Rittner-Heir, Robbin (2003). Schools and Economic Development, School Planning & Management. Discusses schools' evolving relationships with private industry and local government entities, which are providing mutually beneficial results. Examples include the community services located in West Virginia schools and the workforce development efforts of Intel in New Mexico schools. Descriptors: Economic Development, Government School Relationship, Partnerships in Education, School Business Relationship

Bejarano, Cynthia; Valverde, Michelle (2012). From the Fields to the University: Charting Educational Access and Success for Farmworker Students Using a Community Cultural Wealth Framework, Journal of the Association of Mexican American Educators. In 2002, the New Mexico State University College Assistance Migrant Program (NMSU CAMP) was created to increase the number of baccalaureate degrees held by students from farmworker backgrounds by mediating structural impediments that typically normalize post-secondary inequities for this population. Migrant and seasonal farmworker students are significantly marginalized and underserved in the United States. There is also a notable lack of research exploring their success in higher education. This article addresses this gap through an exploratory analysis of quantitative and qualitative data spanning years 2006-2011 that include 130 self- administered questionnaires, six key informant interviews, and numerous observations. A "community cultural wealth" framework [CCW] (Yosso, 2005) is utilized to explore factors contributing to students' entrance into the university and their persistence thereafter. The findings suggest that farmworker students utilized the notions of "familia" and "pedagogies of the home" (Delgado Bernal, 2001) to navigate their transition inside an unfamiliar terrain, while the CAMP program itself utilized similar notions of "familia" to break the practice of "manufacturing sameness" typically experienced by students in the freshmen year.   [More]  Descriptors: Access to Education, Migrants, Migrant Education, Migrant Programs

Rincon, Alejandra (2012). Repository of Resources for Undocumented Students, College Board. Undocumented immigrants face tremendous difficulties when seeking a higher education. The imposition of out-of-state tuition fees effectively keeps them out of college in most of the United States. In 14 states, in-state tuition laws allow these students to pay lower fees and, in a few cases, access state financial aid. However, even in these 14 states, undocumented students, their families and educators face several difficulties when trying to access information on admission policies, financial aid and scholarships, as well as on support organizations. Although this compilation is by no means exhaustive, it provides an important step toward the identification of current available resources for students and educators in the states that have passed in-state tuition laws. It is important to note that because information on certain resources was not readily available (i.e., financial aid in Kansas or Wisconsin or student organizations in New Mexico and Oklahoma), a general list was also generated to aid students in those states. That list is provided at the end of the document. Appended are: (1) California Nonresident Tuition Exemption Request Form; (2) Washington HB1079, English Version; and (3) Washington HB1079, Spanish Version.   [More]  Descriptors: Undocumented Immigrants, Tuition, Scholarships, Educational Resources

Kinzer, Cathy; Taft, Laura (2012). What's Best for Our Students? Outcomes Are the Driving Force at One High-Achieving Elementary School, Journal of Staff Development. Monte Vista Elementary School is one of 24 K-5 elementary schools in Las Cruces Public Schools, an urban district in southern New Mexico. The school's 450 students reflect the diversity of its Southwestern community: 75% Hispanic, 17% English language learners, and 68% free or reduced lunch, thus qualifying Monte Vista as a Title I school. Monte Vista opened in August 2010 under the leadership of principal Theresa Jaramillo-Jones with a staff committed to making a difference for the community through a focus on student and professional learning, shared and supportive leadership for all students and teachers, and collaborative professional learning ensuring high achievement for all students. Since that time, Monte Vista has exemplified Learning Forward's Outcomes standard, which states: "Professional learning that increases educator effectiveness and results for all students aligns its outcomes with educator performance and student curriculum standards" (Learning Forward, 2011). The school's staff accomplishes this by engaging in purposeful collective learning with shared accountability to each other and to students. Monte Vista's teachers are developing knowledge and skills for effective teaching through collegial classroom experiences, using multiple sources of data to inform their decisions, and studying teaching and the outcomes of these efforts on student learning and achievement. Focusing on a culture of collaboration and outcome-based student data, Monte Vista has achieved high scores on statewide assessments for students in all subgroups.   [More]  Descriptors: Elementary Schools, Urban Schools, High Achievement, Outcomes of Education

