(NEW MEXICO)- New Mexico Kids Can Executive Director Amanda Aragon-Bernabe shared data showing the state has ranked last in education since 2016.
Photo Credit: NewMeicoKidsCan
Aragon-Bernabe said the education ranking impacts whether families want to move to New Mexico.
“They are an important data point,” Aragon-Barnabe said. “ As with anything, we shouldn't use any one measure to tell the whole story, but we do need to use the data to learn what's working and what isn't. We can argue about the data points forever, but the reality is other people are using that data to decide whether they want to move to New Mexico, if they want to raise their children in New Mexico and companies are using it to evaluate if they want to build and grow in New Mexico.”
The data shared comes from the Annie E. Casey Foundation's Kids Count Data Book. Presenting the data now makes sense as the 2026-27 school year approaches.
Annie E. Casey Foundation uses four criteria to rank schools. Children not in school between 3 and 4, fourth-graders not proficient in reading, eighth-graders not proficient in math and high school students not graduating on time.
New Mexico was ranked 46th in public education by World Population Review, and 50th by USNews.
Like the rest of the country, COVID-19 negatively impacted education in New Mexico. Kids were required to learn in virtual settings as opposed to traditional classrooms.
Students started using technology more during the pandemic and struggled to focus in school. From 2019 to 2021, on average, a teenager’s screen time grew from 7 hours, 22 minutes to 8 hours, 39 minutes, according to a report published by Common Sense Media.
Despite the challenges presented, Aragon-Barnabe doesn’t think the COVID excuse is valid anymore.
“Students all across the country fell behind when they were out of school. In New Mexico, some schools were closed for 13 months straight,” Aragon-Barnabe said. “We cannot accept that our students lost learning and never make up for it.”
Teach Plus Executive Director Hope Morales also echoed concerns regarding education.
“It’s not effective and is creating cycles that must be broken,” Morales, who has taught 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 7th grades in Roswell Independent School District, said. “Education is not the only low rank that New Mexico faces. Education, or lack thereof, can create barriers to high-quality careers that may or may not include certificates or degrees. This impacts our poverty, health, crime, and overall well-being as citizens.”
Other states have worked to improve their education ranking. Aragon-Bernabe thinks New Mexico can turn things around.
“Mississippi went from ranking 48th to 16th! Louisiana went from 49th to 35th,” Aragon-Bernabe said. “ There is absolutely no reason we cannot do the same.”
Morales believes Louisiana and Mississippi made improvements because they identified their educational issues.
“They were honest about where they were in national education rankings and intentional about where they wanted to be,” Morales said. “This intentionality transferred over to strategy and was backed by funding, policy, capacity, and accountability. Together, these levers ensured targeted support that focused directly on students in the classroom—and it worked.”
Morales said New Mexico is training thousands of educators in evidence-based literacy instruction and restructuring its teacher preparation programs. She also provided some positive news about education.
“New Mexico is building real momentum through gains in literacy and a push to strengthen evidence-based math instruction under SB 29,” Morales said. “This critical legislation, which our teacher leaders advocated for and was signed into law last spring, ensures our educators have the training and resources they need to help their students make progress in math.”
Aragon-Bernabe believes New Mexico can improve its ranking this upcoming school year.
“Every day that students spend in school is an opportunity to get it right,” Aragon-Bernabe said. “I hope that as the school year approaches, every state leader, superintendent, principal and teacher is focused on ensuring that every second in the classroom is full of learning and development for every child. I hope every citizen of New Mexico believes we can do better for our children and expects that of our leaders.”
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please contact jorden.h@lead4earth.org.
0
0
Comments