Bilingual Education Day 2025 at the NM State Legislature
Friday, March 7, 2025
50 Years of New Mexico Voices:
Sustaining All Languages and Cultures For Generations
Thank you for joining us for this year's annual conference and helping to make it a successful event! We couldn't have done it without you!
CESDP
NMPED Language and Culture Divison
World Class ED
Benchmark Education
Books del Sur
www. booksdelsur.com
Booksource
Bernalillo County
Avant Assessment
Dual Language Education of NM
Hispano Chamber of Commerce
Exhibitors
Moquino Indian Jewelry
Diana Candelaria
Donovan Candelaria
Dulce School
Age of Leanring
Ellevation
NMHU/School of Education
www.nmhu.edu/landing-school-of-education
Talking Points
NMPED Educator Pathways
Vista Higher Learning
Yabla
Congresswoman Leger Fernández introduced a H.RES resolution recognizing the significance of the 1973 New Mexico Bilingual Multicultural Act on its 50th Anniversary this month in Washington, D.C.. The resolution highlights the importance of cultivating education in both the mother tongue as well as English for the preservation of culture, identity, and indigenous knowledge.
New Mexico is a pioneer and the first state in the United States to have a bilingual multicultural education law with the Bilingual Multicultural Education Act of 1973. This law is the only state legislation that acknowledged culture as an important part of language acquisition. The Bilingual Multicultural Education Act of 1973 was later expanded in 2004 and is a national model for state legislation.
In 1973, the Legislature had an inspired idea, said Elisabeth Valenzuela, executive director of the New Mexico Association for Bilingual Education: For the first time, the state’s lawmakers allocated funding for multilingual, culturally responsive education programs in a law called the Bilingual Multicultural Education Act.
The historic legislation — the first of its kind in the United States — acknowledged the many cultural histories and traditions present in the state, Valenzuela said, while providing teachers with the resources necessary to teach in multiple languages.
In 1973, the original Bilingual Multicultural Education Act was the first of its kind, honoring the unique multilingual and multicultural identity of our state, and it served as model legislation for other states to adopt. Now, five decades later, the BMEA has laid the foundation for what should guarantee equitable education opportunities for all New Mexicans.
A committee of educators, leaders and scholars dedicated to serving our bilingual communities have come together over the past few months to draft a Joint Memorial for this 2023 Legislative Session. We have enlisted the support of two champions; Senator Robert Gonzales and Representative Derrick Lente, to bring the Joint Memorial forward on our behalf..
We urge you to support the BMEA Joint Memorial SJM 6/HJM 3, which would ensure the continuation and expansion of multicultural educational support and resources for our children. We believe all children are sacred and to this end, we are asking Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham to declare 2023
“The Year of Multicultural Education in New Mexico”.
For Education Proponents and District Leaders:
Please share this email widely and consider signing on to a Letter of Support that will reflect the broad network of Superintendents who value the intent of the BMEA Joint Memorial. To add your organization to the letter, please email us at info@transformeducationnm.org.
Click here to read the Letter of Support
For Teachers and Students:
Nothing catches a busy Representative or Senator’s attention like a letter from a young person or educator in their district. We urge teachers to consider including a lesson in the coming weeks that invites students to read the BMEA Fact Sheet and write a letter to their lawmakers. We are including a coloring sheet that teachers can download and print for younger students. We look forward to stories about successes and challenges that face our students and teachers in bilingual education.
Click here to download the BMEA Memorial Fact Sheet
Click here to find your legislators
Click here to download the coloring sheet
For The Parents in Your District/School Community:
Please share this information with parents and grandparents in a manner that is appropriate for your area (posting on your school’s website, as an example).
We strive to meet our member's needs, by providing information on relevant topics such as bilingualism in education, bilingual education programs and teacher education. Feel free to reach out to us either by phone, email, Twitter or Facebook!
Monday - Friday: 9am - 5pm
Saturday: By appointment
Sunday: Closed
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