To Do: Research Existing Programs

Research reveals that the Latino population have especially low enrollment rates compared to Black and Anglo preschoolers in preschools and centers, even after taking into account maternal employment and family income. The lower enrollment rate appears to be primarily in families that speak Spanish in the home (Liang, 2000).

Although some high schools offer after-school Spanish language programs, such as Liberty High School in New York City, there is more research to support the positive effects in second language reading skills by teaching Spanish skills in intervention at a younger age, such as in first-grade (Linan-Thompson, 2006).

The use of trained parents for language instruction has positive results in the Chinese, Japanese, and Korean communities. Students learn from a native speaker. Intercultural communication and personal relationships are built between instructors and parents and between the families themselves. The parents feel they are making a significant contribution to their new home society by teaching the children, especially if in a public school setting (Cooper, 1999).

The use of professionals understanding Positive Behavioral Support practices (PBS) involves understanding and respecting the values of the culture of the family. Four key features to understanding the culture are collaborative partnerships, functional assessment, contextual fit and meaningful lifestyle outcomes (Wang, 2007).

Therefore my preliminary research reveals that successes in existing programs can guide the design of this Saturday School program. There is a need for preschool level instruction for the Latino child from a Spanish-speaking household. Although it was not mentioned in my research, the common feeling among educators I spoke with was that illegal immigrants were afraid to register for any formal school or government program that would entail they risk deportation due to their illegal status. At thier Catholic church they are not afraid that their status as illegal immigrants will be revealed to the authorities. This is one reason the church classrooms may be a safe environment--because the parents would feel safe and be willing to utilize the program and participate in it as long as they did not have to show any documentation to register their child.

My research here and before shows that there is a need for reading comprehension in Spanish at the begin-to-read level of first-grade to boost reading comprehension in English. Using parents, even uneducated ones, to teach Spanish can be an advantage for their fluency and native speaking abilities, as well as for their cultural story telling. Getting to know these parents by having them help in the classroom will instruct teachers in the culture and lifestyle of the family to better understand the children. In order to model both positive behavior and learning skills, understanding of the family could be a key factor. This use of cultural understanding has shown successful results with PBS in the Asian communities.

References:

Cooper,T., & Maloof, V. (1999) The Journal of Educational Research (Washington DC). 92 no3 p. 176-83.

Linan-Thompson, S., Mathes, P., & Vaughn, S. (2006). Effectiveness of Spanish Intervention for First-Grade English Language Learners at Risk for Reading Difficulties, Journal of Learning Disabilities, 39 no 1 p. 56-73.

Liang, X., Fuller, B., & Singer, J. (2000). Ethnic differences in child care selection: the influence of family structure, parental practices, and home language. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, v. 15 no. 3, p. 357-84.

Wang, M., McCart, A., & Turnbull, A. (2007) Implementing Positive Behavior Support With Chinese American Families: Enhancing Cultural Competence. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions. v. 9 no. 1 p. 38-51.