Education

ACT scores on rise in APS

We all know the ugly news that most New Mexico public schools are not meeting Adequate Yearly Progress as required by the federal No Child Left Behind Act. Now for some positive news out of the state's largest school district.

According to Albuquerque Public Schools officials, the district's 2008 graduates earned better scores on all sections of the ACT college entrance exam than the previous year’s graduating class. Even better still, on average, APS students also outperformed the rest of the state and nation.

Albuquerque high schools go from big to small, reflecting a trend

With its 90,000-plus student enrollment, Albuquerque Public Schools is anything but small. It's one of the largest in the nation, in fact. But starting this year $9.1 million in federal dollars will help make the district a little more intimate. The money will go toward nestling Small Learning Communities -- an educational model that has been slow to arrive in New Mexico -- within seven APS high schools, officials said.

Atrisco out to prove cynics wrong

Writing assignments are to most ninth-graders what root canals are to you and me. Necessary evils. Let the root canals begin, I thought when I asked my ninth-grade media literacy students to write in their journals every day. I anticipated a lot of push-back from my students about this assignment, and I got some of that. But I also got some of this: "I was a scared shy daughter. I remember my dad yelling, calling me names and hitting me for no reason. I heard beer cans opening and lighters flicking. … I worried that my family and I were in danger. I’m only one person and I think the world is cruel sometimes. I will prove my dad wrong. I choose to be who I am, I dream that everything’s OK. …”

AYP: Public education's dirtiest little acronym

NM public schools' report card revisited

 

Back to school pains

It's back to school for most Albuquerque Public Schools students today, and it has been a little more challenging for the district to open doors at some schools this year.

Severe flooding at at least two schools, including at Manzano High School, meant APS maintenance crews working overtime to dry up the mess and get the classrooms and gym operational. APS spokeswoman Johanna King said that at Hodgin Elementary in the Northeast Heights, the flooding damaged floors but not books were damaged, allowing school to open today.

In addition to the cleanups, APS opened four new schools this year, but all of the schools are at temporary sites because construction at their campuses is not complete.

Charting a new way

What started in 1988 as an idea outlined on a napkin at an educational conference in Minnesota has grown into a full-fledged educational revolution touching thousands of students, parents, and teachers across America.

CNM, NMSU Dona Ana touted in Hispanic Outlook magazine

Central New Mexico Community College and New Mexico State University Dona Ana Community College branch were among The Hispanic Outlook on Higher Education magazine's top 50 community and junior colleges.

The March 18 issue (not online as of yet) listed CNM No. 13 for colleges awarding the most associate degrees to Hispanics. NMSU-Dona Ana was No. 29. However, CNM falls off the magazine's top 50 list when it comes to the number of Hispanic faculty members employed.

That's something CNM President Katherine Winograd would like to change.

Cradles of hope, with love to Africa

Curbing big pharma

Students at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center helped the facility join a national movement to keep pharmaceutical salesmen at arms-length. The conflict of interest policy approved last month means no more free lunches or tickets to a baseball game, no more T-shirts or ball caps emblazoned with "Lipitor" or "Viagra." And now the students are talking about having an "amnesty day," when they can return all the schwag they've accepted in the past.

Dodd to honor Domenici in Las Cruces

Chris Dodd, a former presidential candidate, will join a prominent and bipartisan group of politicians who will travel to Las Cruces in August to speak at a New Mexico State University conference honoring retiring Sen. Pete Domenici.

Dodd will join former Secretary of State James Baker, U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman, Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman, former U.S. Rep. Manuel Lujan Jr. and Gov. Bill Richardson at the inaugural Domenici Public Policy Conference to be held Aug. 20-22 at NMSU, according to a Friday news release from the university. The other speakers had been previously announced.

Dodd, a Democrat from Connecticut, and Domenici, a Republican, have worked together on mental health issues in the Senate.

Educators plan "seamless" K-12 and beyond

It's being called "seamless" education from kindergarten through college. That's the plan that the presidents of Central New Mexico Community College and the University of New Mexico are working on with the state's largest school district in Albuquerque. What it entails is having APS, CNM and UNM working on common goals that prepare students for colllege -- or at least get them thinking about going to college -- so that getting a degree becomes a distinct possiblity. If it works, it will be a model for school districts in the rest of the state, according to UNM President David Schmidly.

