Caring Closes the Language-Learning Gap

Abstract

It was a hectic August morning, the first day of work for teachers after the summer break. The secretary was helping an immigrant family register two children; an older sibling had come along to translate. The secretary seemed harried and showed little patience with this added task. She had difficulty pronouncing the child's first name and asked that it be spelled as she wrote it on the registration form. E-s-c-o-l-a-s-t-i-c-a. Once she got the name down, the secretary suggested shortening the name to Tica to facilitate pronunciation for teachers and to make it easier for the child to learn to write it. The look on those parents' faces has remained with me to this day. It was evident they were appalled that anyone would even consider the thought of changing their child's sacred name. As a new teacher, that experience taught me the importance of a family's first contact with school and how a positive and accepting environment communicates that all are accepted, important, and welcome at school. This lesson continues to be critical today. Although we've learned a great deal about literacy learning and instruction, the gap in academic achievement between English speakers and English learners continues to concern educators, parents, and legislators. The rising expectations for literacy and the increasing number of students from diverse backgrounds contribute to this achievement gap. But educators can employ a variety of strategies for reaching out to families of English learners. Many of these activities were initiated in response to the changing demographics at the school where I was principal. The numbers of English learners increased significantly within two years, and the staff had to quickly adjust and respond to this shift. Family Involvement Educators sometimes misjudge immigrant families' ability to contribute to their children's school success, especially those of English learners (August and Shanahan 2006). However, families powerfully influence the academic achievement of their children, and most take a strong interest in what happens in schools (Au 2002). Cummins (1986, 2003) found that parents' involvement in their child's school has a positive effect on academic success. However, immigrant families often don't know how to assist their children at home, especially if they speak little English. Cummins found that teachers who involve families see positive results. In addition, communicating with immigrant families demonstrates that they are important and that their language and culture are valued and essential to their child's success. Home-School Communication As a former teacher and principal, I found many ways to involve limited-English-speaking parents in school life. When any family walks into the office, clerical staff should greet them warmly and patiently offer assistance. Because our office staff was not bilingual, we arranged to have bilingual personnel available on days when we expected many immigrant families to visit the school, such as during parent-teacher conferences and back-to-school nights. We translated school newsletters, calendars, and reminders into Spanish. Our phone system had a weekly automated phone call to homes in English and Spanish, and each call ended by reminding parents of the family's positive effect on their children and the school. These small efforts helped build rapport and communicate our desire to include all families in the life of the school. As principal, I made it a priority to be in front of the school at the beginning and end of each day to greet families. The care and respect I communicated was well received and contributed to parents' feeling that I was approachable, friendly, and helpful. Families felt that they could share concerns, ask questions, give feedback, and ask for assistance, which helped build trust and confidence in the school Schools Supporting Families Igoa (1995) reported that when a family leaves all that is familiar to them and is transported to a new country, they may experience distress or shock. …