Navarro to be feted by national Hispanic education group

Title I schools holding parent meetings this week

Navarro said she was ‘‘pretty surprised” when she found out about the award more than a week ago.

‘‘I view my service to the county as a duty,” she said. ‘‘For the Latino community to recognize me for this work is pretty gratifying.”

Previously, Navarro received the Leadership Award from the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Montgomery County and the state department of education’s ‘‘Women Who Dare” Leadership Award.

The national Hispanic youth group, in partnership with the Maryland State Department of Education, the Hispanic College Fund and others, gives Hispanic children the chance to go to college.

‘‘The Montgomery County school system is one of the largest in the country, and to have a Latina as president of one of the largest systems is quite an accomplishment,” said Luis Borunda, president and founder of the U.S. Hispanic Youth Entrepreneur & Education Foundation. ‘‘It’s something we felt was due. It’s not only due, but it’s deserved.”

Title I parent meetings

Parent meetings, both at 7 p.m., are ongoing at four federally funded Title I elementary schools this week to detail enrollment options available next school year.

The next meetings are:

*Tonight — Summit Hall Elementary School in Gaithersburg

*Tomorrow — Oak View Elementary School in Silver Spring

The schools are waiting for this year’s results of the Maryland School Assessment, scheduled for release in June, to determine if they will be required to provide options next year.

The schools will provide the enrollment options only if they do not meet their Adequate Yearly Progress targets in the same content area on the MSA for a second consecutive year. Once a school achieves the AYP standard for two consecutive years, the school no longer is required to participate in the choice option.

For more information, go to www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org⁄departments⁄titleone⁄includes⁄schoolchoice.shtm.

Arts education summit

The Arts Education in Maryland Schools Alliance is sponsoring a summit on Friday, when several superintendents in the state — including Montgomery schools Superintendent Jerry D. Weast — and board members will discuss how the arts enhances classroom curriculum.

The summit, called Superintendents Summit: The State of the Arts Education in Maryland, will be held from 10:45 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Music Center at Strathmore in North Bethesda.

Weast is scheduled to present the county’s Arts Integration Model at about 11:20 a.m.

Other presenters include State Superintendent Nancy S. Grasmick, who will speak on arts education research and policy.

Call Brad Dunnells or Janice Webber at 410-783-2367.

ESOL awards

The English for Speakers of Other Languages Awards Day will take place from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Saturday at John F. Kennedy High School in Silver Spring.

Parents and their children are being asked to wear clothes from their native country to the ceremony.

The awards ceremony will recognize students, as well as three teachers and a principal.

Special education rally

Special-education advocates will hold another rally at 6 p.m. May 21 to oppose the closing of the county’s secondary learning centers.

The rally will be held at the school system’s headquarters at 850 Hungerford Drive in Rockville. After the rally, the advocates plan to sit in on the board’s 7 p.m. meeting.

Since January, advocates have launched a full-scale effort to keep open the county’s eight secondary learning centers. They have appealed to everyone from schools Superintendent Jerry D. Weast, county Inspector General Thomas J. Dagley and the County Council.