(EDUCATION) AZ to Use $8.9M in Stimulus Money to Address Dropout Crisis
New Mexico's Governor Bill Richardson (D) says he will use $8.9 million from the state's federal stimulus money to implement his Graduate New Mexico! It's Everybody's Business initiative. The reform is expected to bring 10,000 dropouts back to the classroom while addressing the achievement gap and improving dropout rates across the state.
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"To sustain New Mexico's growing economy and workforce, all New Mexican's must at the very least graduate from high school," Richardson says. "We must accept that in the 21st century, to secure a job that will support a family and provide a decent quality of life, a high school diploma is a must."
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Initially, the state will concentrate on six components of the plan:
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- An expansion of the Innovative Digital Education and Learning program that will make online courses available to up to 10,000 students that need to make up credits to graduate;
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- Appointment of a task force for Schools Most in Need of Improvement, as indicated by data from the past five years;
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- Establishment of an Office of Hispanic Education that will act as a liaison with the Hispanic community to engage in meaningful ways to improve achievement;
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- Hold three Governor Summits on the Achievement Gap with each focusing on a demographic group: Hispanic, Native American, and African American;
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- Offer an online cultural competence course for teachers that provides culturally relevant teaching techniques and materials;
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- Create an annual report card that clearly reports achievement, graduation rates, dropout rates, college attendance, college remediation rates, and post-secondary attainment levels, by demographic group.
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Info: www.governor.state.nm.us/press/2009/august/080509_01.pdf
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