Johnson, Jerry; Strange, Marty (2009). An Analysis of the Impacts of the AIR Funding Formula Proposal on New Mexico School Districts, Rural School and Community Trust. This report of the Rural School and Community Trust and the Ben Lujan Leadership and Public Policy Institute presents findings from an investigation of the impact of the funding formula proposal commissioned by the New Mexico Funding Formula Task Force (FFTF) and developed by American Institutes of Research (AIR). Appointed by the New Mexico Legislature and Governor Bill Richardson, the Funding Formula Task Force (FFTF) was charged with providing recommendations regarding the state's public education funding mechanism. The FFTF contracted with American Institutes of Research (AIR), which conducted a comprehensive study of the current New Mexico public school funding formula and presented recommendations for a proposed new formula. The AIR report was submitted to the New Mexico Legislature in January 2008. The resulting proposed legislation (HB 241) did not pass during the thirty day legislative session, but may be reconsidered during the 2009 legislative session. This report uses data from the AIR report and from other publicly available sources e.g., the U.S. Census Bureau, the National Center for Education Statistics) to investigate the expected impact of the proposed formula on school districts with varying characteristics. There are more recent estimates of the distributional effect of the formula from the New Mexico Public Education Department (which estimates the Department has invited public school districts to respond to, particularly with respect to the accuracy of the underlying variables on which they are based). We use the AIR estimates even though they are a year older because they are part of a comprehensive database containing all variables on which the formula is based. (Two appendixes include: (1) Gain Quartiles; and (2) Regional Distribution of Gain Quintiles. Contains 4 footnotes and 8 tables.) [This report was published in partnership with the Ben Lujan Leadership and Public Policy Institute.]   [More]  Descriptors: Funding Formulas, Public Schools, School Districts, Educational Finance

Heard, Georgia (2009). Celestino: A Tribute to the Healing Power of Poetry, Voices from the Middle. Georgia Heard spent a week with students in New Mexico, encouraging their search for "self-portrait poetry"–poetry in which they saw themselves. She witnessed courage, pain, tragedy, and hope in the choices and writing of those struggling students, and came to learn that at least one among them had found a life-changing outlet.   [More]  Descriptors: Pain, Poetry, Self Disclosure (Individuals), At Risk Students

National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education (2008). Measuring Up 2008: The State Report Card on Higher Education. New Mexico. The purpose of a state report card is to provide the general public and policymakers with information to assess and improve post secondary education in each state. "Measuring Up 2008" is the fifth in a series of biennial report cards that evaluates states in six overall performance categories: (1) Preparation for post-secondary education and training; (2) Participation; (3) Affordability; (4) Completion; (5) Benefits; and (6) Learning. Respective findings for New Mexico relative to best-performing states include: (1) Underperformance in educating its young population could limit state access to a competitive workforce and weaken the state economy; (2) New Mexico does fairly well in providing college opportunities for its residents; (3) Higher education has become less affordable for students and their families; (4) New Mexico performs poorly in awarding certificates and degrees, but the state has improved over the decade; (5) A fairly small proportion of residents have a bachelor's degree, and the economic benefits to the state as a result are only fair; and (6) Like all states, New Mexico receives an "Incomplete" in Learning because there is not sufficient data to allow meaningful state-by-state comparisons. Based on previous state performance, the percentage of young adults in New Mexico who earn a high school diploma has remained stable since the early 1990s; college enrollment of young adults in New Mexico has improved slightly since the early 1990s; college enrollment of working-age adults, relative to the number of residents without a bachelor's degree, has declined; the share of family income, even after financial aid, needed to pay for college has risen substantially; the number of undergraduate credentials and degrees awarded in New Mexico, relative to the number of students enrolled, has increased since the early 1990s; and the percentage of residents who have a bachelor's degree has increased. In addition to information included in the summary report, the full report includes international comparisons, state-by-state 2008 grades and key indicators, frequently-asked questions answers, and available resources. (Contains 12 figures and 9 tables.) [For National Report, see ED503494. For New Mexico state summary, see ED503566.]   [More]  Descriptors: Higher Education, Academic Achievement, Academic Persistence, Access to Education

