What unique challenges and opportunities do parent-driven mentor programs pose for EL students and families? How can schools and districts create mission aligned programs that support ongoing goals while offering new opportunities? What existing district programs and community partnerships can schools tap into in order to create a more robust and sustainable parent outreach program? We discuss these questions and more with Francisco Meza and Elba Solis of Whittier Union High School District in Southern California.

With the help of other educators, parents and community members in their district, Francisco Meza and Elba Solis have created a successful parent mentor program that helps families of English learners become more involved with helping the district achieve their goals while simultaneously providing them with valuable learning opportunities. As you’ll hear in the interview, the program has provided great value for all who have been involved...and it is replicable in other districts who are trying to do similar things.

During the episode, we mention that Highest Aspirations will be featuring teacher shout-outs submitted by listeners from now through the end of the school year. If you would like to participate, you can record a short audio message on your phone or computer and email it to [email protected]. For more information on recording and submitting your message, check out our blog post.

You can find additional resources and episode takeaways on our ELL Community page at ellevationeducation.com/ellcommunity. If you haven’t done so already, we invite you to join our ELL Community while you’re there so you get weekly resources, strategies and tips from that you can use right away.

Finally, the 2021 Ellevation Scholarship is still accepting applications - if you are interested in the application, visit this page to learn more and apply.