MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
If you have kids in school then you know how important it is to check in with their teachers from time to time. But what if you don't speak the same language? Or what if you don't understand things like how to interpret the report card? We're going to hear about a school in Utah, where Hispanics represent a quarter of the state's recent growth, that's making a real effort to reach out to Spanish-speaking parents and finding a receptive audience. Martha Harris with member station KUER has this report.
MARTHA HARRIS, BYLINE: Timpanogos Middle School parents trickle into the school's library one evening for a monthly meeting. They find their seats, and principal Jim Judd updates them.
JIM JUDD: So today was the last day for kids to get all their work turned in.
HARRIS: The school's Yuri Jenson is also there.
YURI JENSON: (Speaking Spanish).
HARRIS: Jenson translates what the principal says into Spanish, then conducts the rest of the meeting entirely in Spanish. She's the school's liaison for Spanish-speaking families. The group learns about what's going on at school, in the community and how parents can help their kids. Alfonso Flores grew up in Mexico but now has lived in Utah for a couple of decades. When he first moved here, it was hard to know what was going on at his kids' school...
ALFONSO FLORES: Like the grade system, like the procedures. So I had to check on the classes, attendance and all these other things that - they are very foreign to me because I grew up in a different environment.
HARRIS: ...Especially with his oldest son. Flores says he didn't understand his report cards.
FLORES: But I never look into are they really good or just passing? Or can you improve here or there? It was more like trust them and say, yeah, whatever - they say it's OK (laughter).
HARRIS: But when his youngest daughter started going to Timpanogos Middle, he joined Padres y Madres Lideres - or Latino Parent Leaders. Flores says he's now less intimidated by the school system, teachers and the principal. He thinks this has helped his kids because it makes them more accountable.
FLORES: And sometimes even make it more fun because now they know that, oh, my dad understands what's happening, and so we can work together.
HARRIS: Wasatch County's Hispanic population grew by almost 60% over a decade.
FLORES: As more people come, having that knowledge and having more training for those parents, it will just be beneficial for all the kids.
HARRIS: When Spanish-speaking liaison Jenson was hired, she told the principal that instead of just focusing on student behavior, the school needed to get parents involved. She knows what it's like for the parents she works with. She also grew up in Mexico.
JENSON: And just letting them know, hey, I was one of them. I didn't speak English, and now I am, so you guys can do it, too.
HARRIS: Principal Judd told me he used to never hear from Latino parents. Now the number of Spanish-speaking parent volunteers is bigger than the English-speaking group. Judd showed off data on how test scores have improved over the past couple of years and thanked the parents.
JUDD: Because I know that a lot of the reason for our kids doing better in this school is because of you guys, because you're showing your kids that you're involved, you're invested, you care that they do well.
HARRIS: Jenson says the parents learn how to help their own children, but they also volunteer and are able to help others.
JENSON: The impact that we have had in the past couple of years has been tremendous because these amazing parents that we have.
HARRIS: The group has come up with initiatives to encourage kids to turn in their work. Volunteer parents can be seen walking through the halls during the school day, making sure kids get to class. Jenson says the Latino community was ready to give back. They just needed to feel welcomed.
For NPR News, I'm Martha Harris in Wasatch County, Utah.
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