School Communication in Parents' Native Language
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Headline

Among children in kindergarten through grade three whose parents spoke a language other than English, those living in households at or below the poverty line were much more likely than their wealthier peers to attend schools that both provided interpreters for parent-teacher conferences and other school meetings and translated memos and newsletters into parents' native language (81 percent versus 49 percent, respectively, in 2003). (See Figure 1) Overall, 64 percent of such children attended schools that provided both these services.

Importance

Parental involvement in school can lead to increased academic performance and positive social outcomes for children,¹ as well as enable teachers to identify learning problems at an earlier age.² In order to effectively reach all parents, it is important that schools develop culturally sensitive and diverse outreach strategies. As the immigrant population in this country continues to grow, such issues will become increasingly important. Currently, one in five school-aged children is foreign-born or the child of a foreign-born parent. And between 1990 and 2010, children of immigrants are expected to account for more than half of the growth in the school-aged population.³ Teachers' lack of understanding of cultural context can hinder child development.⁴ Parents who do not speak English well may feel less comfortable or less welcome getting involved in their children's schools.⁵ In a study of a Spanish-speaking community, parents reported attending more school meetings when translators were available.⁶ Some schools with high proportions of limited English proficiency students have been using funds from Title I to provide interpreters and to translate materials.⁷ By taking such measures, schools may increase parental involvement and improve parents' understanding of their children's education.

Trends

In 2003, the first year for which such data are available, 64 percent of children in kindergarten through grade 3 whose parents spoke a language other than English attended schools that provided interpreters for parent-teacher conferences and other school meetings, as well as translated memos and newsletters into parents' native language. (See Table 1) The same year, 8 percent of such children attended schools that only provided interpreters and 6 percent attended schools that only provided translated materials. However, 22 percent of children in kindergarten through grade 3 whose parents spoke a language other than English attended schools that provided neither interpreters nor translated materials in 2003. Estimates are based on reports from parents.

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Differences by Race and Ethnicity

Hispanic children were more likely than children of other races and ethnicities to attend schools that both provided interpreters at school meetings and translated memos and newsletters into parents' native language. Among children in kindergarten through grade 3 in 2003, 78 percent of Hispanic children whose parents spoke a language other than English attended schools with both services, compared with 17 percent of non-Hispanic white children and 19 percent of Asian or Pacific Islander children whose parents spoke a language other than English. Numbers of non-Hispanic black children whose parents spoke a language other than English were negligible. (See Table 1)

Differences by Parental Education

Children whose parents had a bachelor's degree or more were the least likely to attend schools that provided interpreters at school meetings and translated memos into parents' native language. For example, in 2003, among children whose parents spoke a language other than English, only 25 percent of children whose parents had at least a bachelor's degree attended schools that provided both services compared with 83 percent of children whose parents had less than a high school education. (See Table 1)

Differences by Poverty

Among children in kindergarten through third grade whose parents spoke a language other than English, those living in households at or below the poverty line were much more likely than their wealthier peers to attend schools that provided interpreters for parent-teacher conferences and other school meetings and translated memos and newsletters into parents' native language (81 percent versus 49 percent, respectively, in 2003). (See Figure 1)

Differences by Type of School

Among children in kindergarten through third grade whose parents speak a language other than English, those attending public schools were more likely than children of the same age attending private schools to attend schools which provided interpreters at parent-teacher conferences and school meetings and translated memos and newsletters into parents' native language (67 percent versus 23 percent, respectively, in 2003). (See Table 1)

Differences by Neighborhood Poverty

In 2003, among children in kindergarten through third grade whose parents spoke a language other than English, children living in poor neighborhoods were much more likely than children living in wealthier neighborhoods to attend schools that provided interpreters at parent-teacher conferences and school meetings and translated memos and newsletters into parents' native language. (See Figure 3) For example, among children in kindergarten through grade three, 86 percent of children living in neighborhoods where at least 20 percent of all children lived below the poverty line attended schools that provided both interpreters and translated materials, compared with 45 percent of those children living in neighborhoods with less than five percent of all children living below the poverty line.

Differences by Region

Among children in kindergarten through third grade whose parents speak a language other than English, those living in the West were the most likely to attend schools that provided interpreters at parent-teacher conferences and school meetings and translated memos and newsletters into parents' native language. (See Table 1) Children living in the Midwest and Northeast were the most likely to attend schools that provided neither interpreters nor translated materials.⁸ (See Figure 3)

Related Indicators

Parental Involvement in Schools

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State and Local Estimates

None available

International Estimates

None available

National Goals

While it does not specifically mention services for those parents whose native language is not English, the No Child Left Behind Act, signed into law January 2002, mandates that parents are informed on how they can be involved in school improvement efforts and are provided with local report cards of schools in their district to help guide their involvement. Schools and education agencies are required to disseminate literature on effective parent involvement and schools receiving Title I funding must have written policies, annual meetings, and training on parental involvement strategies, as well as re-evaluate and revise their strategies when needed.

For more information on the requirements, see "No Child Left Behind: A Parent's Guide" at http://www.ed.gov/parents/academic/involve/nclbguide/parentsguide.pdf.

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What Works: Programs and Interventions that May Influence this Indicator

None available at this time.

Research References

¹Henderson, A.T., & N. Berla. A New Generation of Evidence: The Family is Critical to Student Achievement. Washington, DC: National Committee for Citizens in Education, 1994.

²Zill, N. & C.W. Nord. (1994). Running in Place: How American Families are Faring in a Changing Economy and Individualistic Society. Washington, DC: Child Trends.

³Christine Winquist Nord & James A. Griffin. (1999). Educational profile of 3- to 8-year old children. In Donald J. Hernandez (Ed.). Children of Immigrants: Health, Adjustment and Public Assistance. Washington, DC: National Academy Press. http://darwin.nap.edu/books/0309065453/html/

⁴A. Y. Fred Ramirez. "Dismay and Disappointment: Parental Involvement of Latino Immigrant Parents." The Urban Review, 35(2).

⁵Christine Winquist Nord & James A. Griffin. (1999). Educational profile of 3- to 8-year old children. In Donald J. Hernandez (Ed.). Children of Immigrants: Health, Adjustment and Public Assistance. Washington, DC: National Academy Press. http://darwin.nap.edu/books/0309065453/html/

⁶A. Y. Fred Ramirez. Dismay and Disappointment: Parental Involvement of Latino Immigrant Parents. The Urban Review, 35(2).

⁷Clemencia Cosentino de Cohen, Nicole Deterding, & Beatriz Chu Clewell. (2005). Who's Left Behind? Immigrant Children in High and Low LEP Schools. Washington, DC: The Urban Institute. http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/411231_whos_left_behind.pdf.

⁸Differences between children in the Midwest and the South are only significant at the p=.1 level. All other differences are significant at the p=.05 level.

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Definition

Parents who reported speaking a language other than English the most at home were asked: Does (CHILD)'s school have: a) Interpreters that speak your language for meetings or parent-teacher conferences? b) Written materials, such as newsletters or school notices that are translated into your language?

Percentages are presented for only those children whose parents' primary language is not English.

Data Source

Child Trends' original analyses of data from the National Household Education Survey, Parental Involvement Supplement, 2003.

Raw Data Source

National Household Education Survey
http://nces.ed.gov/nhes/

Approximate Date of Next Update

Unknown

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