Park City School District Increases Efforts to “Reach” Latino Students

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It is well-known that there is an undeniable link between education and health. Better educated people have longer life expectancies. For Latinos, barriers often exist between them and obtaining the best education possible, creating disparities between them and other races and ethnic groups.

In Park City, Utah (16.43% Latino population), the local school district is taking extra measures to reach out to its growing Latino student base. A new, deliberate, concerted effort has been undertaken to reach out to the area’s growing Latino residents to “ensure all students in Park City schools receive a top-flight education.”

The Park City School District hired Eric Esquivel last year to be the Latino Community Relations Specialist and head the new Latino Advocacy Team. The group has several key goals, including: get all Latino students to read at grade level by the third grade, improve attendance and behavioral issues, increase participation in extracurricular activities, and improve communication with Latino families.

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“We had individuals doing outstanding work, amazing work, putting in hours after hours,” said Esquivel in an interview with the Park Record. “But now that it’s been restructured, I think it’s going to improve and hopefully become a little more efficient and work a little smarter.”

Serving as advocates for Latino parents and students within the school system will be one of the most important initiatives the group will undertake. This will have to be done by creating relationships and opening lines of communication in the community.

“Many parents don’t know how to navigate the school system, which is a problem often exacerbated by a language barrier,” Esquivel said. “It’s incumbent on the district to reach out and show those parents they belong in the school community and teach them how they can become involved in their children’s education.”

The district is hoping for a complete buy in from Latino parents and community members. They hope to do this by showing them how important it is for them to be engaged and involved in the school system.

“[We want to make] Park City’s schools places of opportunity for all students,” Esquivel said.

Read more about this story here.

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