How do we change the current status of New Mexico public school performance?
A robust education system demands a comprehensive approach to academic success. In 2007, the PED, together with Governor Bill Richardson, legislators and education and community leaders, strategically implemented and developed initiatives to bridge expectation gaps between elementary, middle, high school and postsecondary education; to create seamless transitions from grade to grade; and to align and integrate our entire P-20 education system. We worked through our strategic framework Making Schools Work, earning New Mexico national recognition for education reform. The Making Schools Work initiative targets seven areas necessary for education excellence: • Academic Rigor and Accountability • Closing the Achievement Gap • School Readiness • Quality Teachers • Parent Involvement • 21st Century Classrooms • College and Workforce Readiness. Often the public judges New Mexico public school performance by the state’s progress under the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 or NCLB. In 20
