HM 43
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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 HM 43
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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 HM 43
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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: HM 43
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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.