Allison, Tamara Alice (2016). Tier 2 Reading Interventions, K-2nd Grade Practices and Processes, ProQuest LLC. Due to variation that exists in providing Tier 2 reading intervention instruction, the purpose of the study was to identify processes and instructional strategies currently being utilized by K-2 teachers of the Gallup, New Mexico elementary schools. 17 teachers from 9 of the 10 elementary schools participated in the study. A survey instrument was designed and administered using Survey Monkey as the tool to collect the data on how teachers are implementing Tier 2 reading intervention instruction. Research Question 1 asked how teachers are currently implementing Tier 2 reading interventions as far as structure/processes, lesson planning, and collaboration. The highest percentages of teachers reported the following: one additional staff assisting grade level teachers, group sizes of 4-6 students, progress monitoring 6 or more times a year, using DIBELS scores for student placement, utilizing ability groups within the grade level with each having its own instructors, and instruction being provided 5 days a week for 30-35 minutes. Research Question 2 asked for teachers' opinions as to using available staff, instructions for benchmark students, and the amount and usefulness of meetings. A majority of teachers agreed to using all available staff, that accelerated learning opportunities are being provided to students performing at the benchmark level, and that meetings are occurring frequently and are useful. Research Question 3 inquired as to practices and processes teachers feel are effective as well as their recommendations for improving instruction and for professional development. Effective practices reported include: using phonics, decoding, and fluency; small group instruction; multi-sensory instruction or hands-on activities; Linda-Mood Bell programs; data analysis to group students; the Project Read program; word family/patterns; sight words; comprehension; materials and curriculum provided; and consistency with holding interventions daily. Though all reported feeling moderately to very confident in their ability to teach reading, they recommended that they learn more current, non-traditional strategies as well as receive more training in familiar approaches like ELL strategies, differentiated instruction, learning centers, and identifying reading difficulties. After a review of the data, the researcher recommends training teachers to conduct their own research to seek out strategies, programs, and resources; investing in and implementing an effective commercially produced Tier 2 program; and for teams to devote more time in developing, sharing, and revising lesson plans. [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: Reading Instruction, Elementary School Teachers, Kindergarten, Grade 1

Ackerman, Melinda Marie (2013). Relationship between Student Purpose in Life and Performance on New Mexico Standards Based Assessment, ProQuest LLC. Many investigators have explored the relationship between success on high stakes testing and student motivation; however, little research has been done to discover the relationship between low academic achievement and student motivation. At the time of this publication, low academic achievement in a school in New Mexico had led to failed Adequate Yearly Progress for 5 years. Furthermore, local evidence suggested that students had little concern for improving their test scores or understanding the implications for higher academic achievement. This climate of student apathy, along the possibility of further restructuring and closing the school, underscored the need for research on motivation and academic achievement. The quantitative design included Pearson correlations to show the relationships among the Purpose in Life (PIL) test based on Frankl's will to meaning theory, the Life Attitude Profile-Revised (LAP-R) Instrument, and standardized tests and grade point averages (GPA). Statistical analysis showed no correlation between the PIL and GPA ( p = 0.20), weak correlations between the PIL with reading scores (p = 0.20), and a moderate negative correlation between the PIL and math scores (p = 0.01). These findings can be used to inform secondary school educators about the lack of a relationship between the PIL and student achievement and suggest that caution be applied when using the PIL as a means of predicting student success. The research findings could help direct teachers to seek more accurate predictors of student achievement, recognize that a low PIL score may not translate into low standardized test scores, and reconsider the role that the PIL may play in creating academic achievement and a positive academic climate. [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: Low Achievement, Student Motivation, Standards, Educational Assessment

New Mexico Public Education Department (2008). Mathematics Content Standards Benchmarks and Performance Standards. New Mexico Mathematics Content Standards, Benchmarks, and Performance Standards identify what students should know and be able to do across all grade levels, forming a spiraling framework in the sense that many skills, once introduced, develop over time. While the Performance Standards are set forth at grade-specific levels, they do not exist as isolated skills; each exists in relation to the others. This document groups the Mathematics Content Standards, Benchmarks, and Performance Standards into five strands: (1) Numbers and Operations; (2) Algebra; (3) Geometry; (4) Measurement; and (5) Data Analysis and Probability. The standards have been designed to: (1) Establish an articulated, coordinated, and comprehensive description of the content and skills students should learn at specific grade levels in the study of mathematics; (2) Help teachers create classroom instruction and authentic assessments that address a substantive mathematics curriculum that can be applied to learning across all disciplines; (3) Serve as the basis for a statewide assessment of student learning; and (4) Stimulate conversation and policy development regarding the acquisition and application of essential math skills and concepts. The document includes: (1) Curriculum framework; (2) Mathematics Guiding Principles; (3) Processes of Problem Solving; (4) K-12 Content Standards, Benchmarks, and Performance Standards (displayed in chart form strand-by-strand for grades K-5, 5-8 and 9-12; and (5) Glossary. [These standards were approved by the New Mexico State Board of Education in June 2002 and reformatted in January 2008.]   [More]  Descriptors: Mathematics Curriculum, Data Analysis, Mathematics Skills, Probability

