House Memorial 43

HOUSE MEMORIAL 43

57th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2025

INTRODUCED BY

Yanira Gurrola and E. Diane Torres-Velásquez

 

 

 

 

 

A MEMORIAL

ACKNOWLEDGING THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE HISPANIC EDUCATION ACT AND THE BILINGUAL MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION ACT AND REQUESTING THE LEGISLATIVE EDUCATION STUDY COMMITTEE TO STUDY HISPANIC AND BILINGUAL EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS.

 

     WHEREAS, Hispanic students constitute the majority of the student population in New Mexico and face achievement gaps in academic performance, graduation rates and college and career readiness; and

     WHEREAS, New Mexico has a rich bilingual and multicultural heritage, with a significant number of Hispanic students who are English learners requiring specialized instructional support and who may benefit from multicultural education and culturally responsive pedagogy; and

     WHEREAS, New Mexico was the first state in the nation to enact laws to serve Hispanic, bilingual and multicultural students with the Hispanic Education Act and the Bilingual Multicultural Education Act, which promote educational equity, bilingual proficiency and culturally responsive education; and

     WHEREAS, the Hispanic Education Act aims to improve educational outcomes and expand educational opportunities for Hispanic students by fostering collaboration among public schools, the public education department, the higher education department and community organizations to address achievement gaps, increase graduation rates, foster parental involvement and increase post-secondary enrollment, retention and completion; and

     WHEREAS, the Bilingual Multicultural Education Act aims to ensure equal educational opportunities by incorporating students' cultural and linguistic backgrounds into learning, by promoting bilingualism, cognitive development and appreciation of diverse languages and cultures and by providing discretion to local school boards and charter school governing bodies over program funding if they meet the outlined program needs; and

     WHEREAS, the public education department oversees and reports on the implementation of bilingual and multicultural education programs and oversees the bilingual multicultural education advisory council that consists of educators, school leaders and higher education faculty; and

     WHEREAS, the legislature has allocated funding for the Hispanic Education Act and the Bilingual Multicultural Education Act, but direct impact of the funding on students and their communities remains unclear; and

     WHEREAS, the Martinez/Yazzie lawsuit highlighted Hispanic English-learning students' struggle with academic performance in reading and math, with those in bilingual programs performing only slightly better than their peers outside these programs; and

     WHEREAS, research emphasizes that well-implemented bilingual multicultural education strengthens executive function, expands career and higher education opportunities and improves academic achievement; and

     WHEREAS, evaluating current programming for Hispanic and bilingual students and the funding structure and resource allocation for these programs would help inform legislative recommendations to strengthen educational outcomes for Hispanic and bilingual students by identifying successful initiatives and by maximizing the impact of the limited resources appropriated;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that this legislative body hereby acknowledge the significance of the Hispanic Education Act and the Bilingual Multicultural Education Act and request the legislative education study committee to study the implementation of those acts and the current state of Hispanic education and bilingual programs, including evaluating and identifying successful initiatives related to students' academic performance and the funding structures for Hispanic and bilingual education; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the legislative education study committee be requested to study Hispanic and bilingual education in collaboration with:

          A. a representative group of youth;

          B. representatives of the student groups named in the Martinez/Yazzie lawsuit;

          C. educator preparation programs;

          D. educational leaders and educators with expertise in bilingual education;

          E. higher education institutions;

          F. members of the community; and

          G. the public education department; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the legislative education study committee be requested to publish a report of its research and recommendations by December 31, 2025; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the director of the legislative education study committee and the secretary of public education.

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