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HOUSE MEMORIAL 43
57
TH LEGISLATURE
- STATE OF NEW MEXICO -
FIRST SESSION
, 2025
INTRODUCED BY
Yanira Gurrola
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
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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
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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
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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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