Schadl, Suzanne M.; Todeschini, Marina (2015). Cite Globally, Analyze Locally: Citation Analysis from a Local Latin American Studies Perspective, College & Research Libraries. This citation analysis examines the use of Spanish- and Portuguese-language books and articles in PhD dissertations on Latin America at the University of New Mexico between 2000 and 2009. Two sets of data are presented: The first identifies the use of Spanish- and Portuguese-language books and articles across 17 academic departments; and the second analyzes how well local holdings meet demands for a select geographical area–Mexico. These local data contradict conclusions in general citation studies of the humanities, social sciences and foreign languages. They prove that preconceived ideas about foreign language usage from general citation studies do not provide reliable templates for local acquisition decisions. Librarians need to look at their research communities and local usage habits instead of relying on general studies for answers.   [More]  Descriptors: Citation Analysis, Spanish, Portuguese, Latin American Literature

Iron Moccasin, Shawl D. (2012). A Case Study of Two Rural Secondary Schools in New Mexico: Perspectives on Leadership, ProQuest LLC. The present study was designed to examine factors that led to the academic success of two rural secondary schools in New Mexico. The primary focus was on the characteristics and behaviors of leaders in two high-achieving rural schools and how these factors might have contributed to achievement of Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in school year 2009-10. The secondary focus of the study concentrated on the characteristics of the rural environment of the schools and what role, if any, school location might have contributed to AYP.   Of the approximately 820 public schools in New Mexico, 42 (30%) of secondary schools designated as "rural" achieved AYP in 2009-10. 2 of the 42 secondary schools, were selected for the study. Tara High School and Twelve Oaks Middle School, located in separate New Mexico villages, were identified as achieving the AYP in the 2009-10 school year through demographic and statistical data collected primarily from the New Mexico Public Education Department. The location of the two rural secondary schools along with the willingness of their principals to participate met the research criteria for being a descriptive case study to define any causal relationships between leadership practices and rural settings that resulted in achieving the AYP for student achievement.   The researcher conducted interviews regarding leadership with two rural school principals, twelve secondary teachers, and seven parents. There was no direct contact with students in the study. Additionally, the researcher conducted on-site observations of both schools and conducted an on-line leadership survey for principals of the two rural schools and an additional 8 principals for data purposes only. Among the 3 data sets, the researcher found that there was complete unanimity as to the common characteristics of high-achieving schools located in rural communities influencing student achievement: culture, motivation, instructional leadership, empowerment, school leadership, trust, and community involvement. The twelve teachers and seven parents were unanimous that the two principals maintained a positive demeanor, visibly demonstrated care, supported and openly dialogued with the teachers to make their own classroom decisions, maintained an open-door policy, and modeled professional behavior.   [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: www.proquest.com/en-US/products/disserta…   [More]  Descriptors: Academic Achievement, Educational Indicators, School Location, Federal Programs

MDRC (2016). Using Financial Aid to Speed Degree Completion: A Look at MDRC's Research. Issue Focus. Financial aid has long been used to increase access to postsecondary education, particularly for underrepresented students. Given the size of the financial aid system and the widespread use of aid, it should also be thought of as a tool to improve academic success and postsecondary completion. Evidence suggests that using additional financial aid to increase the number of credits students take may accelerate their academic progress. The Obama administration recently released two proposals that would provide students with supplemental Pell Grant funds to encourage timely degree completion. Some states already use financial aid dollars to encourage students to increase the number of credits they take. Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation's (MDRC's) six-state Performance-Based Scholarship Demonstration evaluated the impact of providing low-income students with scholarships that were contingent on meeting certain academic benchmarks, such as completing a certain number of credits with a "C" average or better. In this report MDRC briefly examines programs in New Mexico, New York, and Louisiana, in an effort to suggest that incentives encourage students to increase their credits.   [More]  Descriptors: Student Financial Aid, Time to Degree, Access to Education, Educational Attainment

Ramos, Mary M.; Schrader, Ronald; Trujillo, Rebecca; Blea, Mary; Greenberg, Cynthia (2011). School Nurse Inspections Improve Handwashing Supplies, Journal of School Health. Background: Handwashing in the school setting is important for infectious disease control, yet maintaining adequate handwashing supplies is often made difficult by lack of funds, limited staff time, and student vandalism. This study measured the availability of handwashing supplies for students in New Mexico public schools and determined the impact of scheduled school nurse inspections on the availability of handwashing supplies. Methods: Participating school districts in New Mexico were matched by size and randomized into intervention and control groups. Baseline inspections were conducted in November 2008 followed by 2 subsequent bimonthly inspections. For each student bathroom, the presence or absence of soap and either paper towels or hand dryers was indicated on an inspection checklist. The intervention group reported findings to the New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) and to school administrative and custodial staff requesting that any identified problems be addressed. The control group reported inspection findings to the NMDOH only. Descriptive analyses were conducted to determine the proportion of bathrooms with soap and either paper towels or hand dryers. Comparisons were made between the intervention schools and the control schools at baseline and during the intervention period. Results: The intervention group had significantly higher probability of bathrooms being supplied with soap (p less than 0.05) and paper towels/hand dryers (p less than 0.02) during the intervention period. Conclusions: Regularly scheduled school nurse inspections of hand hygiene supplies, with reporting to appropriate school officials, can improve the availability of handwashing supplies for students.   [More]  Descriptors: Control Groups, Disease Control, Intervention, School Nurses

