Design a site like this with WordPress.com
Get started

Latino Parents Can Play Important Role in Children’s Educational

An executive director at Tri-City Educators in Los Angeles, Christopher Bianco Arellano holds a doctor of education from Pepperdine University. In earning the degree, Christopher Bianco Arellano wrote a dissertation that analyzed the results of a study he conducted on the connection between parenting and student performance in Latino communities in Southern California.

An article on LASchoolReport.com highlighted the important role Latino parents can play in their children’s education. Titled “What I learned in 25 years of being a Latino parent engagement advocate – ‘Knowing the school system can really transform everything,’” the article featured insights from Maria Elena Meraz, the founder of the nonprofit Parent Engagement Academy. As an advocate and mother, she is committed to inspiring immigrant and Latino parents to be more engaged in their children’s studies and schools.

Meraz stated that, based on her experience working in schools in Mexico and Los Angeles, there is an urgent need for Latino parents to learn the ins and outs of educational systems. She pointed to the disparity between the academic performance of Latino students and the statewide averages in California. For instance, Latino students on average scored 10 percentage points below the statewide averages in math and reading tests in 2018. In conclusion, she listed some benefits that Latino parents receive by becoming involved with local schools, such as learning just what their children need to succeed.

Advertisement

US Latino Population Grows in Size and Political Power

Los Angeles, California resident Christopher Bianco Arellano holds a doctorate in education from the Pepperdine University and is the executive director of Tri-City Educators. A member of the Democratic Party, Christopher Bianco Arellano is the president of Avance Democratic Club, which seeks to increase civic engagement in the growing US Latino population.

Hispanics’ share of the US population is growing and so is their political power, according to Pew Research Center. In 2019, the US Hispanic population reached 60.6 million, a 9.9 million increase from 50.7 million recorded in 2010. As a percentage, Hispanics comprised 18 percent of the US population in 2019. In 2010, they comprised 16 percent of the population.

A majority of these Latinos are US citizens. In 2018, 80 percent of Latinos living in the United States were US citizens meaning they were born in the United States and its territories, born outside the United States to US citizens, or immigrated to the United States and became naturalized citizens.

In 2020, Pew Research estimates that 32 million Latinos will be eligible to vote, a 4.7 million increase from 2016. Five states host close to 70 percent of the Latino vote. These are California with 7.9 million, Texas with 5.6 million, Florida with 3.1 million, New York with 2 million, and Arizona with 1.2 million.

CFT Supports Move for Publicly-Elected Charter School Boards

After more than a decade as an area representative for United Teachers Los Angeles, Christopher Bianco Arellano was named the executive director of Tri-City Educators. Christopher Bianco Arellano is also active with other organizations, such as the California Democratic Party of which he is an elected delegate for AD51.

In 2019, the CFT endorsed the California Democratic Party’s update to its stance on charter schools. The party revised its platform to include language that would require the state’s charter schools to hold open elections for board member positions. Under current regulations, charter schools can elect board members with no public input. However, party leaders argue that charters must follow the same election process required of other public schools.

At the time of the party’s revised platform announcement, more than 1,000 California charter schools are not overseen by publicly-elected boards. California has more charter schools than any other state. Ten percent of all children in public schools attend charter schools.

Role of the California Association of Bilingual Education (CABE)

Christopher Bianco Arellano earned a doctor of education from Pepperdine University and master of arts degrees in both social work and urban planning from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. Currently, Christopher B. Arellano works as executive director of Tri-Citi Educators Uniserv with the Teacher Association of Norwalk-La-Mirada/CTA/NEA. In March 2019, the California Association of Bilingual Education (CABE), where he had served as president of the group’s Pepperdine University chapter, awarded Christopher Bianco Arellano an alumnus visionary award.

The California Association for Bilingual Education (CABE) is a nonprofit advocacy organization established in 1976 with a mission to promote equity and quality educational achievement for students from diverse racial, cultural, and linguistic backgrounds. These students experience language barrier challenges that limit them from fully becoming part of the California educational system.

With a membership base of 5,000 and more than 60 chapters/affiliates, CABE is committed to being the premier source of professional development for educators and parents striving to help students undertaking English learning courses. Additionally, CABE works closely with legislators and policymakers to promote educational equity and availability of sufficient resources for English learners. To date, CABE has contributed to the successful passing of key legislation to increase resources for English language development. The California Association for Bilingual Education is also part of numerous educational, community, and business partnerships to help boost the standards of English training.