Does the Philadelphia school district fail to communicate effectively and frequently enough with its Latino families for their children to do as well as they should?
For Zulma Guzmán, the clear answer is yes.
Guzmán, an immigrant mother of four from El Salvador, has witnessed firsthand the challenges of obtaining information and sees how difficult it can be to access translation services. She has spent years helping Latino parents navigate the school system through her work as a community activist and member of VozColectiva, a community newsroom serving the city’s Latino population.
During this time, she said parents have frequently told her that they often miss important information about their children’s school due to language barriers and a lack of resources available in Spanish. Guzmán said Latino parents often tell her the district’s translation services and its work to help English language learners, among other programs, are not enough to meet their needs…