Although he was raised in Queens by Spanish-speaking parents from Puerto Rico, Mr. Martinez had not learned to speak Spanish very well.

Last month in Sanford, Fla., a PTA chapter started using earphones to transmit translations of remarks at meetings to Spanish-speaking parents.

When classes resumed here on Sept. 15, young children attending the Santa Maria del Mar primary school brought home a disturbing bit of news for their Spanish-speaking parents.

'But the point was not to get rid of English,' says Antonio Garcon an active Spanish-speaking parent with three children in the Toronto school system.

The letter, recalled these Spanish-speaking parents, was written only in English.

In the Ysleta Independent School District, parents have been hired by the school system to help Spanish-speaking parents navigate school bureaucracies.

He translates for Spanish-speaking parents and resolves conflicts in the hallways.

Rosa Browne, a recent immigrant from Colombia who speaks little English, called about 15 Spanish-speaking parents to tell them of the possible delay.

The benefits of the program seem clear to Spanish-speaking parents.

Many of the Spanish-speaking parents, even those who've been here a year or two, haven't begun to speak English.