours long
• Parent participants choose the time and the day for the
classes. This process is done by majority vote of those
present during your orientation for the program.
• The Program is FREE!
How does the PSP program help?
• The Parent School Partnership Program gives
parents basic information about how the educational
system works in the United States.
• The PSP program empowers parents to advocate
for their children by giving them the tools to:
• Help their children graduate from high school and go
to college.
• Help administrators and teachers to aide in the
success of their children.
How does the PSP program help?
• Help organize and improve the school.
• Help their children when they are
suspended or expelled from school.
• Ensure their children are at grade level
and if they are not, how they can
change that.
The PSP Program in Georgia
MALDEF has implemented the
PSP program in the following
Georgia counties:
• Clayton, Clarke, Cobb /
Marietta, Colquitt, Dekalb,
Franklin, Fulton, Floyd,
Gainesville City, Gwinnett,
Houston, Hall, Muscogee,
Peach, Rockdale, Sumter,
Troup, and Whitfield.
• PSP Workshops and
presentations have been held
in: Chatham, Appling, Tift,
Echols, Toombs and Forsyth
counties.
Our Partners
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Catholic Charities
YMCA
Boys & Girls Club
Migrant Education Program
Hispanic Scholarship Fund
Celia & Marcos Scholarship
Fund
Big Brothers & Big Sisters
Head Start
Families First
Parent to Parent
• UGA, CLASE
• Georgia PTA
• Gainesville Housing
Department
• Gainesville State University
• GSU
• Kennesaw State University
• Latin American Association
• Colquitt , Franklin, Muscogee,
Houston School Systems
• Nuevo Laredo Restaurant
Parent Participation
• During the 12 years the PSP program has been
implemented in Georgia, there have been over
2,800 participants and 1,600 graduates of the
program.
Photo Gallery
Conclusion
• Parents become involved in our parent leadership
program for one simple reason: their children.
• They love their children and want the very best for them.
• Foremost, our program gives parents the confidence
needed to advocate for change, to face school
administrators, and to monitor their child’s progress in
school.
• They learn to partner with the school to increase the
educational achievement of their children.
Resources
• www.manhattan-institute.org
• Quiocho A.M.L., & Daoud, A., (2006) Dispelling myths about
latino parent participation in schools. The Education Forum. Vol.
70. pp. 255
• Harvard Educational Review, Fall 2001
• Suarez-Orozco, Carola & Suarez-Orozco, Marcelo; Longitudinal
Immigrant Student Adaptation Study
• www.cal.org
• MALDEF (678) 559-1071
• Mexican Center (404)264-1240
• Latin American Association (404)638-1800
• Census
• U.S. Department of Education through the Parent Information
resource center
THE END
Thank you very much!
Muchas Gracias por su Atención!