Thanksgiving Edition

I get accused a lot (mostly by people who don’t read the paper very closely) of reporting only on bad news and ignoring all the good things going on in New Mexico schools. This annoys me because I’m actually very careful and deliberate about looking for bright spots and best practices. It never occurs to anyone that maybe the “negative” stories are the ones they remember?

Don’t I sound gracious about my readers? No matter. Today, in the spirit of Thanksgiving (and addressing a pet peeve at the same time!) I’m presenting 10 bits of education news from the past six months that New Mexicans can be thankful for.

-Science is returning to elementary classrooms in New Mexico, thanks mostly to the adoption of Common Core standards, that encourage science and social studies to be integrated with reading and math. Many teachers feel it’s a much-needed antidote to the obsessive math and reading focus of the No Child Left Behind days.

-The Abriendo Puertas program is seeing promising results in helping Latino parents learn skills in early literacy, nutrition, and advocating for their children in the school system. This could be a key to engaging families and closing the achievement gap.

-A wonderful little school in southern New Mexico. My colleague Rene Romo wrote this piece about Anthony Elementary, which faces tremendous challenges from poverty, but has high test scores that are steadily improving.

-Laguna-Acoma junior-senior high school, where school leaders are tracking data meticulously and seeing jumps in achievement among its largely Native American population.

-Increased teacher collaboration in the form of “professional learning communities,” which aim to make teaching less isolating and encourage teachers to learn from each other.

-The United World College, one of the best-kept secrets in New Mexico, which has been educating students from around the world for 30 years, with a mission of fostering international understanding.

-The Lure of the Labyrinth, an awesome, math-based computer game that had Desert Ridge students hooked even during the summer months.

-Free lunch for more low-income students at APS, after Superintendent Winston Brooks decided the district would extend free lunch to families who are moderately low-income, and would normally qualify for reduced-price lunch.

-Strong evidence the K-3 Plus program works for students. A report from the LFC found that students from disadvantaged areas who get extra instruction time before the school year starts see increased test scores.

-Early evidence that taking dual credit courses in high school helps students succeed in college, in part by making them feel empowered and helping them see college as within their reach.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.