(2012). A Case Study of a New High School Principal: Instructional Challenges and Administrative Interventions Relating to Immigrant Students and Teacher Apathy on the U.S./Mexico Border, Journal of Cases in Educational Leadership. This case study provides a contemporary look at a first year rural high school principal who is on the frontlines of the U.S./Mexico border struggles. Having taken over an underperforming school, this principal–in one year–moved the school accountability rating to Recognized status and is now focusing on the highest or Exemplary status for the forthcoming school year. [More] Descriptors: High Schools, Foreign Countries, Accountability, Immigrants
(2016). Homophobic Bullying in Mexico: Results of a National Survey, Journal of LGBT Youth. Homophobic and transphobic bullying, through teasing, physical violence, and other forms of aggression, is a problem that affects lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students at all levels of education. Even though there have been legal changes in Mexico to protect human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people, schools are spaces where discrimination and violence toward them are still common. In 2012, using an online survey asking participants about their experiences with bullying, its consequences, and responses from adults, the authors collected responses from 912 participants younger than 30 years of age who self-identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender and who lived in the 32 states of Mexico. Two thirds of participants said that they were victims of bullying during their school years; the majority of these students indicated that they did not have support from teachers or parents to avoid or stop the violence. The consequences of bullying were truancy, dropouts, depression, and suicide attempts. Attitudes that normalize bullying may impede the effective prevention of or response to homophobic and transphobic bullying by teachers and parents. To eliminate homophobic bullying in school, there is a need for sexual diversity trainings for teachers and media campaigns for the general public. [More] Descriptors: Bullying, Social Bias, National Surveys, Sexual Orientation
(2009). Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers: Are New Mexico's Education School Graduates Ready to Teach Reading and Mathematics in Elementary Classrooms?, National Council on Teacher Quality. As a follow up to National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ's) national studies of how well elementary teachers are prepared to teach reading and mathematics, NCTQ looks at preparation in both subjects in all undergraduate teacher preparation programs in New Mexico. This analysis evaluated New Mexico's eight undergraduate elementary teacher preparation programs across four critical areas: admission standards; teacher preparation in reading; teacher preparation in elementary mathematics; and exit standards. It finds that: (1) New Mexico's teacher preparation programs have admission standards that are so low as to be meaningless; (2) Most preparation programs in New Mexico do not prepare candidates to teach the science of reading; (3) Programs use a wide variety of reading textbooks, most of which do not address the science of Reading; (4) Only one New Mexico preparation program satisfactorily covers the mathematics content that elementary teachers need; however, this rating does not extend to preparation for grades seven and eight. Five programs are seriously deficient. Algebra preparation is universally inadequate; (5) Only one of New Mexico's preparation programs has selected a strong textbook for mathematics content coursework; (6) All of New Mexico's preparation programs have a dedicated elementary mathematics methods course; and (7) No preparation program in the state ensures that aspiring elementary teachers know the science of reading instruction and understand elementary mathematics content at a depth that is sufficient for instruction. Among the recommendations are that the New Mexico Public Education Department should establish entrance standards for the state's teacher preparation programs to ensure that every aspiring teacher enters possessing appropriate reading, writing and mathematical skills. These entrance standards should include acceptable scores on standardized assessments such as the Collegiate Assessment of Academic Proficiency. Appended are: (1) Ratings for Required Texts–Reading; (2) Ratings for Required Texts–Elementary Content Mathematics; and (3) Comments from New Mexico Teacher Preparation Programs. (Contains 24 footnotes.) [Funding for this report was provided by the Daniels Fund.] [More] Descriptors: Preservice Teacher Education, Schools of Education, Teacher Education Curriculum, Reading Instruction
(2017). Advanced Course Completion Rates among New Mexico High School Students Following Changes in Graduation Requirements. REL 2018-278, Regional Educational Laboratory Southwest. In 2008 New Mexico changed its graduation requirements for regular education high school students who completed more than their senior year of high school in a New Mexico public school. Students who entered high school in 2009 were the first to have to complete (pass with a D or better) at least one advanced course (a course designated by the New Mexico Public Education Department as an honors or gifted and talented course or designated by the school district as an advanced, Advanced Placement, gifted and talented, honors, or International Baccalaureate course), dual-credit course, or distance learning course. Numerous studies have shown the positive academic outcomes–such as higher high school graduation and postsecondary enrollment and persistence rates–associated with completing advanced courses. This study examines advanced course completion rates (the percentages of students who completed zero, one, and two or more advanced courses) among New Mexico public high school students in the first three cohorts subject to the state's new graduation requirements to identify whether gaps exist in the state and across student and school