Monthly Education Policy E-Newsletter: November Edition

LULAC Promotes American Education Week! Ask Parents to Sign an Education Pledge

LULAC invites you to join communities across the country in celebrating American Education Week from Monday, November 18 through Friday, November 22. This special week offers the opportunity to celebrate our nation’s public schools and the people that make them work, as well as to learn more about how they work and how we can pitch in to improve our children’s education. It all starts with Kickoff Day on Monday, November 18, followed by Parents’ Day on Tuesday. To learn more about American Education Week, click here.

In observance of American Education Week, LULAC is working with partners like Univision to engage parents in our public schools by encouraging parents to sign up for our “Toma Acción” pledge. By taking the pledge, parents promise to engage in their children’s education by taking actions like attending a PTA meeting, learning more about the Common Core State Standards, and/or setting up meetings with teachers and counselors at their child’s school.

To take the pledge, visit, www.eselmomento.com.

LULAC Joins AFT, NEA, and Others to Launch "National Day of Action to Reclaim the Promise of Public Education" on December 9, 2013

LULAC has joined a coalition along with organizations such as the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the National Education Association (NEA) to launch the “National Day of Action to Reclaim the Promise of Public Education.” This special day, to be observed on Monday, December 9th, is an opportunity for parents, teachers, students, and the community to come together and work towards fulfilling the promise of what public education should be - a pathway to opportunity and justice for all members of our society, regardless of background.

On December 9, coalition partners across the country will affirm core principles and ideas like:

Public schools are public institutions,
Strong public schools create strong communities, and
Quality teaching must be delivered by committed, respected and supported educators.

We encourage LULAC Councils to take part in the “National Day of Action to Reclaim the Promise of Public Education” in their communities in observance of this day. If you or your LULAC council is interested in holding an event in your area, please contact Luis Torres. We also encourage LULAC Councils to reach out to our partners at the American Federation of Teachers who are engaged in their region. For a list of AFT regional coordinators, click here.To read the principles in full in both Spanish and English, click here.

ESEA Waiver Webinar Hosted by Campaign for High School Equity (CHSE)

As part of the Campaign for High School Equity (CHSE), LULAC joined 9 other civil rights organizations in releasing a white paper that analyzed the Department of Education's Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Waiver system. The paper entitled, Maintaining a Focus on Subgroups in an Era of Elementary and Secondary Education Act Waivers, raises concerns regarding the lack of rigor in state accountability systems.

A webinar was recently conducted by the Campaign for High School Equity on this ESEA waiver, the highlights of the reports, and how you can help ensure that Latino students don’t fall through the cracks. If you would like a copy of the report, please contact Luis Torres at LATorres@LULAC.org.

Background on the paper:

The report found, among other things, that although state accountability systems vary widely, many states group the lowest-performing 25 or 30 percent of students into “super subgroups.” This method of grouping takes the focus off of the performance of individual groups of students, such as students of color. This method also allows the performance of low achieving students to no longer trigger interventions. Accordingly, the use of “super subgroups” could lead to fewer students of color receiving the supports and interventions they need. Read the white paper here.

LULAC Invited to Present at Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Key Partner Convening in St. Petersburg, Florida – Nov. 21-22, 2013

As a key partner with Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, LULAC has been invited to present at a special convening in St. Petersburg, Florida on Nov. 21-22, 2013 in a panel entitled, Communicating Effectively to Target Audiences about the Common Core State Standards. The overall goals of the panel and the convening will be to enhance awareness among key civil rights partners of the work of other foundation partners across Florida, and to identify opportunities for future collaboration. For a copy of LULAC’s presentation, send an email to Luis Torres.

Thanks to the support of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, LULAC National’s education policy team has been able to continue advocating on behalf of Latino children. With the education landscape ripe for reform, and issues like Common Core State Standards, ESEA waivers, Measures of Effective Teaching, and Data Models, dominating the discussion, LULAC National has been able to provide the Latino community with pertinent information and advocacy tools to engage Latino parents and education leaders in critical education reform conversations. Through workshops at conventions and events, community trainings and presentations, media outreach, and bilingual literature, LULAC has leveraged the support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to help advance the interests of Latino children.

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Spotlight on LULAC's State Advocacy

Common Core State Standards Implementation Across the U.S.

Click on your state to see CCSS implementation in your state.

Save the Date: LULAC New Mexico Plans 2nd Common Core Town Hall in Albuquerque on December 16, 2013

LULAC and NIEA will be hosting New Mexico Education Secretary Hanna Skandera at a second community town hall scheduled to take in New Mexico to educate the community about the implementation of Common Core State Standards. The town hall is scheduled to take place on Monday, December 16, 2013. For more information, please contact Luis Torres.

Nearly 300 people gathered for the first New Mexico town hall on the Common Core State Standards.

LULAC leadership met with New Mexico Secretary of Education Hanna Skandera.

LULAC Council in Florida Holds Common Core Town Hall

Event Also Highlights LNESC and Univision Partnership As Part of Univision's National Day of Action

This month, LULAC Council #7232 in Florida hosted an education forum on the topic of the Common Core State Standards. The event was held at the Casa Bacardi at ICCAS - University of Miami Campus. Click here to watch a clip of the presentation at the town hall. Click here for photos of the event.