HOUSE MEMORIAL 57

57th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2026

INTRODUCED BY

E. Diane Torres-Velásquez and G. Andrés Romero

and Patricia Roybal Caballero

A MEMORIAL

REQUESTING THE LEGISLATIVE EDUCATION STUDY COMMITTEE TO CONDUCT A STUDY OF BEST PRACTICES FOR CREDENTIALING BILINGUAL EDUCATORS.

     WHEREAS, non-English speaking and bilingual students in New Mexico often face significant achievement gaps in academic performance, graduation rates and college and career readiness; and

     WHEREAS, research demonstrates that well-implemented bilingual multicultural education strengthens executive function, expands career and higher education opportunities and improves academic achievement for students; and

     WHEREAS, there is a chronic shortage of skilled and qualified professional bilingual educators available to meet the need for bilingual education in New Mexico's public schools; and

     WHEREAS, the quality of bilingual education depends substantially on the performance of professional bilingual educators, and, like all other states, New Mexico requires professional educators to hold credentials in the form of an endorsement granted by the state in order to teach in the public schools; and

     WHEREAS, each state, including New Mexico, establishes and enforces standards and requirements for earning credentials for public school teachers, and these certification standards and requirements are among the ways in which states exercise their constitutional responsibility for governing public education; and

     WHEREAS, New Mexico has a legitimate interest in the quality of training programs for credentialing professional bilingual educators because completion of a professional preparation program for bilingual educators is critical for their subsequent professional performance; and

     WHEREAS, evaluating best practices for credentialing bilingual educators, including English as a second language instructors, would help inform legislative recommendations and actions to increase the number of bilingual educators in the state and thereby help strengthen educational outcomes for bilingual students; and

     WHEREAS, the public education department is responsible for the implementation of bilingual education programs and oversees the bilingual multicultural education advisory council that consists of selected educators, school leaders and higher education faculty; and

     WHEREAS, the public education department is responsible for the credentialing of bilingual educators in the state, including the promulgation of rules determining the education, training and experience required to receive an endorsement as a professional bilingual educator; and

     WHEREAS, the state's higher education institutions that teach courses required for certification of bilingual educators and professional organizations such as the New Mexico association for bilingual education and the New Mexico coalition for the majority, as well as other professional community organizations, include researchers, parents and higher education faculty with substantial experience in preparing bilingual education teachers to teach and supporting those teachers in practice; and

     WHEREAS, these organizations are well-versed in current best practices and current effective policies in the bilingual and English as a second language classrooms in New Mexico; and

     WHEREAS, there is a critical need for the public education department to communicate, consult and coordinate with the state's higher education institutions and other relevant professional organizations in the process of promulgating rules for credentialing bilingual educators in the state;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the legislative education study committee be requested to conduct a study in consultation with the public education department, the state's higher education institutions and members of the above-named professional organizations and other bilingual education professionals to study best practices for credentialing bilingual educators, including English as a second language instructors, and to publish a report of its findings and recommendations by August 15, 2026; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the committee's study include conclusions and recommendations regarding ways to improve communication and coordination among the public education department, the state's higher education institutions and other relevant professional organizations when determining best practices for the purpose of promulgating rules for credentialing bilingual educators in the state; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the legislative education study committee, the secretary of higher education, the secretary of public education, the New Mexico association for bilingual education and the New Mexico coalition for the majority.

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