MERCEDES — Valley parents want their children to succeed in school, and in Mercedes, parents are learning what it takes to help their children achieve educational success.
On Monday, Magdalena Sylvestre will be in her cap and gown graduating from the Parent Academy of Success of Schools (PASOS).
Sylvestre’s four children, who attend Mercedes ISD schools, will be in the audience watching her as she sets the example for her entire family by receiving her certificate of completion from Superintendent Dr. Daniel Trevino.
This year’s ceremony marks Mercedes Independent School District’s third PASOS graduating class aimed at helping the district’s students achieve educational success by making available parental engagement training.
For 10 weeks, 34 Mercedes parents have been meeting on Saturday mornings to learn strategies to help educate, motivate and prepare their children for success in school.
“I have learned it’s important to give our children the attention they deserve, be excited about their progress and be more involved with their education,” Sylvestre said.
“I want my children to graduate from a university. They have the opportunity to do something different with their lives.”
Sylvestre said PASOS taught her how to help guide her children as they go through the public school system and enter college.
The district partnered with the Texas Valley Communities Foundation, a Mercedes nonprofit focused on empowering the Valley through the PASOS Parent Academy, a program that uses a number of proven academic success tools.
Some of the PASOS class topics include dedicating a home study location and time of day for homework, creating ongoing dialogue with their children surrounding their academic successes and challenges and discussing children’s college expectations.
“Research shows that the most successful schools are those that partner with parents and share the responsibility of student education,” said Dr. Roland Arriola, president of the Texas Valley Communities Foundation. “PASOS informs parents about the workings of the school district and provides them with the skills they need to best support their child’s education.”
Arriola said the parent graduation is a celebration that is typically very powerful to parents who may not have a formal education, and is an opportunity for children to see their parents as graduates themselves.
Classes are taught in English and Spanish by professional PASOS facilitators, who are members of the communities they serve. Currently, the PASOS Academy is being implemented by the parental involvement departments at the Lyford, Weslaco, Donna and Edinburg school districts.
“It’s a great program for the parents,” said Elvia Sandoval, Mercedes ISD school board president. “PASOS encourages the parents to encourage their children to further their education.”
She said she is pleased with the effectiveness of the PASOS Parent Academy and what the training has done for the district’s parents who have been involved with the program.
“The parents in the PASOS program are very intense, and want to be more involved in their child’s education,” Sandoval said.
