A "must have" for Latino parents

"Ayude a sus hijos a tener exito en la escuela, a practical guide for Latino Parents" is the last book of Mariela Dabbah, (also author of  "Como conseguir trabajo en los Estados Unidos").
The book helps Latino parents to understand the intricacies of the US school system, as well as how to get the most for their children at school. It includes an overview of the US school system and then it explains the differences with most of the Latin American educational systems.

Wrote in Spanish, is a must have for parents as well as for schools, that should be able to provide this book to Spanish speaking parents.

"My purpose with my writing is trying to help Latinos crack the American code,'' says Dabbah, who moved to the United States from Argentina in 1988. "Part of the code is how to find jobs and work, and part of the code is understanding the education system.''

In her former job as a bilingual book distributor in Ossining, Dabbah ran workshops for parents and teachers — and soon came to realize that Latino parents faced numerous obstacles.

For one, says Dabbah, Latin Americans traditionally believe the school is always right.

"They come with a lot of fears, and one of them is fear of authority in general. It's very hard to assert their rights, and they don't even know their rights many times,'' she says. "If you don't know the language and you don't know the system and you fear authority, that's one thing on top of the other.''

Families that are in the United States illegally are often more fearful, says Dabbah. But when parents don't get involved in their children's schools, that can send the message that they don't care about their children's education.

In truth, they care a great deal, says George Castellanos, chairman of the Spanish department and director of Latin American studies at Manhattanville College in Purchase.

"Parents do want to get involved,'' he says. "They really want to know: What are the sources? How do I get involved? How do I deal with principals? What are the requirements for my kid to be able to graduate?''

Schools need to reach out, says Dabbah — and parents shouldn't be afraid to take that first step.