Democratic U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich has proposed a bill that could close gaps in bilingual education by getting more literacy coaches on the ground in schools.
Democratic U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich has proposed a bill that could close gaps in bilingual education by getting more literacy coaches on the ground in schools.
The Literacy Improvement for Transformation (LIFT) Act aims to provide schools support by ensuring that at least one full-time literacy specialist is on staff, which could narrow the educational gap for bilingual students. These specialists are trained to identify struggling readers and offer personalized instruction.
Michael Rodriguez, executive director of Dual Language Education of New Mexico, said that this act focuses on the skills and assets that students have in their home language. He said prioritizing these will help students transition those skills to English.
“If our students are to be well-rounded, we need to ensure that through our instruction, we’re not requiring them to ever check their language and culture at the door in order to access the curriculum” said Rodriguez.
According to the Annie E. Casey Foundation, students who don’t read well by third grade are more likely to drop out or fail to finish high school.
In a statement, Senator Heinrich told KUNM, “Improving student literacy in New Mexico and nationwide starts with ensuring every school is staffed with at least one full-time reading or literacy specialist. My Literacy Improvement for Transformation Act does exactly this and invests in students’ ability to read and write at their grade level or higher — while elevating biliteracy approaches to learning and protecting oral-based Indigenous languages. Every child deserves an equal opportunity at success in the classroom and beyond.”
The bill would establish a grant program to provide federal support to local and state educational agencies, non-profit partners and Bureau of Indian Education schools to hire full-time reading or literacy specialists.
The LIFT Act has been referred to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
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