You are here: > Research & Reports > Parent Outreach
Research & Reports

Parent Outreach

National Literacy Panel's Executive Summary

August, D. and Shanahan, T. (2006). Developing Literacy in Second-Language Learners: Report of the National Literacy Panel on Language-Minority Children and Youth. Center for Applied Linguistics, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates: Mahwah, NJ.

In 2002, the U.S. Department of Education charged a panel of experts, chaired by Timothy Shanahan, with reviewing and compiling research on literacy attainment for language-minority students.

The panel's report, Developing Literacy in Second-Language Learners, identifies factors that support literacy development of language minority students in the classroom. It also discusses various findings on parent involvement and home literacy experiences and offers suggestions for reducing the over-representation of English language learners in special education.

Last year, the Department of Education said the report didn't stand up to peer review and decided not to release the report. The Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) has released the report's executive summary, written by principal investigator Diane August.

Not a Great Beginning to the School Year: Despite New Regulation Immigrant Parents Still Face Major Language Barriers

Advocates for Children of New York and The New York Immigration Coalition. (2006, September). Not a Great Beginning to the School Year: Despite New Regulation Immigrant Parents Still Face Major Language Barriers. New York, New York: Advocates for Children of New York.

Half of the students in the New York City school system, the "largest and most diverse" system in the country, come from homes where English is not the primary language. Department of Education Chancellor Joel Klein put into place Regulation A-663 which required school materials to be available in both English and the next eight most prevalent languages in the school system. Upon investigation of 13 of 15 registration centers before the 2006-2007 school year started, the study finds that the centers were in various states of preparedness. Many centers, says the report, were not adequately prepared and lacked foreign language materials in any language other than Spanish. Some of the most important school documents were only available in English. The report concludes that while the regulation was an important "step in the right direction" more has to be done to make sure that schools follow through with adherence to the policy.

Pre-K and Latinos: The Foundation for America's Future

Garcia, E.E., Gonzales, D.M. (2006). Pre-K and Latinos: The Foundation for America's Future. Pre-K Now Research Series: Washington, DC.

Latino families care about education, but many do not participate in preschool programs. Although Latinos are at great risk for school failure, research shows that they benefit more from Pre-K programs than children of other ethnic groups. This report from Pre-K Now discusses how to make preschool effective and accessible so that all Latino children get a strong foundation for learning.

School and Parent Interaction by Household Language and Poverty Status: 2002-03

Enyeart, Christine; Diehl, Juliet Hampden-Thompson, Gillian; Scotchmer, Marion. (2006). "School and Parent Interaction by Household Language and Poverty Status: 2002-03." U.S. Department of Education: National Center for Education Statistics.

There are differences in the communication practices and opportunities for parent involvement between English-speaking and Spanish-speaking households. A greater percentage of parents in English-speaking households than in Spanish-speaking households had parents who reported receiving personal notes or emails about the student; receiving newsletters, memos or notices addressed to all parents; opportunities to attend general meetings; opportunities to attend school events; and chances to volunteer. In English-speaking households, the amount of communication parents reported receiving decreased as income decreased.