As MCPS continues its search for a new superintendent, will school system officials choose a leader who can address the needs of all students? This morning, a coalition of groups urged the Board of Education to pick a new superintendent who has had success closing the achievement gap for Latino students, which are the largest minority group in MCPS. The following is their press release:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
April 13, 2015
CONTACT:
Diego Uriburu:
301-518-8705
duriburu@identity-youth.org
Antonio Hernandez Cardoso:
240-605-6174
HerCarAnt@gmail.com
Newly Formed Coalition Urges Montgomery County School Board to Choose Superintendent who will Advance Achievement of Latino Students
Latinos Are One-Third of Student Body: New Superintendent Must Institutionalize Greater Cultural Competency and Inclusiveness in Schools
The Montgomery County Latino Advocacy Coalition (MCLAC) called upon the Montgomery County Board of Education to hire a superintendent with a track record in advancing the achievement of Latino students. The goal is to improve academic achievement, career readiness, and increase Latino family involvement in local schools. The MCLAC applauds the Board of Education for implementing an extensive process to gain meaningful community input in the selection process for the new superintendent. The new school superintendent must be ready to work with the Latino community on a number of key issues to ensure that the school district:
- Provides staffing at schools that reflect the student population in an effort to become a culturally and linguistically competent system. There is an inadequate number of Spanish-speaking staff members available to speak with Latino parents to answer their questions and generally assist them in supporting their students.
- Provides ongoing professional development to teachers and staff to support them in affirming cultural diversity in MCPS classrooms.
- Allocates the necessary college and career resources to ensure that all Latino students have paths to future success. This includes prioritizing a career readiness program for students enrolled in English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes and older students with interrupted educations; ensuring small class sizes for students with increased educational load; and providing mentoring and additional supports for students who may struggle academically.
- Provides meaningful access to policy and decision-making processes for the Latino community. To further this inclusive process, the new superintendent should articulate a clear strategy and create mechanisms in MCPS and the Board of Education to facilitate the participation of the Latino community in key debates and crucial policy decisions. This includes strategic plans for the county, the budget process, and other policies having large-scale impact.
- Engages in system-wide transformative reform to ensure that MCPS adopt policies and practices that enable Latino families to participate in the school lives of their students.
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Montgomery County Latino Advocacy Coalition (MCLAC) is a group of community leaders and organizations that support the achievement of Latino youth and the wellbeing of community members. MCLAC includes organizations such as CASA de Maryland, Identity, Maryland Multicultural Youth Centers and numerous other organizations as well as parents and business leaders.
For more information, you can read MCLAC’s Letter to the BOE and a MCLAC Fact Sheet.
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