Las Cruces Public Schools (LCPS) in New Mexico has 25 elementary schools, nine middle schools, and six high schools. Their bilingual education department includes a team of interpreters focused on helping Spanish-speaking families, the largest community in Las Cruces that speaks a language different from English. Their goal is to make sure all families can equally participate in education.
After an influx of migrants into their community, LCPS needed help to support families speaking languages besides Spanish or English. New families showed they needed a solution for diverse language needs, including rare ones. Aine Garcia, Executive Director, noted the challenges of communicating with these families. Hiring full-time interpreters for each language didn’t make sense due to the small need, but access to these services was essential for communication with families.
LCPS uses Boostlingo On-Demand to help students and families who speak another language get used to the school system and community. The app connects staff quickly to interpreters for many needs, like communicating bus routes and parent-teacher meetings. It also supports staff during community outreach programs. With remote interpreters at their fingertips in 300+ languages, LCPS uses phone and video interpreting for school and community communication, making everyone feel welcome.
"Knowing that there is now an interpretation service we can use and not have to fumble between piecing together what we can communicate has been wonderful. Now we have Boostlingo in all our schools that are supporting students whose languages are other than English and Spanish. "
Implementing Boostlingo at Las Cruces Public Schools has transformed communication with parents and students, particularly those from new immigrant communities. With on-demand interpreting available, children are no longer burdened with the role of interpreter, which often puts them in inappropriate situations. As a result, the school has established best practices for staff working with professional interpreters, ensuring that crucial discussions about students’ education journey and grade placements happen with language support.
One powerful example of the transformative power of remote interpreting solutions was the community outreach program called Dress a Child. With access to Boostlingo, families and children who spoke languages other than English could participate fully in the program without any confusion or misunderstandings. This resulted in a more inclusive and seamless experience for all participants and fostered a sense of belonging and community, regardless of the language barrier.
Implementing Boostlingo has enabled Las Cruces Public Schools to serve its diverse student population better and build stronger relationships with parents. The school has seen increased parent engagement and satisfaction and improved student educational outcomes. The success of this implementation has led to the adoption of Boostlingo for all parental communications, positioning the school as a leader in embracing and integrating immigrant communities.
Related Content
No Related Case Studies Found
