(Vol. 1, No. 2 - Spring 1997)

Finding a Common Language

A common language is fundamental to good communication. Educational jargon has long been a barrier between teachers and parents. Many parents' eyes glaze over when educators rely on "professional language" to explain teaching strategies or student progress. Words like "rubric," "block," or "portfolio" can quickly sink a parent/teacher conference unless they're adequately explained.*

The problems of language run even deeper in Long Beach. Parents speak nearly 40 different languages and are less likely than their children to have adequate English-speaking skills. Yet fewer than half of the LBUSD teachers are fluent in a language other than English.

"I know the language barrier is a huge one for many Hispanic parents," says Maria Busatto, who had two children attend Rogers Middle School. "A lot of parents don't come to parent-teacher conferences and other meetings because they know they aren't going to understand anything."

For some meetings at some schools, interpreters are available. And some notices and school newsletters also are printed in two or even three languages. But a vast majority of home-school communication continues to be conducted in English. That makes communicating with LBUSD parents on routine matters like behavior and homework assignments a challenge, much less talking about the new push for higher standards.

"We really don't see much readiness on the part of parents and teachers to have meaningful discussions about standards," says Marcia Sharp, a communications consultant working with the district. "And language is a big issue. There are parents who feel 'if you don't know the word for standards in Spanish, don't talk to me.'"

It's an issue not just for Hispanic parents, but for many of the district's ethnic groups. In a roundtable discussion with a half-dozen Cambodian parents last December, most said they were aware of uniform policies and basic school rules. But they expressed confusion over academic issues, such as testing and homework. And none had heard of the effort to set and reach new, higher standards.

"Most of what is sent home to us is in English, so we have to get one of our children to read it to us," Torn Ravy, who has a child at Marshall Middle School, said through an interpreter. "And you can't always trust the kids to tell you the truth, especially if it's something they did wrong."

Cultural differences can also hinder communication

Beyond language, some of the challenges are cultural. In many Asian and Hispanic cultures, teachers carry much more authority and parents are not expected to become involved in school matters. Many parents consider it meddling.

"Many parents of recent immigrants don't see active school involvement as their proper role," says DeMille Middle School Principal Fred Navarro.

Busatto says time and distance also keep many parents from becoming more involved in schools. "Many Hispanic children are bused to schools away from downtown Long Beach and many of the parents, because of their income level, work two jobs each," Busatto says. They don't have time to be in the classroom or at meetings."

Long Beach school leaders are well aware that language and cultural barriers make the already-difficult task of talking about school reform all that much harder. The time and expense required to communicate in multiple languages (two reasons why the district's first report on middle school reform was published only in English) suggest that the problem will not be easily resolved.

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* A "rubric" is a step-by-step guide that shows students the work required to complete an assignment, from the most basic to the most advanced. A "block" is an amount of time reserved daily or several times a week to teach a particular subject. "Portfolio" usually refers to a selection of a student's best or most representative work in a subject.

Back to "Connecting Parents to Middle School Reform"