By Sandra Rodriguez, Advocacy Director for Greater Houston

As parents, we understand the importance of being actively involved in our child’s education. We want to ensure that they have access to the best opportunities and resources available and, when challenges arise, we want to do everything we can to help. Unfortunately, for many Spanish-speaking Latino parents, there exist many barriers that make it difficult to fully engage with their child’s school, and our schools aren’t doing enough to overcome these obstacles. 

I consider myself lucky. When my own child faced difficulties early on in school, I found myself constantly searching for ways to support him. Despite my proficiency in English and understanding of the education system in this country, I faced an intense journey that involved my son’s principal, teacher, and school support team to collectively decide what was best for him. This collaboration ultimately led to a breakthrough discovery of the root cause of his struggles, and we were able to find strategies that helped him then and will continue to help him in life.  

I share this personal narrative because there is no greater advocate for a child than their parents and it highlights the crucial role that engaged parents play in identifying and addressing their children’s challenges. Fortunately for me, language was not a hindrance, but what happens when language barriers and communication gaps hinder your ability to engage fully?  

At Latinos for Education, we recently conducted a survey among Latino parents and educators – most of which were parents themselves – in Greater Houston to learn more about the challenges they face, their schools’ preparedness for serving Spanish-speaking families, and what can be done to overcome any issues.  

Our findings were clear: despite a perception among many that Latino parents don’t prioritize their children’s education, we learned that Latino and immigrant parents in Greater Houston want to be active participants in their children’s education, and they view this engagement as essential to their children’s success. However, limited bilingual services and language access make it difficult for them to do so. 

Our parents and educators shared that not only do they support expanding bilingual education programs and policies, but they also see expanding these programs as a solution to severe faculty shortages and representation gap between Latino students and teachers.   

Our white paper on the survey findings, The Power of Language: Educational Transformation Through the Lens of Latino Parents and Educators represents a significant step toward advocating for policy changes that will improve communication, expand bilingual programs, and address the unique needs of Latino students and parents. By amplifying the voices of Latino parents and educators, we can create a more inclusive and equitable educational system that benefits all students. 

It’s critical to remember that our voices as Latinos matter, and that by joining forces, we can and will create lasting change. This survey is just the beginning. We plan to use this as a call to action for our education leaders in Houston to come together and work towards a better future for our children. Together, let’s preserve our language, celebrate our culture, but most importantly – let’s build a brighter and more inclusive educational landscape for the next generation of Latino students, parents, and educators.   

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Sandra Rodriguez is the Advocacy Director at Latinos for Education where she leads the organization’s efforts to elevate Latino voices in decision making to increase educational outcomes. She previously served in the Houston Mayor’s Anti-Gang Office and Houston Health Department overseeing program planning.