Excelencia in Education (NJ1) (2009). Weaving a Web of Support for Students: Assessing ENLACE New Mexico. In a state where the majority of the population is minority, how youth maneuver through the educational system plays a determining role in the economic well-being of the state. ENLACE New Mexico was created in 2001 to empower the community, students and educators to affect positive change in the public educational system, leading to increased student success, not just for Hispanics, but for all students. An acronym for Engaging Latino Communities for Education, ENLACE also has meaning in Spanish – "to link or weave together". A critical premise of "ENLACE" is that partnerships can result in systemic changes as local schools, colleges and universities work together in new ways. In addition, connecting disenfranchised communities to the educational process can shift the work from a series of disconnected projects into an educational movement. ENLACE's theory of action assumes investing in multi-pronged strategies will create the student-level and systems-level impacts that define "ENLACE's" goals and objectives. Therefore, getting incremental results, even if they are limited improvements in a small arena, signals change is possible and provides momentum for sustaining ENLACE's work.  As "ENLACE" New Mexico continues to grow and evolve, participants will face continuing challenges. Establishing partnerships that will outlive fleeting external funds requires building relationships and laying down community roots to address educational disparities for the long term. In turn, these partnerships signal to students that their educational achievement matters to everyone in the community.   [More]  Descriptors: Hispanic American Students, Public Education, Partnerships in Education, Program Descriptions

May, Philip A.; Van Winkle, Nancy W.; Williams, Mary B.; McFeeley, Patricia J.; DeBruyn, Lemyra M.; Serna, Patricia (2002). Alcohol and Suicide Death among American Indians of New Mexico: 1980-1998, Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior. Explores the relationship between alcohol use prior to suicide among American Indian decedents in New Mexico for the years 1980 through 1998. Alcohol was detected in 69% of all suicides of American Indians with some variance by major tribal cultural groups. This is higher than in suicides among the overall New Mexico population (44.3%). (Contains 84 references and 6 tables.) Descriptors: American Indians, Drinking, Predictor Variables, Suicide

Johnson, Caryl (2006). Global Experiences for FCS Professionals, Journal of Family and Consumer Sciences. The International Studies Branch, International Education and Graduate Studies Service of the United States Department of Education provides family and consumer sciences (FCS) professionals with many international experiences. This article highlights the Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad Program, a program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education. This program provides an expansion of international, cross cultural area studies that will bring a global perspective to U.S. classrooms. One of the goals of the project is to internationalize the school curriculum of the State of New Mexico classrooms with the introduction of the Ghanaian culture and social issues. Thus, through curriculum resources that were developed as a result of this project, New Mexico students are gaining a perspective of what daily life is like in rural Ghana.   [More]  Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Global Approach, Consumer Science, Curriculum Development

Christie, Christina A. (2006). Appreciative Inquiry as a Method for Evaluation: An Interview with Hallie Preskill, American Journal of Evaluation. This interview with Dr. Hallie Preskill focuses on the organizational change method known as appreciative inquiry (AI), which is described as a process that builds on past successes (and peak experiences) in an effort to design and implement future actions. Preskill takes the philosophy and principles put forth by organizational change AI theorists and applies them to the evaluation context. Preskill also describes the part played by AI in the Corporate Education Development and Training (CEDT) facility's evaluation project (Albuquerque, New Mexico).   [More]  Descriptors: Interviews, Evaluators, Inquiry, Evaluation Methods

Tolar, Trinidad Uribe (2011). Exploration of the Elements of Human Capital, Social Capital and Instructional Tools and Routines Used in a School That Served English Language Learners in Rural Southwest New Mexico, ProQuest LLC. As a nation, we should be committed to providing quality education to all of our students. However, only five percent of over 450 schools in New Mexico with a large ELL population met the AMAOs during the 2007-2008, and 2008-2009 school years (Title III AMAO Results, 2007-2008, and 2008-2009). The AMAOs are: 1) Making Progress in English, 2) Attaining English Proficiency, and 3) Meeting Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). Until this case study was completed, no review had been done within a New Mexico elementary school to examine how the elements of Social Capital, Human Capital and Instructional Tools and Routines contributed to the academic success of ELL students. To understand these elements data were collected via interviews and document reviews. Data were analyzed by unitizing and categorizing interview transcripts and documents. The results of the case study demonstrated that the principal and teachers at this school were successful in developing Human Capital through the quality of their professional community interactions. It seems that the quality of the professional community at this school created norms of trust and collaboration that influenced the teachers' pedagogical content knowledge. The principal and teachers were successful in building Social Capital through the ways in which they shared what they knew. The principal and the teachers at this school created an environment of open collaboration, and through this collaboration they shared information about their teaching creating strong networks. The principal and the teachers created a professional community that they referred to as informal professional learning community. There was an overwhelming amount of data that illustrated how they created a very caring learning community. The data from this study did not reveal that the professional development opportunities being offered to the principal and teachers had been systematic. What was clear was that the utilization of the information generated from students' formative and summative assessment was utilized to develop strategies to individualize the students' instruction. The interconnection of Human Capital, Social Capital and Instructional Tools and Routines at this school appeared to have been instrumental in enabling the meeting of the needs of ELL students at this school.   [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: Caring, Educational Improvement, Federal Programs, Second Language Learning

