Medford/Somerville, Mass. -- In a unique, nationally recognized program, Tufts and Somerville’s Public Schools are using photography to bridge the culture gap between Hispanic youth and educators.

   Forty-five second graders used cameras -- donated by Kodak – to capture the most important parts of their lives at school and at home. The program's organizers -- Tufts’ Home School Connection -- say the photos help bridge communication between the parents, teachers and children.

   Ultimately, Tufts and Somerville Public Schools hope to encourage Hispanic students not to drop out. The photo program is just one tool used by Somerville Public Schools and Tufts University’s Home School Connection project as they work to bridge the communication gap between Spanish-speaking parents and teachers who are not always bilingual.

   The student’s photos will be on display in an exhibit called “Windows on Our Lives” at Tufts beginning May 2. “With these pictures the teachers have a new way to engage the kids and learn what their students value at home, and vice versa with the parents,” said Martha Garcia-Sellers, Tufts professor of child development and project director. “To understand the process of immigrant children adapting to American culture, you have to realize the process is a triangle made up of the child, the teacher and the parent. There has to be harmony and balance among all three.”

   The Home School Connection project was started in 1994, with a handful of Somerville first-graders. Now, supported by the W.K. Kellog Foundation, the project reaches 320 families. Between 1980 and 1990 the Spanish-speaking population of Somerville tripled, making it the city’s largest single minority group.