Monthly Education Policy E-Newsletter September Edition

Attend the Common Core Town Hall on Monday, September 16 in New Mexico

LULAC, NIEA, and New Mexico Governor's Office to Host Series of Town Halls on Common Core State Standards

LULAC will be hosting New Mexico Education Secretary Hanna Skandera at the first of several community town halls scheduled to take place in New Mexico to educate the community about the implementation of Common Core State Standards. The first town hall will be held on Monday, September 16, 2013 from 5:30-7:30 P.M. at Christine Duncan's Heritage Academy located at 1900 Atrisco Drive NW, Albuquerque, New Mexico. To RSVP, please contact (505) 839-4971. Watch the town hall from your computer at www.LULAC.org/live.

Attend ACTober: LULAC's Fall Advocacy Days to Meet with Your Member of Congress

LULAC Members to Visit Congress for ACTober: LULAC's Fall Advocacy Days

Over 100 LULAC members from across the country will convene in Washington, D.C. to participate in Congressional visits. ACTober provides LULAC advocates and allies like you an opportunity to meet with their Member of Congress and their staff to discuss issues of importance to the Latino community, including education, health care, immigration, and civil rights. Participate in ACTober! Visit www.LULAC.org/actober for more information.

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.

LULAC/Univision Common Core Watch Parties Great Success in New Mexico and Florida

For more information about the meeting and to help with future townhalls/listening sessions, or other events in Florida, please contact Luis Torres. Last month, Univision and LULAC National announced that they would work together to help inform the community about the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). On August 24th, Univision aired a nationally televised segment on the CCSS. Led by national Univision anchor, Teresa Rodriguez, Univision’s one-hour segment featured teachers, parents, and community advocates. LULAC Watch Parties were held in Albuquerque, New Mexico and Miami, Florida in collaboration with the LULAC National Education Service Centers.

LULAC Education Expert, Mari Corugedo, Serves as Guest on Univision's Dra. Isabel Radio Show, Speaks on Common Core State Standards

On August 20th, 2013, Mari Corugedo, President of the Hispanic Educators LULAC Council in Miami, Florida, served as an education expert on Univision's Dra. Isabel show on WQBA/Univision Radio, 1140AM. Mari Corugedo informed parents and the community about the Common Core State Standards.

To hear a podcast of LULAC/Univision's CCSS radio segment, click here. [Mari Corugedo's segment begins at the 39:55 mark.]

For more information about these upcoming events, please contact Luis Torres.

Learn more about New Mexico’s Common Core State Standard’s implementation plan.

LULAC Joins Forces with New Mexico Education Leader Cadre

Following a successful meeting with New Mexico Governor Susanna Martinez, LULAC has continued to work with education advocates in New Mexico to educate the Latino community on the Common Core State Standards. In conjunction with the New Mexico Public Education Department and the NIEA, LULAC co-hosted a meeting with the New Mexico Education Leaders Cadre on August 12, 2013, at the American Indian Graduate Center in Albuquerque. The meeting convened education stakeholders interested in working on CCSS issues, like LULAC, the NIEA, and others in the state, and to coordinate CCSS communication efforts in that state.

LULAC New Mexico Hosts "Materials Review Day"

In conjunction with the New Mexico Public Education Department, NIEA, and the PTA, LULAC also held a “Materials Review Day” on August 9, 2013 at the Office of African American Affairs in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The review day allowed LULAC, and other organization, parents and stakeholders, an opportunity to provide feedback on various CCSS materials being developed by the State of New Mexico.

Information from the Department of Education

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) at the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) released “The Nation’s Report Card: Trends in Academic Progress 2012,” a long-term trend assessment designed to track changes in the achievement of students ages 9, 13, and 17 since the 1970s. Notable in the report are the improvements among today’s Hispanic students compared to their peers years ago:

9-year-old Hispanic students scored 25 points higher in reading and 32 points higher in math; and
17-year-old Hispanic students scored 21 points higher in reading and 17 points higher in math.

As a result, while racial/ethnic achievement gaps persist, they are generally smaller than they were four decades ago.

Facts on Adult English Language Programs

Did you know adult English language learners nationally make up 40 percent of the adult education population served?
Which states have the highest percentage of English as a second language (ESL) students?

See a new fact sheet providing details of the student demographics in adult ESL programs, the progress they are making, and the allocations that support their education.

Watch the Documentary "TEACH" on September 18th

LULAC Joins White House Initiative to Promote the Teaching Profession

Join LULAC members and allies nationwide as we watch a documentary hosted by Queen Latifah that highlights the teaching profession "TEACH," which airs on September 18, 2013 at 8 - 10 PM. Offering a glimpse inside four public school classrooms, film director Guggenheim invites the viewer to follow the struggles and triumphs of America’s education system through the eyes, minds and hearts of its most essential resource: the teachers. Intense and emotional, this year-in-the-life of four public school teachers illustrates how tenacity, innovation and a passion for inspiring others drives these educators as they navigate the ups and downs of the 2012/2013 school year. The film aims to elevate the profession of teaching, foster media and community attention, and encourage high-performing students to rethink teaching as a career they might seek. See other times to view the documentary here.

Maintaining a Focus on Subgroups in an Era of Elementary and Secondary Education Act Waiver: This white paper analyzes the Department of Education's Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Waiver System, finding that, among other things, 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, so that performance of low achieving communities no longer triggers intervention. Accordingly, the use of “super subgroups” could lead to fewer students of color receiving the supports and interventions they need.
Letter on Revisions to Mandatory Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC): LULAC along with other civil rights organizations, signed a letter commenting on the revisions to CRDC, asking for an expansion of the OCR data collection in education settings to include the number of allegations of bullying or harassment on the basis of religion and sexual orientation, such as targeting LGBT students or students wearing hijabs or turbans. Collecting this data would elevate awareness of the value of these policies and demonstrate that the Department of Education believes that having such policies is important. Civil rights advocacy lies at the core of LULAC’s foundation and we stand strongly against discrimination.

Letter to Department of Education Expressing Concern Regarding GAO Report On ELLs: The Government Accountability Office released a report titled Education Needs to Further Examine Data Collection on English Language Learners in Charter Schools, by George A. Scott in July of 2013. The report notes that the Department of Education’s ability to determine English Language Learner (ELL) success in charter schools is severely impaired by a lack of reporting and shortage of data on charter schools. In response, LULAC sent a letter to Secretary of Education Arne Duncan asking that the Department of Education implement the recommendations outlined in the report and provide charter schools with the support needed to help them report information on ELL students.
Letter to Congress On Negative Impact of Sequester, Urges Congress to Repeal Sequester in FY14: As Congress looks to pass appropriation legislation before the end of September, LULAC issued a letter to Congressional members highlighting the negative impact posed to programs serving Latino, and other under-served students, by the automatic budget cuts. In the letter, LULAC asks Congress to use the FY14 appropriation legislation as a legislative vehicle to end the sequestration process imposed by the Budget Control Act of 2010.

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To read more LULAC advocacy letters, visit our education policy page at www.lulac.org/educationpolicy.

News Alert! LULAC Advances Education

Special feature! Read Florida LULAC International Embassy to the U.S. and Latin America's August newsletter by clicking here.