From a young age, Alex Sanchez understood the importance of education. So in school, he worked hard to overcome any language barriers.
Sanchez is a U.S. citizen, born in Los Angeles, learning Spanish as a first language. But his mother wasn’t a citizen. When he was in first grade, she was deported, so his family moved back to Mexico. Sanchez had been learning in English at the time, and had to transition to learning in Spanish. Then, when they moved back to the United States when he was in fifth grade, he had to switch back to learning in English.
So he worked at it, he said.
“I remember having to wait until everyone went to bed,” he said. “My room was the living room. I would go to the hallway of the apartment complex because there was lighting. That’s where I went and did my homework.”
At 15, he was working a full-time job as a manager at McDonald’s and continued working there through high school. By the time he had graduated from Basalt High School, he also had earned an associate’s degree from taking classes at Colorado Mountain College.
“I knew I needed to work twice as hard if I wanted to make it to college,” he said. “It wasn’t easy. But I recognized it was education that was going to overcome poverty. I needed to learn so that I didn’t have to have the same jobs or struggles my family had.”
Denver Public Schools established a multicultural outreach office for the current school year, and named Sanchez the first director.
The office was needed because “more than 124 languages” are spoken by students, he said, and 40 percent, or 30,000, DPS students speak Spanish at home.
The goal of the office is to build stronger relationships with parents, particularly those who don’t speak English.
“I am not an educator; I am a communicator,” Sanchez said. “I know information is knowledge, and knowledge is power. If we give knowledge to the parents in a way they can understand it, it becomes a tool they can use to support their sons and daughters — not only in the classroom, but at home. I think that’s very important.”
Sanchez tries to incorporate linguistically and culturally appropriate communication strategies that can reach out to parents and caretakers.
This year he launched a radio show in Spanish. Thus Sanchez hosts “Educa,” which translates to “educate,” a weekly talk show that airs on the top three Spanish commercial radio stations in Denver — Jose 92.1 FM, Maria 1090 AM and La TriColor 96.5 FM. The program is live at 9 a.m. Wednesdays on 1090 AM, and is repeated at 9:30 a.m. Saturdays on 1090 AM and 6:30 a.m. Sundays on 96.5 FM and 92.5 FM.
Sanchez talks about school and district reform, has guests such as principals and other school administrators, and encourages parents to call in to talk about what they need and express any frustrations with the school system.
The goal is to engage parents in the process because “parents are the key to success,” Sanchez said.
“They can ask questions that they just simply don’t get,” he said. “They can challenge or question a process, whether it’s the discipline policy or a another concept that, unless you grew up in this country or dealt with them in the past, you may not understand.”
Sanchez said the response from the community has been overwhelming. The show averages around 5,000 listeners each week, and between 10 and 20 parents call in.
Sanchez also publishes a quarterly newspaper with a circulation of 16,000. Educa News provides policy updates, messages from the superintendent, and other resources for parents such as phone numbers and employment opportunities.
Sanchez is the former chief spokesman for DPS and is an adviser to Mexico’s Institute of Mexicans Abroad, a federal agency of Mexico’s Secretary of Foreign Relations office.
This article was reprinted from the May 14 edition of the Denver Business Journal.