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Texas News
Mexican Consulate honors superintendent for service to migrant community
The Mexican Consulate in Dallas granted an award to Dallas ISD Superintendent Michael Hinojosa on Wednesday for his commitment and years of service to the Dallas migrant community.

Dozens of Mexican nationals watched as Mexican Consul Francisco de la Torre Galindo introduced Dr. Hinojosa, thanked him for his years of service and support, and recognized him as a successful leader with strong ties to immigrants.

LISD honors Librarian of the Year
Laredo ISD librarians and librarian assistants were recognized during a luncheon in celebration of National Library Week. The event was held at Ryan Elementary School’s Lucila Trevino Library. During the recognition luncheon, Julia Molina Gonzalez of K. Tarver Elementary School was selected and honored as LISD’s 2022 Librarian of the Year.

“LISD recognizes and highlights the valuable role our libraries, librarians and library aides play in transforming the lives of our students and strengthening our school community,” said Dr. Sylvia G. Rios, LISD Superintendent. “We thank them for connecting our children with new worlds through books, technology, multimedia content, and educational programs that enrich our lives.”

Humble ISD’s new mariachi program is so popular, parents won’t stop asking how their kids can join
Samara Martinez is a busy teacher.

She spends her time at Humble High School, Humble Middle School and Sterling Middle School in Humble ISD throughout the week.

Her class — the brand-new mariachi program.

“I think everything is going really good,” said Martinez, the Humble ISD mariachi director. “We have had a lot of support from the teachers, administration and the principals have been completely amazing. It has been great for the community so far. We’re looking to improve every day that we have class and practice.”

Federal judge rules UNT can’t charge out-of-state students more tuition than undocumented students
The lawsuit against the University of North Texas argues out-of-state American citizens shouldn’t pay more than undocumented Texans. A federal judge agreed.

A federal judge has ruled that the University of North Texas can’t charge out-of-state American students higher tuition than undocumented Texans who qualify for lower in-state tuition under a 2001 Texas law.

UNT lawyers appealed last week’s decision by U.S. District Judge Sean Jordan, a Trump appointee, over the weekend. If upheld, the decision could impact other Texas public universities, which depend financially on charging higher out-of-state student tuition.

Texas congressman introduces bill to improve Hispanic education resources
To address educational challenges faced by Hispanics, a bill has been introduced in Congress to facilitate more resources to those areas’ educational institutions.

H.R. 7454, also known as the “Hispanic Educational Resources and Empowerment Act of 2022” was introduced into Congress on April 7 by Representative Joaquin Castro (TX-20). There are 19 Democratic co-sponsors of the bill, including Representative Vicente Gonzalez (TX-15).

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National & International News
More Than 1,500 Books Have Been Banned in Public Schools, and a U.S. House Panel Asks Why
A U.S. House Oversight and Reform Committee panel on April 7 examined why thousands of books, predominantly written by marginalized authors, have been banned from public schools, and the impact of those actions on students and teachers.

“Most books being targeted for censorship are books that introduce ideas about diversity or our common humanity, books that teach children to recognize and respect humanity in one another,” said the chair of the Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, Rep. Jamie Raskin.

Harvard dissolves undergrad teacher education program
Citing extremely low enrollment, Harvard has ended its Undergraduate Teacher Education Program and is pivoting to a master’s-only program for training future teachers. 

The decision to shift also followed increasing difficulty for Harvard undergraduates in fulfilling teacher licensing requirements due to bureaucratic obstacles, said Heather Hill, education professor at Harvard and co-chair of the college’s Teaching and Teacher Leadership master’s program. Students specifically faced difficulties participating in the program while completing a senior thesis, she said. 

How one city closed the digital divide for nearly all its students
In Oakland, California, 98 percent of all students now have a computer and internet service: ‘We were using the crisis as an opportunity to address a moral wrong that needs to be changed forever, not just during the pandemic’

After schools went remote in 2020, Jessica Ramos spent hours that spring and summer sitting on a bench in front of her local Oakland Public Library branch in the vibrant and diverse Dimond District. Ramos would connect to the library’s Wi-Fi — sometimes on her cellphone, sometimes using her family’s only laptop — to complete assignments and submit essays or tests for her classes at Skyline High School.

Translating for Spanish-speaking parents can be a duty, but also a health risk, for Latino youths
Having to transcribe legal documents, bills, bank statements and medical terminology into English can cause both emotional and physical distress in children, expert says.

Like many Latino immigrant parents, Jessica García’s mother relies on her to translate from English to Spanish. Health experts, though, say that responsibility can cause anxiety and other long-term problems in minors.

García is about to enter a new stage in her life. The 19-year-old will graduate from Dallas ISD’s Samuell High School in May, then continue her education at Dallas College’s North Lake campus in the fall.

Mexican Electric Car Brand Creates the First Car Assembled by a Fully Female Team
While you may have heard of the Elon Musk-run electric vehicle company Tesla, there’s a new electric car brand that’s making waves all around the world. Currently producing two different models, Mexican-owned Zacua isn’t just well-known for making incredible cars — it is the first car to be assembled by a 100% female team, all out of a factory in Puebla.

As reported by Now This Earth, Zacua is helmed by female entrepreneur Nazareth Black, who employs a team of women mechanics in the Puebla factory.

Las Tienditas
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