MONARCHS ACROSS GEORGIA
Monarchs Across Georgia Delivers Books to Schools in Mexico
The Mexico Book Project was established in 2004 by Monarchs Across Georgia (MAG) as a literacy effort for schools that surround the Mexican overwintering sanctuaries. Initially, educators and nature enthusiasts from Georgia (and other U.S. states and Canada) traveled to the monarch region and donated books to the classrooms they visited. In recent years, the books donated through MAG have been delivered by Journey North's Estela Romero to the same classrooms participating in the Symbolic Migration. In 2018, the logistics and funding of the Symbolic Migration program was relinquished to MAG.
You can donate funds to the Mexico Book Project via the online form by credit card (Discover, MasterCard or Visa) or check. Funds will be used to send a variety of books to schools in the areas that surround the monarch sanctuaries. We will recognize donors (if you choose) by publishing their names on our website donor list. Certificates (like the one shown to the right) are also available and a letter denoting your tax-deductible donation will be provided.
THE STORY BEHIND THE MEXICO BOOK PROJECT
MAG has donated books to schools in the state of Michoacán and Mexico every year since 2004 in an effort to generate awareness and understanding between two cultures through the study of monarch butterflies. We have always felt it was important to include a look at the Mexican educational system, which differs greatly from the American system. The Mexican education system is divided into four levels: preschool (K1-K3); compulsory basic education, called grades 1 through 9; upper secondary education, consisting of grades 10 through 12 and a university level education. Education in Mexico is mandatory only for nine years.
Two of the biggest problems that the educational system in Mexico faces are low enrollment and high dropout rates. Encouragingly, enrollment in grades 1 through 9 grew from “9.7 million students in 1970, to 21.6 million students in 2000.” This rapid growth presented many problems, as there are not enough teachers and/or supplies to teach this many students at one time. All of these challenges mean that only approximately 68% of Mexican children graduate from grade nine. To put this in context, note that is very close to the high school graduation rate of 70.8% that was announced for Georgia in 2006. However, that rate was for a full K-12 education, with all of the advantages that our American tax dollars provide.
Literature Cited
Santibanez, Lucrecia, Vernez, Georges, Razquin, Paula. “Education in Mexico – Challenges and Opportunities.” Rand Corporation, 2005, Retrieved Aug 10, 2008, www.rand.org/pubs/documented_briefings/2005/RAND_DB480.sum.pdf
Public School Graduates and Dropouts From the Common Core of Data: School Year 2006-07
You can donate funds to the Mexico Book Project via the online form by credit card (Discover, MasterCard or Visa) or check. Funds will be used to send a variety of books to schools in the areas that surround the monarch sanctuaries. We will recognize donors (if you choose) by publishing their names on our website donor list. Certificates (like the one shown to the right) are also available and a letter denoting your tax-deductible donation will be provided.
THE STORY BEHIND THE MEXICO BOOK PROJECT
MAG has donated books to schools in the state of Michoacán and Mexico every year since 2004 in an effort to generate awareness and understanding between two cultures through the study of monarch butterflies. We have always felt it was important to include a look at the Mexican educational system, which differs greatly from the American system. The Mexican education system is divided into four levels: preschool (K1-K3); compulsory basic education, called grades 1 through 9; upper secondary education, consisting of grades 10 through 12 and a university level education. Education in Mexico is mandatory only for nine years.
Two of the biggest problems that the educational system in Mexico faces are low enrollment and high dropout rates. Encouragingly, enrollment in grades 1 through 9 grew from “9.7 million students in 1970, to 21.6 million students in 2000.” This rapid growth presented many problems, as there are not enough teachers and/or supplies to teach this many students at one time. All of these challenges mean that only approximately 68% of Mexican children graduate from grade nine. To put this in context, note that is very close to the high school graduation rate of 70.8% that was announced for Georgia in 2006. However, that rate was for a full K-12 education, with all of the advantages that our American tax dollars provide.
Literature Cited
Santibanez, Lucrecia, Vernez, Georges, Razquin, Paula. “Education in Mexico – Challenges and Opportunities.” Rand Corporation, 2005, Retrieved Aug 10, 2008, www.rand.org/pubs/documented_briefings/2005/RAND_DB480.sum.pdf
Public School Graduates and Dropouts From the Common Core of Data: School Year 2006-07
