Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1537217
NEA Human & Civil Rights Award: JESUS VALLE J E S U S V A L L E , professor of Native American Studies at Sacramento's American River College, is the 2025 winner of NEA's Wilma Mankiller Memorial Award. He is one of several educators honored with NEA's Human and Civil Rights awards. Valle, an enrolled citizen of the Texas band of Yaqui Indians, has developed initiatives that give Northern California Indigenous youth a stronger sense of community. He established a Native Resource Center, supporting students whose needs are often not acknowledged in higher or public education. He has created programs and workshops to help enlighten the community. Valle's most life-affirming initiative is his American Indian Summer Institute. This five-day retreat has transformed lives, putting college-bound students in the mix of area universities that have an appreciation of Indigenous culture. Valle is co-chair and founding member of the Sacramento Native American Higher Education Collaborative. Through SNAHEC, he successfully lobbied for $30 million in state funding for the Native American Student Support and Success Program. For more about Valle and to learn about the other winners, visit nea.org and search for "human and civil rights awards." Investing in Public Education Protects Enrollment A N N U A L E N R O L L M E N T D A T A released by the state Dept. of Education in May shows that investing in critical programs for students that our union has fought for over the years has helped slow overall school enrollment decline. The most significant trend in the 2024–25 data reflects an increased demand for specific education initiatives, such as Transitional Kindergarten (TK), Dual Language Immersion (DLI) and Expanded Learning programs. " The dramatic growth in TK shows that providing rigorous and quality programs can be key to bringing more families back to our schools," said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond. He added that expansion of DLI programs is another strategy "to drive future enrollment growth by providing school programs that are in high demand from Califor- nia's families." In the 2024–25 school year, overall student enrollment declined by 0.54% compared to the year prior, representing a slowing of declining school enrollment. Though this change is minimal, the difference between current year enrollment and pre-pandemic enrollment remains significant. Even as overall enrollment has fallen, TK enrollment continues to boom, with a year-over-year increase of 17.2%. The number of LEAs offering TK at school sites has increased to 85%, and as TK expansion creates more spaces in state preschool, enrollment continues to rise. DLI programs have shown significant growth statewide: As of 2023–24, there were 1,036 DLI programs in California, a 39% increase from 747 DLI programs in 2018–19. Recent local data shows that the expansion of Expanded Learning pro- grams, which include before- and after-school, summer, and intersession learning programs, mirrors trends in TK and DLI expansion: As the number of seats increases, they are filled. In Elk Grove Unified, broadened access to Expanded Learning programs has increased program enrollment from 3,300 to 12,000 — a 264% increase. These data points offer insights into in-demand educational initiatives and a potential path to reversing long-term school enrollment trends. 32 cta.org Prof. Jesus Valle In the Know N E W S & N O T E S