National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials

NALEO Education Leadership Initiative
2nd Annual Summit on the State of Latino Education
Hamilton Crowne Plaza Hotel
September 13-15 | Washington, DC

U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings will be the keynote speaker at the NALEO Education Leadership Initiative: 2^nd Annual National Summit on the State of Latino Education, on Wednesday, September 13, 2006 at 4:00 p.m. For more information please call Communications Director Olga Quinones at (213) 747-7606 x122 or oquinones@naleo.org

Latino state legislators, municipal officials and school board members from across the United States are invited to this three day meeting to address the current state of education for Latino students from preschool to graduate school (P-20). As policy makers work within the scope of current law to close the achievement gap, these elected officials also work across jurisdictions to develop policies and programs to improve educational outcomes for all students.

As such, the NALEO Educational Fund invites you to enhance your working knowledge
of the state of Latino education by engaging in cross-jurisdictional dialogue with school board members, state legislators and Members of Congress on issues pertaining to NCLB, higher education access, English language learners, curriculum alignment, and high school retention and attrition. Discussions between participants will also examine the role of accountability and leadership in education as it applies across jurisdictions and
in working to close the achievement gap for Latino students.

Through a series of sessions, participants will have access to leading policy experts from the public, private and nonprofit sectors and will engage in structured discussions on
the state of Latino education. The Summit will feature insight from national education organizations on the latest policy trends, allowing for strategic partnerships at the federal, state, and district level for greater comprehension on the most prominent challenges to closing the achievement gap for Latino students.

The Summit will provide an overview of No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) mandates regarding Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) and provide an overview of NCLB reauthorization to allow for cross-jurisdictional dialogue on the future of federal education policy. Summit sessions on high school retention and attrition rates, higher education access and K-16 curriculum alignment will address the compelling need to close the achievement gap and identify promising practices for academic K-12 and postsecondary success. The role of English language learners will be examined as elected officials work to meet the demands of NCLB while working to address the needs of monolingual and limited English proficient students.

“The Summit on the State of Latino Education” will provide a three-day intensive seminar in a retreat setting where elected officials will complete curriculum that covers:

Review of the current state of Latino education
No Child Left Behind policy mandates
No Child Left Behind reauthorization
High school retention and attrition
English language learners
K-16 curriculum alignment

Participating elected officials will have the opportunity to:

Develop strategic alliances with elected officials from the local, state and federal levels
Develop partnerships with education policy experts
Work with elected officials to develop strategies for closing the Latino achievement gap
Share model initiatives and promising practices showing evidence for closing the achievement gap for Latino students in their communities

Participants of “The Summit on the State of Education,” will gain:

Greater understanding of the state of Latino education in the country
Tools for promising practices to close the achievement gap
Regional and national partnerships with elected officials from across jurisdictions
National partnerships with leading education organizations
Knowledge on resources for understanding the state Latino academic achievement

The Summit provides an opportunity for Latino elected officials to share model initiatives and promising practices for closing the achievement gap while learning more about the state of Latino education. Expert information will include the latest research, highlight successful programs, and examine policy recommendations from the federal, state and local levels.

With the goal of closing the education gap between Latino and non-Latino children, the NALEO Education Leadership Initiative (NELI) is a Constituency Services department program designed to enhance the governance and education policy skills of Latino elected officials. NELI provides intensive training and leadership development events or Institutes to Latino elected officials. Each Institute explores education policy and priorities and enhances participants’ public policy, governance and leadership skills to develop strategies to address and help close the Latino education gap.

Latino elected officials are encouraged to take advantage of this timely opportunity. There is no fee to attend the Summit for current NALEO members. If necessary, the NALEO Educational Fund will provide those NALEO members who attend the Summit with air travel to and from Washington, D.C., as well as a two-night hotel stay and meals as part of the Summit. To register for the Summit, please call Elisa M. Sequeira at (213) 747-7606, ext. 129, or e-mail esequeira@naleo.org by August 18, 2006.