How can we get our local Mexican families more involved in PTO?

Question

At our last PTO meeting, the principal showed us the school's stats from recent standardized testing. What was most interesting to me was the fact that our school was 66% hispanic (mostly from Mexico).

The PTO core (those of us who go to the meetings regularly) are about 15 white women. In the 2 years I've been at the school, we haven't had a Mexican family attend a meeting. When it comes to volunteering at the PTO events we have about 5% Mexican families involved.

Now, obviously, there's the regular problem that exists without any cultural differences at all - the problem of just getting any parents/families involved in PTO to begin with.

But, what I'm wondering is what it is that we don't understand in our PTO about the local Mexican culture, that's keeping them away in such large amounts? And, more importantly, what are some things we can do to encourage them to be more involved?

We really want to serve *all* of the students & families at our school, but don't know how.

Answer 1

Have Taco Bell cater the meetings

Answer 2

Try sending a letter in Spanish to the family inviting them to the meetings or better yet have a person who speaks perfect Spanish go to their house and invite them personally. The Mexican mom will probably be more interested in going if she sees what type of people she's dealing with before-hand. Make them understand that it's only a way to see what their kids are doing/learning in school, and it's not anything bureaucratical. It's important that there be someone who speaks perfect Spanish (a native Speaker is the best) at the meetings....they usually feel more comfortable speaking their native language.

My parents are Mexican.

Answer 3

coming from a mexican family, i know that our lives tend to circle around family and working hard, not neccesarily education. thats not to say all parents arent involved in their childrens schooling but getting families from minority groups to cooperate with the school is something the country needs to work on as a whole. bonding as a community before working for the school would perhaps help. organizing a picnic or a fun fair and personally inviting families to come would be a good idea. greeting them and treating them like family then slowly encouraging them to come to a pto meeting would maybe help.