Fard, Maryam Heydari; Pirnajmuddin, Hossein (2015). Hybridity in Willa Cather's "Death Comes for the Archbishop" and "Shadows on the Rock", Advances in Language and Literary Studies. Willa Cather wrote "Death Comes for the Archbishop" and "Shadows on the Rock" based on the missionary life of Europeans in Quebec and New Mexico. In both novels she depicts a different type of colonizer-colonized relationship. The colonizers arrive with their stereotypical views about the natives to purportedly civilize them. But later, through their interaction with the natives, their superior, patronizing attitude gradually changes, so that, the boundary between the colonizer and the colonized becomes blurred. Contrary to their presuppositions about natives and also the long-established colonial attitude, the missionaries in these two novels treat the natives sympathetically and in some cases equally. Using Homi Bhabha's theory of hybridity, this essay attempts to analyze these two novels in terms of the depiction of cultural relation/interaction.   [More]  Descriptors: Novels, Foreign Policy, Christianity, Interpersonal Relationship

Gonzales, Arturo; Westerberg, Verner S.; Peterson, Thomas R.; Moseley, Ana; Gryczynski, Jan; Mitchell, Shannon Gwin; Buff, Gary; Schwartz, Robert P. (2012). Implementing a Statewide Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) Service in Rural Health Settings: New Mexico SBIRT, Substance Abuse. This is a report on the New Mexico Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) project conducted over 5 years as part of a national initiative launched by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration with the aim of increasing integration of substance use services and medical care. Throughout the state, 53,238 adults were screened for alcohol and/or drug use problems in ambulatory settings, with 12.2% screening positive. Baseline substance use behaviors among 6,360 participants eligible for brief intervention, brief treatment, or referral for treatment are examined and the process of implementation and challenges for sustainability are discussed.   [More]  Descriptors: Medical Services, Substance Abuse, Intervention, Drug Use

Center on Education Policy (2010). Subgroup Achievement and Gap Trends: New Mexico. In grade 8 (the only grade in which subgroup trends were analyzed by achievement level), New Mexico showed across-the-board gains–improvements in reading and math at the basic-and-above, proficient-and-above, and advanced levels for all major racial/ethnic subgroups and low-income students. Progress in narrowing achievement gaps at grades 4, 8, and 11 was mixed. Comparable data were available for 2005-2009 at grades 4 and 8 and for 2007-2009 at grade 11. (Contains 9 tables.) [For the main report, "State Test Score Trends through 2008-09, Part 2: Slow and Uneven Progress in Narrowing Gaps", see ED513914. For the 2009 New Mexico report, see ED507961.]   [More]  Descriptors: Scores, Grade 8, Grade 4, Reading Achievement

Ishii, Harue; Gilbride, Dennis D.; Stensrud, Robert (2009). Students' Internal Reactions to a One-Week Cultural Immersion Trip: A Qualitative Analysis of Student Journals, Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development. The authors investigated the experiences of counseling students on a 1-week cultural immersion trip to New Mexico. Students' journals were analyzed, using the open coding procedure from grounded theory. Five major categories emerged that reflected students' internal reactions to the experience. The findings and their instructional implications are discussed.   [More]  Descriptors: Grounded Theory, Student Attitudes, Student Journals, Cultural Awareness

Willging, Cathleen E.; Quintero, Gilbert A.; Lilliott, Elizabeth A. (2014). Hitting the Wall: Youth Perspectives on Boredom, Trouble, and Drug Use Dynamics in Rural New Mexico, Youth & Society. We examine the experience of boredom and its relationship to troublemaking and drug use among rural youth in southwestern New Mexico. We draw on qualitative research with area youth to describe "what" they think about drug use and "how" they situate it within their social circumstances. We then locate youth drug use within globalized processes affecting this setting, including a local economic environment with limited educational and employment opportunities for youth. Drug use emerges as a common social practice that enables youth to ameliorate boredom, yet only some youth become known as troublemakers. Study findings offer insight into how dominant social institutions–schools and juvenile justice authorities–shape the construction of trouble from the perspectives of youth. We contend that boredom and troublemaking among rural youth are not simply age-appropriate forms of self-expression but instead represent manifestations of social position, political economic realities, and assessments of possible futures.   [More]  Descriptors: Psychological Patterns, Rural Youth, Qualitative Research, Drug Abuse

