Education
People of Middle Eastern, Northern African descent say census categories erase their experience
When Leena Aggad was applying to graduate schools, she was pleasantly surprised when she saw that one of the universities she was considering included Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) among the race and ethnicity categories on the application. “Seeing that made me feel more included,“ Aggad said. “And I actually took a picture of […]
Teachers: To make extended learning work, first help students get to school
As many New Mexico public schools choose not to extend their school years, teachers in Alamogordo with decades of experience say for a longer year to make sense, districts should first give students the support they need to be able to make it into the classroom in the first place. Legislative Education Study Committee Vice […]
Papal Visit: Singer at peace after captivating world with protest song
LAC STE. ANNE, Alberta, Canada — She is glowing as she stands near the shores of Lac Ste. Anne, wearing the same white buckskin dress and beaded headband that captivated the world. But this time Si Pih Ko didn’t break into song in Cree as she did Monday in Maskwacis, with tears streaming down her face — a symbol […]
Return of Oñate pageantry inflames debate over colonial memory in NM
Despite years of pushback and protests, the depiction of genocidal Spanish conquistador and war criminal Juan de Oñate returned to the Fiesta del Valle de Española over the weekend with a re-enactment that attempted to downplay his crimes and polish his legacy. At the Bond House Museum in downtown Española on Saturday, Ray Griego, the […]
The push to tap NM’s Land Grant Permanent Fund for education
Tribal leaders and advocates leading education reform in New Mexico launched their campaign to ask voters to support a ballot initiative that would take more money from the state’s $25.5 billion Land Grant Permanent Fund and spend it on public school students, including those in pre-K. “New Mexico has the unique opportunity to be the […]
APS Board vows to solicit input on revision of controversial parents’ rights proposal
A controversial policy that would have underscored parents’ rights to all student records — including counseling records — was tabled by a committee of the Albuquerque Public Schools Board of Education. Several groups, including teacher advocates and LGBTQ student advocates, called on the community to speak out against the proposal. About 30 people showed up […]
UNM professor recruiting Native American teachers to work in their hometowns
Glenabah Martinez knows firsthand the benefits teachers and students share when they are from the same community. She wants to help fast track Indigenous college grads to teach in public schools. Martinez (Taos/Diné), taught students from Taos Pueblo but was immersed in the culture and traditions that she shares with those students outside the school. […]
Feds award $7M for tribal language programs
Santo Domingo Pueblo and Diné College are part of the 45 tribes and tribal organizations that are receiving federal money to boost traditional language programs. The Living Language Grant Program is part of the Indian Affairs Office of Indian Economic Development and is designed for language revitalization programs for Indigenous communities. “For more than 150 […]
New Mexico’s education reform plan presented to tribal leaders
The plan is still a draft, but New Mexico leaders say it’s one step closer to meeting a judge’s order to reform public education across the state. But advocates want a greater balance than the back-and-forth, top-down approach they say goes in creating the education plan. And lawyers representing the plaintiffs in the Yazzie-Martinez lawsuit […]
21 killed at Uvalde elementary in Texas’ deadliest school shooting ever
Nineteen children and two adults were killed in a shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde County on Tuesday, making the massacre the deadliest school shooting in Texas’ history. “My heart is broken today,” Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District Superintendent Hal Harrell said while holding back tears during a press conference Tuesday evening. “We’re a […]
Confronted with mass shootings, Texas Republicans have repeatedly loosened gun laws
In the past few years, Texas Republicans have been quick to consider a crackdown on gun violence after a mass shooting. They did so in 2018 after a 17-year-old entered Santa Fe High School and killed 10 people. Then again in 2019, when two mass shootings weeks apart occurred in El Paso at a Walmart […]
Freedom of speech is under attack in public schools, U.S. House panel told
Students and teachers told U.S. House members during a Thursday hearing that their right to talk about race and LGBTQ+ issues in public schools is being silenced due to an onslaught of new state laws as well as pressure on school boards from right-wing advocates. “To be crystal clear, this is about disrupting and destroying […]