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Immigration See other Immigration Articles Title: A drive to help Latino students A drive to help Latino students By DEBORAH BACH The educational summit, more than a year in the planning, was the easy part. Now Latino community leaders want the support of Seattle Public Schools to act on resolutions stemming from the March event. They'll present their nine resolutions to district representatives at a press conference today and will be urging for their inclusion in a five-year strategic plan. "We realize this is a partnership," said Adrian Moroles, chairman of Campana Quetzal, a coalition of community groups that organized last month's summit. "Everybody wants us to succeed, and we're grateful for all the support. Now we just need to walk the talk." The resolutions call on the school district to: Work with the community to organize a parent-leadership group to boost parental and community participation. Establish a dual-language model for early childhood education so students learn both Spanish and English. Hire more Latino teachers and place a greater emphasis on multiculturalism. Actively recruit Latino teachers, central office administrators and school support staff. Hire a parent or student advocate as an ombudsman in addressing disproportionate concerns among Latino students. Work with the Latino community to develop alternate methods of discipline that promote mutual respect and cooperation. Strengthen the district's relationship with college preparation and support programs to prepare Latino students for college. Endorse the DREAM Act. The legislation would provide conditional legal status to undocumented immigrants who graduate from high school, turning that into permanent residency if they go on to graduate from community college or serve two years in the military. Increase funding and hire more staff for Proyecto Saber, a program that provides academic support and cultural instruction to Latino students The statistics are equally discouraging in Washington. Starting in 2008, 10th-graders statewide must pass the Washington Assessment of Student Learning to earn a graduation diploma. Less than half of Latino students passed last year's WASL. Moroles said while the five-year plan's focus on closing the academic achievement gap between various groups of students is laudable, it fails to address the specific needs of Latino students. The plan, he said, needs to clearly spell out how the district will empower minority communities and increase parental involvement. Latino parents, he said, may not feel welcome at schools or believe they have the right to get involved in their children's education. "They need help in identifying the things that are going to help them become leaders in the schools." Equally critical, Moroles said, is valuing a knowledge of both Spanish and English. Encouraging Latino children to maintain their native language, he said, "is important to their identity and their culture. Kids are smart. They can tell if the society's not encouraging them to speak their language, and then they think there must be something wrong with it." Caprice Hollins, hired last October as Seattle Public Schools' first director of equity and race relations, said the resolutions are "valid" requests. "I'm glad to see these things on their list, and I'm interested in hearing the specifics around their thoughts," she said. "Community empowerment and participation -- that's something the district is changing in the way that we function as an organization. That's something we want to get better at." The challenge, Hollins said, will be in finding the money and resources to act on the recommendations, and figuring out how the district can best work with the Latino community. "It's not just a matter of the district inviting the community in. It's also about preparing the community to participate. "How do we make a partnership work, particularly when there is such a history of mistrust with the community in general, and particularly with communities of color?" None of that will actually help Latino students, in fact most if it will hurt. But I know one thing that is guaranteed to help: Deport the illegals!
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