November 2, 2010
Dr. Lourdes Ferrer is a Hispanic Academic Achievement and Parental Involvement Specialist. She is an author, a researcher, and a program developer.
Hispanics are the largest and fastest growing minority in the United States. United States has the second largest Spanish-speaking community in the world, second only to Mexico. Yet, less than 60% of Hispanic students hold a high school diploma and approximately 10% have earned a bachelorette degree. By the age of 9, when most children are at fourth grade, Hispanic students are already two years below grade level. Hispanic students at the age of 17, when they are high school juniors and seniors read and solve mathematics problems at the same level of White 13-year eight graders. Hispanic students often lag behind their White peers in Reading, Mathematics, and Science in their states’ accountability tests and National Assessment of Educational Progress, known as the NAEP.
Since 2005, Dr. Lourdes has conducted numerous qualitative studies across the nation to learn from the students’ perspectives the reasons behind the lack of academic achievement among Hispanic students. She a strong believer that the people who we want to help can provide us the insight we need to help them. Through individual and group interviews she has talked to and carefully listen to thousands of middle and high school students across the nation. According to the students the number one reason for their low grade point averages (GPAs), low test scores on the state accountability tests, low enrollment in advanced, honor and Advanced Placement (AP) courses was their parents low or lack of involvement in their academic lives. One student in particular said, “It is not that they don’t love us. They don’t know how to help us and they don’t know how to know.”
What she found through these studies is not new. Research shows that parental involvement is one of the leading indicators of student academic achievement. Parental involvement improves school attendance, increases student participation in extra-curricular activities, improves classroom discipline and creates a school culture that in conducive to greater student academic achievement. It is the students’ voices that motivated her to create a series of workshops for school administrators and staff members to provide them with the insights, understanding, knowledge, skills and strategies that they need to develop and implement successful Hispanic Parental Involvement Programs (HPIP). Based on the finding of these studies she has also created several HPIP Curricular Programs to provide Spanish-speaking parents with the knowledge and skills they need to support and monitor their children’s education.
We live in an information era. Knowledge is power! We have moved from a nationalist to a globalist, highly-competitive economy. The future of our nation depends on how well we educate our children. Hispanic will constitute a great portion of our human resource power. Providing them with a quality education will make us stronger as a nation and secure our place in the world we will soon live.
Sitting in the Driver’s Seat
Watch the video below to see the 10 competencies that are essential for Hispanic parents to acquire to help their children succeed in school. These 10 competencies form the foundation of the “Sitting in the Driver’s Seat” training program. Learn how you can bring this acclaimed program to your school.