School officials in Denver are re-launching a popular program that aims to teach immigrant parents English via a local radio program. Almost half of all students in Denver Public Schoolsspeak a language other than English at home – and for the majority of those it’s Spanish. First launched last year on MARIA 1090, a local Spanish radio station, the Maestro en Casa, or Teacher at Home, show is a forum for non-English speaking parents to learn how to access school programs and other services and to learn English themselves. Elsa Guajardo is principal at Lake Middle School in west Denver.
"This will give you an opportunity to advocate for your child in Denver Public Schools or your child’s education," said Elsa Guajardo, the principal of Lake Middle School in west Denver.
At an event in the school’s auditorium, she urged parents to take advantage of the program so they’d be better advocates for their kids in the school system. Last year about 3,000 parents took part in the radio English courses. DPS officials are hoping that number will rise to 5,000 this school year.
The Colorado initiative is one of only three across the country.
