National Education Association To Promote Hispanic Empowerment.

For the first time in its history, the National Education Association (NEA) is partnering with the nation’s leading Hispanic organizations to promote Latino political empowerment. Some 300 Hispanic community activists will gather in Estes Park, Colorado, this weekend for an in-depth grassroots training on how to galvanize local support for candidates and legislation that will address Latino concerns.

NEA co-hosted the seminar with the National Association of Latino Elected Officials (NALEO) Education Fund, National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the local LARASA and the Colorado Education Association. In addition, representatives of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) and the National Association of Bilingual Education (NABE) will participate.

“Our hope is to encourage Latino activists to join forces and realize the significant power they can wield in their communities,” said Bob Chase, president of the 2.6 million member NEA, the nation’s largest organization of teachers and other school professionals. “Empowering Hispanic voices will enrich America’s democracy and help provide a quality education for every child.”

“NEA is a logical partner in this seminar,” Chase explained. “Public education is the foundation of American democracy, empowering citizens with the knowledge and values that build our nation’s social capital.”

The training conference represents a new level of community involvement for the NEA, which traditionally offers such resources exclusively to member teachers, school bus drivers, cafeteria workers and other education support professionals.

A topflight roster of national leaders and political strategists, such as former White House Presidential Aide Mickey Ibarra and California’s former Speaker of the House Antonio Villaraigosa, will share their experiences in the political arena and urge local efforts to empower the Hispanic community through the ballot box.

Themes for the seminar include campaign planning and strategy, coalition building, communicating with the media and the public and encouraging voter participation.

The participation and enthusiasm of conference participants and hundreds of other Latino activists who applied to receive the training reflects the Hispanic community’s eagerness to have their voices heard and represented at all political levels.

More than 90 percent of Hispanic children attend the nation’s public schools, representing about 15 percent of the K-12 public school population. Although Latino students have become the majority in many public school districts across the country, their academic achievement lags behind that of other groups.

In an effort to help close the academic achievement gap among the nation’s Hispanic students, NEA has established formal collaborations with the participating organizations, most recently with the NALEO Educational Fund. The Fund represents a constituency of more than 5,400 Latino elected and appointed officials nationwide, more than half of whom are school board members.

The National Education Association is the nation’s largest professional employee organization, representing 2.6 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support professionals, school administrators, retired educators and students preparing to become teachers.