New Mexico Association for Bilingual Education

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.

Article Excerpt from the Santa Fe New Mexican

Bilingual education advocates push for increased focus, opportunities

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.

50th Anniversary of the BMEA of 1973

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).

Click here to download our social media toolkit

NMABE has a new executive Director!

Elisabeth Valenzuela, Ph.D.

In 1999 I began teaching at La Mesa Elementary school as a first-grade bilingual teacher. During my 23 years in public education, I’ve had the opportunity to serve in various roles --classroom teacher, instructional coach, principal, assistant professor, and Education Administrator at the Public Education Department (Bilingual Multicultural Education Bureau). During my time with NM PED, I was tasked with creating the Spanish Language Development (SLD) and Spanish Language Arts (SLA) Taskforce, which was charged with reviewing and adopting SLD/SLA standards to strengthen bilingual multicultural education programs in NM. As Assistant Professor of Bilingual Education and chair of Teacher Education at New Mexico Highlands University, my focus has been to re-establish a robust bilingual education program that aims to graduate highly skilled, knowledgeable, and caring bilingual education teachers.

In my role as Executive Director of the New Mexico Association for Bilingual Education, I seek to work collaboratively with NMABE’s board members in advancing the organization’s mission “to support Bilingual Educators in their work and their professional development growth throughout the state.” I will work arduously in advancing NMABE’s advocacy, leadership, professional development, and research efforts. Lastly, I look forward to collaborating with all stakeholders in expanding and advancing bilingual education for all students in New Mexico.

Contact Us

We would love to hear from you!

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!

New Mexico Association for Bilingual Education

PO Box 6578, Albuquerque, NM 87197, us

(505) 459-9935

Hours

Monday - Friday: 9am - 5pm

Saturday: By appointment

Sunday: Closed