Governor: Special session will go beyond health care, pocketbook issues

Gov. Bill Richardson said in a news release today that he plans to announce ideas tomorrow for putting money into New Mexicans' pockets during these tough economic times. These ideas and health care reform will dominate the upcoming legislative special session that is proposed for September, his office said Wednesday.

"Health care will be the top priority," spokesman Gilbert Gallegos said. The governor's office even has an acronym for these ideas -- CARE, which stands for Cash Assistance Relief Effort. The package "will focus on expanding health care coverage and boosting family budgets by putting money in people’s pockets," the release from the governor's office said.

Gallegos then went on to say the special session agenda will "go beyond those two things" -- health care reform and putting money back into people's pockets.

Gallegos declined to say what these other proposals would be.

Historic Santa Fe Indian School in ruins

The turn-of-the-century buildings at the Santa Fe Indian School have been a part of the drive along Santa Fe's Cerrillos Road for the duration of the lifetime of virtually everyone alive in Santa Fe today.

So it's easy to relate to the shock described by those who witnessed their demolition without warning over several days last week. I felt it just seeing the pictures, several of which were posted by George Johnson on his blog, The Santa Fe Review, under the apt title "Indian Ruins."

Home Hiving

Backyard beekeeping makes sense in light of widespread reports of "mysterious" bee colony collapse. It makes just as much sense as it does to grow one's own vegetables and fruits. And because pollinators of all types are threatened by pesticides, genetically modified crops and other industrial farming methods, "we as members of the community need to pick up the slack," says one local expert.

How is New Mexico's `Educonomy?'

Lt. Gov. Diane Denish sees New Mexico's future depends on its "educonomy." That's where education meets economic development, and it's where the state has often fallen short of expectations, she said during a recent meeting with business and community leaders, educators and many youth from around the state.

"I'm tired of hearing that our best and brightest students had to leave the state to get the kinds of jobs they want," she said. "I'm tired of hearing from business leaders who say they can't bring their type of industry to our state because there are not enough college graduates or trained workers to hire. We have to do something so that we are ready for the future."

Hug a flag... it's Constitution Day!

Do you know where your civil rights are?

 

Across the nation schools are at the very least recognizing that in 1787 our forefathers signed the U.S. Constitution. Some Albuquerque public schools students are gathering around flagpoles to recite the pledge and history classes are required to teach a Constitution Day lesson today. But what about the rest of America? Constitution Day isn't a federal holiday, so marking the day often goes unnoticed.

It's easy to be green

The Albuquerque Public Schools district is finding it easier to be green these days. It broke ground Monday on a school that will be a LEED Silver project under the U.S. Green Building Council's rating system. All that means is that the new Family School is being built using tough new energy efficiency standards. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. The school will serve students in kindergarten through 8th grade who work together in mixed grade classrooms for a half day. Their parents home school their children for the other half of the day.

The school's permanent campus will be adjacent to McKinley Middle School on Comanche Northeast. The new building will replace the current Family School, which is in portables adjacent to Bel-Air Elementary in the Northeast Heights.

King to sign shield law letter

State Attorney General Gary King will be signing a letter of support for a federal shield law for journalists this week.

If 36 state attorneys general sign on, the National Association of Attorneys General has said it will officially support the legislation at the national level, and possibly break a logjam in the U.S. Senate on S. 2035, the Free Flow of Information Act.

Major shakeup at NMSU over porn

Three high-ranking administrators at New Mexico State University have been caught up in a fallout over pornographic e-mails and allegations of sexual harassment and retaliation, the Albuquerque Journal is reporting.

As reporter Martin Salazar, who has followed the story from the start, tells readers:

One college dean at New Mexico State University has resigned; a second administrator is stepping aside; and a third may be looking for work amid a controversy involving pornographic e-mails and allegations of sexual harassment and retaliation.    The high-level shuffle at the embattled College of Health and Social Services was announced Wednesday.

 

McCain and No Child Left Behind

The Trail reports that Sen. John McCain is interested in reforming President George W. Bush's signature domestic achievement, the No Child Left Behind Act, according to an adviser. The 2002 legislation sought to improve poorly performing public school systems in many states by mandating national performance standards.

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) hasn't said much about how to fix America's schools. But an adviser yesterday said the presumptive Republican presidential nominee supports using federal dollars for teacher merit pay and wants to change the No Child Left Behind law championed by President Bush.