°®¶¹app

• 92% of voters said improvements are needed when it comes to public education in the state, with particular concern°®¶¹appregarding°®¶¹appstudent academic achievement, literacy rates, school curriculum, and teacher quality and retention.
• While New Mexico is implementing policies that address many of these concerns, awareness of those initiatives is neither broad nor deep, with 43% of voters unsure of where they stand while 28% in support and 29% in opposition. However, when presented with background information about New Mexicoā€™s education initiatives, 60% of voters are supportive, an increase of 32%.
• Policies seen as having the highest impact on student achievement are career and technical education (90%), early childhood education (84%), and literacy programs (78%).°®¶¹app

SFPS teacher runs New York City Marathon

Rita Vigil, a first-grade teacher at Amy Biehl Community School, ran the prestigious New York City Marathon on Nov. 3, joining the over 50,000 participants in a 26.2-mile course through all five of the cityā€™s boroughs, starting from Staten Island and finishing in Central Park.

It was Vigilā€™s fifth marathon. She placed 100th in her age group and 14,135th overall, with a finishing time of 3 hours and 49 minutes, qualifying her for next yearā€™s Chicago Marathon.

Principal Jessica Garcia praised Vigil's dedication, noting how her commitment to running parallels her commitment to her students.

"Rita is such an inspiring example for our students," Garcia said. "She teaches them that with hard work, dedication, and persistence, they can achieve great things, whether itā€™s in the classroom or in life.

"Our students look up to her not just as a teacher, but as a role model who sets and accomplishes challenging goals,ā€ Garcia said.

Teach Plus announces policy advocate positions for teachers

Teach Plus, a national nonprofit that puts teachers in positions to advocate for educational policy, has selected a group of New Mexico teachers to influence policy change in education, including one teacher from Santa Fe Public Schools.

Jennifer Warren, from Nina Otero Community School, will be one of 11 educators charged with leading°®¶¹appprojects to improve studentsā€™ reading, math, and science skills.

ā€œMy own experience is testament to the fact that education is the driver that leads to economic mobility. Centered on breaking the cycle of poverty, our teacher leadership programs aim to ensure that all students can thrive academically and that economically disadvantaged students especially have access to the same opportunities as their wealthier peers,ā€ Teach Plus New Mexico Executive Director°®¶¹appHope Morales said in a statement. ā€œOur educators are committed to raising their voices, focused on their students, to improve systems that are directly impacting teaching and learning.ā€

First-time college enrollment in N.M. up 9%

The state Higher Education Department announced Wednesday that freshman enrollment was up 9.2% despite a 5% nationwide decline.

The change occurred across universities and community colleges, bringing 12,077 new freshmen across the state, a 23.1% increase from 2021ā€™s reported rate of 9,810.

ā€œWe can safely assert the New Mexico Opportunity Scholarship, with its inclusive and expansive approach to tuition-free higher education, has made a real difference for thousands of New Mexicans,ā€ Higher Education Secretary Stephanie Rodriguez said in a statement. ā€œNew Mexico is bucking national trends and spreading more opportunity to more young adults ā€” and we will continue to make every effort to reach more prospective students and provide more career pathways to New Mexicans.ā€