Zinth, Jennifer Dounay (2014). Dual Enrollment: A Strategy to Improve College-Going and College Completion among Rural Students, Education Commission of the States. Research shows that students who participate in dual enrollment are more likely than their peers to finish high school, enter college and complete a degree. This means dual enrollment can greatly benefit students in rural areas, which report lower college-going and postsecondary attainment rates than other locales. However, rural areas face unique challenges in providing high-quality dual enrollment programs: (1) Securing qualified instructors, either high school teachers who have the qualifications to lead college-level courses or postsecondary instructors; (2) Covering program costs, as many rural districts face declines in enrollment and the funding that follows students in many states; and (3) Addressing program logistics, including the challenges of offering a course to a small number of students and offering career/technical education coursework when high schools may not have the latest technical equipment but the nearest community college is a long drive away. This report will discuss how states are rising to these challenges, including these examples: (1) A public-private partnership in Ohio includes funding to help eight colleges and universities create and administer an 18-month master's degree with a teacher-friendly schedule; (2) Texas authorizes workforce investment funds to support dual enrollment programs targeted to address the needs of high-demand fields; and (3) Ten states authorize a course to be offered at a location other than a high school or college, easing travel burdens. This includes Illinois and Wyoming. A final section will address the opportunities posed by delivering dual enrollment through tribal colleges. State policies are often silent on the inclusion of tribal colleges in dual enrollment programs. However, one state, New Mexico, created a tribal college dual credit program fund to address this issue.   [More]  Descriptors: Dual Enrollment, Career Education, Technical Education, Community Colleges

McNeil, Michele (2012). Waiver Hopefuls Put through Paces by Review Process, Education Week. Before awarding waivers from core tenets of the No Child Left Behind Act to 11 states, the U.S. Department of Education ordered changes to address a significant weakness in most states' proposals: how they would hold schools accountable for groups of students deemed academically at risk, particularly those in special education or learning English. The feedback from peer reviewers and the department, now available to the public, provides a road map for states hoping to win waivers in later rounds, and a warning that the department's promise of flexibility is not unlimited. Of the 11 applications submitted in November as part of the first round of judging, seven received full approval Feb. 9, and three won conditional approval, pending additional legislative or policy changes. New Mexico's application, considered the weakest by the department, was approved Feb. 15. At least 20 states are expected to apply for waivers by the next deadline, Feb. 28. A third deadline has been set for Sept. 6. States that need more time to develop their waiver proposals can ask the federal department for a one-year freeze in their annual achievement targets to keep the list of schools not making adequate yearly progress from growing. AYP is the law's key mechanism for tracking schools' performance. But even that temporary flexibility comes with strings: States must agree to adopt college- and career-readiness standards, provide student-growth data to reading and math teachers, and report achievement and graduation gaps for each NCLB subgroup.   [More]  Descriptors: Federal Legislation, Federal Programs, Educational Improvement, Accountability

Kong, Alberta S.; Farnsworth, Seth; Canaca, Jose A.; Harris, Amanda; Palley, Gabriel; Sussman, Andrew L. (2012). An Adaptive Community-Based Participatory Approach to Formative Assessment with High Schools for Obesity Intervention, Journal of School Health. Background: In the emerging debate around obesity intervention in schools, recent calls have been made for researchers to include local community opinions in the design of interventions. Community-based participatory research (CBPR) is an effective approach for forming community partnerships and integrating local opinions. We used CBPR principles to conduct formative research in identifying acceptable and potentially sustainable obesity intervention strategies in 8 New Mexico school communities. Methods: We collected formative data from 8 high schools on areas of community interest for school health improvement through collaboration with local School Health Advisory Councils (SHACs) and interviews with students and parents. A survey based on formative results was created to assess acceptability of specific intervention strategies and was provided to SHACs. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics while qualitative data were evaluated using an iterative analytic process for thematic identification. Results: Key themes identified through the formative process included lack of healthy food options, infrequent curricular/extracurricular physical activity opportunities, and inadequate exposure to health/nutritional information. Key strategies identified as most acceptable by SHAC members included healthier food options and preparation, a healthy foods marketing campaign, yearly taste tests, an after-school noncompetitive physical activity program, and community linkages to physical activity opportunities. Conclusion: An adaptive CBPR approach for formative assessment can be used to identify obesity intervention strategies that address community school health concerns. Eight high school SHACs identified 6 school-based strategies to address parental and student concerns related to obesity.   [More]  Descriptors: Obesity, Intervention, Participatory Research, Community Involvement