CONTACTS: Miguel Gonzalez  (202) 822-7823

September 21, 2006 

NEA President Reg Weaver Joins Nation in Celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month 2006

WASHINGTON—NEA President Reg Weaver today issued a statement in honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month, celebrated September 15–October 15, 2006.

“As we celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month 2006, we honor and applaud the many contributions of Hispanic Americans to this country.  Hispanic Americans have enriched the fabric of our nation through their involvement in education, the arts and sciences, sports, community service, politics and many other fields.
Among our 3.2 million members are many Hispanic Americans who work tirelessly every day in America’s public schools and higher education to create a better future for our nation’s children.  Our students and our schools are richer because we continue to benefit from the talent and ingenuity of these great educators.  They’re our partners in making great public schools a basic right for every child.”

In honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month, NEA has prepared a compilation of online resources—including a bilingual reading list, a list of notable Hispanics and a list of scholarships for Hispanic students—so educators, parents and students can better understand and learn about the history and culture of Hispanics. In addition, the Association has provided a research paper on closing the achievement gaps for Hispanic students, instructional issues, current strategies, policy implications and community involvement.

Among the highlights on the NEA Web site at www.nea.org are a bilingual booklist for young readers, great classroom resources for teachers and an interview with acclaimed author Rudolfo Anaya.

For more information, please visit:
www.nea.org/takenote/hispanherit0509.html

www.scholarshipsforhispanics.org/

www.nea.org/mco/hispanics.html

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ABOUT NEA
The National Education Association is the nation’s largest professional employee organization, representing 3.2 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support professionals, school administrators, retired educators and students preparing to become teachers.