MCPS Launches Spanish Twitter Feed

March 8, 2012

Montgomery County Public Schools has launched a Spanish Twitter feed (@MCPSEspanol) that will share news and information with the district’s growing Spanish-speaking community.

“Twitter has been a very effective way for the school district to engage our community and keep people informed about what is going on at MCPS,” said Superintendent of Schools Joshua P. Starr. “MCPSEspanol will allow us to better engage our Spanish-speaking families as we seek to improve community engagement across the district.”

According to the most recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau, Montgomery County has more than 140,000 residents who speak Spanish at home. The number of MCPS students receiving English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) services has nearly doubled in the last 10 years. This school year, more than 19,000 students receive ESOL services, and 62 percent of those students speak Spanish as their native language.

MCPS releases many of its publications in English and Spanish, as well as four other languages—Chinese, French, Korean and Vietnamese—and has information in all six languages on its website. Additionally, MCPS TV produces programs in Spanish. Dr. Starr has made improving community engagement one of the district’s top priorities for the coming school year, including how to better engage the Hispanic community.

“As our district continues to grow and change, we must change the way we communicate with and empower our families,” Dr. Starr said.

The school district’s central Twitter account (@MCPS) has more than 7,500 followers, among the most of any school district in the nation. Dr. Starr also uses Twitter to share information and ideas through his account (@MCPSsuper), which has more than 1,900 followers.

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