LATINO LEGISLATORS STRATEGIZE ON CLOSING THE ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT GAP FOR LATINO STUDENTS THROUGH EARLY EDUCATION


For Immediate Release September 15, 2008	Contact: Eric Wagner (213) 747-7606, ext. 4427 Email: ewagner@naleo.org

LATINO LEGISLATORS STRATEGIZE ON CLOSING THE ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT GAP FOR LATINO STUDENTS THROUGH EARLY EDUCATION Experts to Brief State Legislators on Need to Focus on Pre-K to Third Grade at Public Hearing in Washington, D.C.
WASHINGTON, DC -–The National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund, the nation’s preeminent Latino leadership organization, will convene Latino state legislators from across the country at the group’s Legislative Hearing on Pre-K and the Early Grades on Tuesday, September 23, 2008, at Room B-318 in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. The event is open to the media. Leading national experts on early education, including Dr. Eugene Garcia of Arizona State University and Dr. Libby Doggett of Pre-K Now, will brief legislators on the evidence based benefits of high quality early education programs and their potential to close persistent school readiness gaps for Latino students. The panelists will offer a national overview and summary of new research findings on the effectiveness of an approach focusing on the critical Pre-K to 3rd grade for Latino students, and will highlight individual case studies demonstrating how this approach is succeeding in states nationwide. Hearing participants will also learn innovative ways to deliver effective programs and services in the midst of the economic downturn and budgetary constraints many states now face. The Legislative Hearing will inaugurate the 4th Annual National Summit on the State of Latino Education, an intensive, three-day seminar in which elected officials learn more about education issues and collaborate in cross-jurisdictional approaches to eliminating the academic achievement gap for Latino students. Both the legislative hearing and Summit are part of the NALEO Education Leadership Initiative (NELI), a unique program designed to enhance the governance and education policymaking skills of Latino elected officials. The Legislative Hearing is sponsored by the Foundation for Child Development and Pre-K Now. The National Hispanic Caucus on State Legislators (NHCLS) is the event’s convening partner. For a complete agenda and list of presenters, please visit the NALEO website at: http://www.naleo.org/Education_Summit2008.html
What:	NALEO Educational Fund’s Legislative Hearing on Pre-K and the Early Grades
When:	Tuesday, September 23, 2008 8:30 – 8:45 a.m. Legislative Hearing Welcome Remarks 8:45 – 9:00 a.m. Co-Chair Opening Remarks and Legislative Introductions 9:00 – 10:15 a.m. Panel I: The Importance of Pre-K and the Early Grades (pre-k to 3rd) for Latinos: Disputing Myths, Reviewing Facts 10:15 – 11:30 a.m. Panel II: Programs That Work: Case Studies of Various State Approaches 11:30 – 12:15 p.m. Panel III: Approaches to Funding Pre-K to 3rd at the State Level 12:15 – 1:15 p.m. Moderated Strategy Session, Comments & Adjournment
Where:	Rayburn House Office Building Room B-318 Washington, DC 20515
About NALEO:	The NALEO Educational Fund is the nation's leading non-partisan, non-profit organization that facilitates the full participation of Latinos in the American political process, from citizenship to public service.
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© 2008 National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund Unsubscribe from our list

WASHINGTON, DC -–The National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund, the nation’s preeminent Latino leadership organization, will convene Latino state legislators from across the country at the group’s Legislative Hearing on Pre-K and the Early Grades on Tuesday, September 23, 2008, at Room B-318 in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. The event is open to the media.

Leading national experts on early education, including Dr. Eugene Garcia of Arizona State University and Dr. Libby Doggett
of Pre-K Now, will brief legislators on the evidence based benefits of high quality early education programs and their potential to close persistent school readiness gaps for Latino students. The panelists will offer a national overview and summary of new research findings on the effectiveness of an approach focusing on the critical Pre-K to 3rd grade for Latino students,
and will highlight individual case studies demonstrating how this approach is succeeding in states nationwide. Hearing participants will also learn innovative ways to deliver effective programs and services in the midst of the economic downturn and budgetary constraints many states now face.

The Legislative Hearing will inaugurate the 4th Annual National Summit on the State of Latino Education, an intensive,
three-day seminar in which elected officials learn more about education issues and collaborate in cross-jurisdictional approaches to eliminating the academic achievement gap for Latino students. Both the legislative hearing and Summit
are part of the NALEO Education Leadership Initiative (NELI), a unique program designed to enhance the governance and education policymaking skills of Latino elected officials.

The Legislative Hearing is sponsored by the Foundation for Child Development and Pre-K Now. The National Hispanic Caucus on State Legislators (NHCLS) is the event’s convening partner.

For a complete agenda and list of presenters, please visit the NALEO website at:
http://www.naleo.org/Education_Summit2008.html