Dr. Rebecca Blum-Martinez-Yazzie Trial Expert-Statement to the Court-02.01.2026
Summary
AI-generated summaryIn a February 1, 2026 letter to Judge Matthew J. Wilson, Professor Emerita Rebecca Blum Martinez says she reviewed the PED Action Plan dated November 3, 2025. She argues that it does not address Native American English Learners’ needs or specify how they will receive English-language or heritage-language bilingual instruction.
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Based on my review, the Action Plan does not address the needs of Native American English Learners, nor does it include plans for how EL students will receive access to adequate English Language instruction or curriculum or bilingual instruction in their heritage languages.Open page 1
The letter criticizes the plan’s treatment of instructional materials, expert partners, and multilingual and multicultural education. These are Dr. Blum Martinez’s assessments; the document does not present them as court findings.
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The criteria for selection of these expert partners is not mentioned.Open page 1
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There is little mentioned in this plan to address the needs of indigenous communities and their language retention/revitalization efforts.Open page 2
Key points
Dr. Blum Martinez contends that the PED lacks expertise to guide educators in developing high-quality materials that reflect Native American students’ experiences and backgrounds.
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The PED does not have the expertise to provide guidance or professional development to educators in the development of high-quality materials.
Open page 1She says materials should support advanced reading and writing, and argues that the New Mexico Literacy Center focuses on basic literacy rather than those advanced practices.
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The New Mexico Literacy Center recently created focuses on basic literacy skills and ignores the kinds of literacy practices the students of New Mexico need, namely access and practice in advanced literacy with a focus on comprehensions.
Open page 1She questions the selection criteria for expert partners and says a partner working with PED lacks knowledge about bilingual language development, particularly in Indigenous communities.
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Presently, one of the expert partners working with the PED lacks knowledge about language development in bilingual students, particularly those from indigenous communities.
Open page 1She argues that the plan gives little attention to Indigenous communities’ language retention and revitalization, and asks why university experts who advise Native American communities are not mentioned.
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There are experts in the New Mexico’s state universities that provide guidance to Native American communities in the development of materials, especially for those that are oral-based.
Open page 2
Questions to follow
- What criteria does PED use to select expert partners for the Action Plan?
- How does the plan propose to support Native American English Learners’ English-language instruction and heritage-language bilingual instruction?
- How, if at all, were university experts and community leaders involved in developing the plan?
Generated Oct 21, 2026 · Citations refer to the saved original.
Original source: New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty
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Commentary
AI-generated analysisIf the plan does not specify how Native American English Learners will access language instruction, educators and communities may have less clarity about how those needs are to be addressed. The letter raises this concern but does not establish what implementation will occur.
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Open page 1The questions about expert-selection criteria and consultation could point to a need for greater transparency in how expertise is chosen and whose knowledge informs the plan; the letter does not establish how PED made those decisions.
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