Willits, Dale; Broidy, Lisa M.; Denman, Kristine (2015). Schools and Drug Markets: Examining the Relationship between Schools and Neighborhood Drug Crime, Youth & Society. Research on drug markets indicates that they are not randomly distributed. Instead they are concentrated around specific types of places. Theoretical and empirical literature implicates routine activities and social disorganization processes in this distribution. In the current study, we examine whether, consistent with these theories, drug markets are particularly likely to form near schools. This research contributes to our understanding of adolescent drug use patterns by assessing some of the place and neighborhood-level mechanisms that help explain how schools facilitate access to illicit drugs. Using data from Albuquerque, New Mexico, we find that neighborhoods with middle schools and high schools experience more drug crime than neighborhoods without middle or high schools. Moreover, the relationship between school presence and drug crime is strongest during the hours directly before, during, and after school. Theoretical and policy implications are discussed.   [More]  Descriptors: Crime, Drug Abuse, Neighborhoods, Schools

Abdul-Rahman, Fahzy (2012). Family Resource Management Needs Assessment in New Mexico, Journal of Extension. New Extension state specialists face many uncertainties when beginning to work in their new position, especially when it involves a state unfamiliar to them. Literature reviews may not provide the latest and clearest picture of the needs and challenges in the state. Furthermore, the between-county variation of issues may differ greatly. The study reported here illustrates how a survey of Home Economics county agents may benefit a new Extension specialist and provide a picture of Extension Home Economics needs and challenges specific to New Mexico.   [More]  Descriptors: Extension Education, Extension Agents, Surveys, Home Economics

New Mexico Public Education Department (2017). Bilingual Multicultural Education Annual Report for School Year 2015-2016. The Bilingual Multicultural Education Bureau (BMEB) strives to serve all students participating in BMEPs so that all students achieve the program goals as outlined by New Mexico statute and education code, these are: (1) students become bilingual and biliterate in English and a second language; and (2) students meet all academic content standards and benchmarks in all subject areas. The purpose of the Bilingual Multicultural Education Annual Report is to comply with state statute and inform stakeholders regarding the BMEB's efforts and how these are connected to PED's current initiatives. The BMEB actively works to streamline and provide data that can be used in meaningful and purposeful ways and is committed to improving the quality of data and of reporting. To that aim, the report focuses on the four key areas. It (1) collects and reports data on district, school, and student participation; (2) collects and reports data regarding language proficiency in order to assess progress on the first goal of BMEPs for students to become bilingual and biliterate; (3) analyzes and reports achievement data based on the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) tests and on the New Mexico Standards Based Assessment (SBA) for relevant subgroups, including English ELs, to assess progress on the second goal of BMEPs for students to meet all academic content standards; and (4) evaluates and determines program effectiveness and use of funds for BMEPs. This report addresses the key areas above with data for the 2015-2016 school year, providing some longitudinal data for comparison over time. Not all data is uniform, and where this may factor into the interpretation of data results, it is noted. The following are appended: (1) English Language Proficiency Data (ACCESS for ELLs¬©) by District and State Charters for 2015-2016; (2) Woodcock Muñoz Spanish Language Proficiency Data by District, 2015-2016; (3) LAS Links Spanish Language Proficiency Data by Proficiency Level by District, 2015-2016; (4) LAS Links Spanish Language Proficiency Data by Designation by District, 2015-2016; (5) IPT Spanish Language Proficiency Data by Proficiency Level District, 2015-2016; (6) IPT Spanish Language Proficiency Data by Designation by District, 2015-2016; (7) Native Language Proficiency Data by District, 2015-2016; (8) Bilingual Multicultural Education Programs by District, School, Grade, Language and Model; (9) Total Operational BMEP Allocations by District and Charter School; (10) Bilingual Multicultural Education Program Models and Instructional Time; and (11) Glossary and Acronyms.   [More]  Descriptors: Bilingual Education, Multicultural Education, Annual Reports, Student Educational Objectives