A recent study from the U.S. Department of Education has shed light on the alarming state of New Mexico’s K-12 education system. The “Consolidated Performance Review Report for FY 2023” revealed that the state is failing to meet most federal requirements related to statewide educational services, with many implementation methods in need of correction.
The report highlighted that out of the sixty requirements reviewed by the USDE, New Mexico received the lowest rating in all of them, with zero commendations. This raises concerns about the state’s ability to provide a quality education to all students, especially disadvantaged ones. Additionally, the PED’s inability to produce timely and accurate data was also flagged as a significant issue by the federal department.
Some of the key areas of concern identified in the report included state assessment requirements, accountability systems, support for school improvement, and state and local report cards. Furthermore, New Mexico was found to be lacking in preparing, training, and recruiting high-quality teachers and school leaders, with significant compliance and quality concerns.
The report also criticized New Mexico for its excessive rulemaking and top-down mandates, which are driving experienced educators out of the profession and leading to a shortage of qualified teachers and school leaders. Despite pouring millions of dollars into the K-12 system since the Yazzie-Martinez lawsuit, the state’s rankings remain last in the nation.
In light of these findings, experts are calling for the implementation of school choice in New Mexico. By allowing funding to follow students to the school that best suits their needs, whether public, private, or parochial, this approach has shown positive outcomes in other states facing similar challenges. It is believed that school choice could be the solution to addressing New Mexico’s education workforce crisis and ensuring that all students have access to a quality education.