ABSTRACT
The empowerment process manifests three dimensions of power including a collective process, critical reflection, and mutual respect expanding the dimensions of personal and collective identity. Cooperation is one of the values inherent in the empowerment process which enabled people to work together. Empowerment is an ongoing intentional process centered at the local community. Individuals active in Latino organizations like Carpinteria Latinos embrace the Comite de Padres Latinos (COPLA) participated in a collective empowerment process of critically examining their common social and cultural history in Mexico and in the United States. COPLA has influenced Carpinteria schools by urging them to hire bilingual personnel to communicate with Spanish-speaking families. Teacher-parent communication has increased over 60 per cent since the inception of COPLA as both parents and teachers have reached out to each other in order to further strengthen children's learning. All schools have organized a COPLA Latino parent group to work with administrators and teachers on issues pertaining to Spanish-speaking children.
