Schools must do more to help families overcome language barriers

Key points:

It's a well documented fact Children achieve better academic results and adjust better to society when parents are involved in their education, but navigating the school system can be challenging. And it's infinitely more difficult for the 1 in 5 U.S. residents who speak a language other than English at home.

Language barriers make it difficult for parents with limited English proficiency (LEP) to advocate for their children, speak with educators about their children’s progress, and gain access to information about special education services, gifted and talented programs, discipline policies, parent handbooks, and more. Often, the role of the ad hoc interpreter falls to the child—from sharing school information and policies to interpreting for their own parent-teacher conference. That’s an adult-sized burden that no child should have to bear.

I talk to a lot of parents, both as a parent and in my advocacy work for language services. What I hear is that while public, charter, and magnet schools are required by law to offer language services, schools simply aren't using interpreters as much as they should. And that creates the risk that children from LEP families will fall through the cracks.

Language access in schools is a legal right and a moral imperative

Under federal law, schools must communicate information to LEP parents in a language they can understand about any program, service, or activity that is required of English-dominant parents. Ensuring access to language services benefits not only LEP parents and their children, but also their children's teachers, classmates, and the district as a whole.

“I think schools greatly overestimate the effectiveness of their communication,” says Helen Sweeney, a mother of four and certified interpreter. “Every time I interpret in an educational setting, I see better results. Even something as simple as explaining the attendance policy or login instructions helps ensure that children don’t fall behind.”

Consider processes like obtaining a 504 plan or an individualized education program (IEP), which removes barriers for a student with a disability to learn alongside his or her classmates in general education. Without one, a student may find it more difficult to learn under certain circumstances. But obtaining an IEP is a complicated process. If a language barrier prevents parents from being able to fully understand their child's rights and navigate that process, problems can be compounded, leading to the need for increased spending on additional resources (more counselors, more academic interventions, and more support) in the future.

“America has always been and will continue to be a land of many languages,” Sweeney said. “We must help all children, regardless of the language their family communicates in, access essential information and services now so they can thrive in the future.”

How schools can better speak the languages ​​of their students' families

Administrators are not advised to wait until a student who uses a wheelchair enrolls in a school to begin building an access ramp. The same is true for language services: Schools and districts need to act now, before a lack of comprehensive language access exposes them to legal risk. A few key steps can help educators move forward in ensuring they are communicating effectively with all parents:

• Translate all priority communications: In a perfect world, all information reaching a student's family would be translated into the language spoken in that home. That's not always possible, so make sure that at a minimum, standard materials necessary for student success are translated into the languages ​​spoken by their LEP families. These documents are typically permanent and don't require a lot of changes from year to year, but they should also include anything time-sensitive. Some common examples include information about enrollment, graduation requirements, permission slips, school calendars, parent-teacher conferences, standard disciplinary forms, and assessments.

• Provide professional interpreters for every conversation with parents: Make sure you have professional interpreters, rather than asking staff with limited bilingual skills to help you or relying on minors to relay information between your school and parents. A language services partner shared across schools can handle the variety of language needs across the district, including having a qualified interpreter available (either in person or by phone or video) for every conversation with LEP families.

• Establish, implement, and provide training around a language access plan: A language access plan can help ensure that both the letter and spirit of the law are followed by providing equitable service to all students and their families—both those with language preferences other than English and those who are fluent in English. Make sure that everyone in your school or district understands what language services you offer, how to access them, and when to use them. This will require training (and retraining) staff on your language access policies.

• Advocating for better investment in language access: There is currently no funding or standardization for language access programs in education, and that needs to change. I am co-chair of the Association of Language Companies (ALC) Advocacy and Standards Committee, and we are working to improve investment in language access programs in education. Join the growing number of advocates calling for change.

We must work together to achieve change

Students and their families should have equal access to education, regardless of the language they speak. Interpreters in schools are essential, and LEP parents should not have to defend something they are already entitled to by law. It's time to come together to support all Families have the same opportunities and information that we provide to English-speaking families. These children are our future leaders and we cannot allow language barriers to stand in the way of their education.