About EchoED

I was born into a large, blended family. My parents, both immigrants from the Caribbean island of Haiti, met in the fields of Central Florida where they harvested seasonal crops, mainly watermelon and sugarcane. Neither of my parents can read nor write in any language, thus my first job (or better yet unpaid internship) was to serve as a language broker for relatives who were limited English proficient (LEP) and/or illiterate. I would attend medical appointments with my diabetic grandmother, complete immigration documents for relatives who were newcomers, fill out job applications for family friends, explain utility bills to my mother, and read and sign school permission slips for myself and my younger siblings. 

The upside to this responsibility was that I strengthened my language skills, and I developed a love for foreign languages and cultures. This perhaps explains why my undergraduate major was Spanish and my graduate studies abroad focused on linguistics and Creole language orthography. However, the downside of my circumstances was the intense pressure of translating sophisticated documents and interpreting sensitive information that I had no business doing or knowing of at such a young age. 

Like me, thousands of immigrant children, both first and second-generation, must endure the pressures of bridging between languages and cultures. Over time, the physiological consequences can be too much for a child to bear. Furthermore, adult immigrant parents in these situations also suffer immensely, because they are obligated to relinquish decision-making power to their more English-proficient and literate children. This role reversal is a source of contention for parents who struggle to maintain control and respect in their homes.

It has always been my dream to relieve kids of this burden and to give a voice to parents like my own, who traditionally are silent in the educational process and are therefore misjudged for it. Let it be known that all parents want to be involved, however, they need guidance on how to do so for the duration of their children's schooling. 

I've spent nearly two decades teaching, researching, and leading in socioeconomically distressed communities and schools. My classroom experiences as a Spanish teacher, reading resource, ESOL specialist, migrant student contact, family literacy director and school principal have brought into sharp contrast the differences between parents who are visibly engaged and those who remain on the sidelines.  There continues to be an immediate need to increase the frequency and enhance the quality of two-way communication between educators and families across the United States.

With the support of family, close friends, and fellow educators EchoED we’re on a mission to bridge communication with multilingual families and remove barriers that impede student achievement, health, and wellness.

Here’s to tackling language differences together!

Cheers,

Dr. Dee