characteristics. It uses data on students who entered grade 9 in 2009-11 and remained enrolled for four years. The student characteristics examined were race/ethnicity, grade 8 standards-based assessment performance in math, eligibility for the federal school lunch program, and English learner status; the school characteristics examined were performance rating, size, Title I status, and urbanicity. The findings may help New Mexico policymakers and practitioners understand the extent to which traditionally underserved populations complete advanced courses in high school. The study found that over 56 percent of New Mexico students completed at least one advanced course in high school but that gaps exist across racial/ethnic groups. White students were more likely than American Indian students and Hispanic students to complete an advanced course. The gap in the advanced course completion rate between White students and American Indian students was 17 percentage points, and the gap between White students and Hispanic students was 14 percentage points. The gaps across racial/ ethnic groups were smaller when high-performing students (those who received a score of met expectations or exceeded expectations in math on the state's grade 8 standards-based assessment) were examined separately. When high-performing students were examined separately, the gap between White students and American Indian students was 6 percentage points, and the gap between White students and Hispanic students was 4 percentage points. The percentage was much lower among lower performing students (51 percent among lower performing American Indian students, 52 percent among lower performing Hispanic students, and 64 percent among lower performing White students), and substantial gaps remained across racial/ethnic subgroups. The study also found that advanced course completion rates were related to school characteristics. The percentage of students who completed at least one advanced course was higher among students at schools with a performance rating of A on the state's A-F scale than among students at schools with a lower rating. The percentage who completed multiple advanced courses was substantially lower among students at small schools (those with fewer than 750 students) than among students at bigger schools. The gaps remained when high-performing students were examined separately. The percentage who completed at least one advanced course was lower among high-performing students at small schools than among high-performing students at bigger schools. Although this study was not designed to investigate the causes of gaps in advanced course completion rates, identifying the gaps across student and school characteristics is a first step in helping members of the New Mexico Achievement Gap Research Alliance develop strategies to reach traditionally underserved students. The next step could be to investigate areas for improvement in approaches to promoting awareness of the availability and benefits of advanced course completion among American Indian and Hispanic students. The finding that a large share of these students do not complete advanced courses highlights the need to further investigate the extent to which advanced courses are available to students across the state, particularly in small schools and schools with low performance ratings. [More] Descriptors: High School Students, Advanced Courses, Graduation Requirements, College Readiness
(2016). Framing and Assessing Classroom Opportunity to Learn: The Case of Mexico, Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice. Educational policy in Mexico and throughout Latin America is shifting focus from school access to school quality. Improving "quality" is often interpreted as enhancing student learning opportunities, but three issues remain unresolved: (a) what constitutes opportunity to learn (OTL) in classrooms; (b) how to assess classroom OTL (COTL); and (c) how to address cultural and contextual differences. We synthesise international research to propose a framework of COTL, with implications for assessment and improvement. We discuss the case of Mexico, and identify three COTL elements: instructional time, generic quality and local quality. Instructional time addresses "how much" opportunity children are provided to participate in classroom activities. Generic quality addresses "how well" learning opportunities are delivered. And local quality–especially critical for rural and indigenous Mexican children–considers "how meaningfully" opportunities are instantiated. We identify challenges and opportunities for COTL assessment, as well as their relevance to needed improvements. [More] Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Educational Quality, Educational Opportunities, Time on Task
(2016). Community Prevention Coalition Context and Capacity Assessment: Comparing the United States and Mexico, Health Education & Behavior. Effective planning for community health partnerships requires understanding how initial readiness–that is, contextual factors and capacity–influences implementation of activities and programs. This study compares the context and capacity of drug and violence prevention coalitions in Mexico to those in the United States. Measures of coalition context include community problems, community leadership style, and sense of community. Measures of coalition capacity include the existence of collaborative partnerships and coalition champions. The assessment was completed by 195 members of 9 coalitions in Mexico and 139 members of 7 coalitions in the United States. Psychometric analyses indicate the measures have moderate to strong internal consistency, along with good convergent and discriminant validity in both settings. Results indicate that members of Mexican coalitions perceive substantially more serious community problems, especially with respect to education, law enforcement, and access to alcohol and drugs. Compared to respondents in the United States, Mexican respondents perceive sense of community to be weaker and that prevention efforts are not as valued by the population where the coalitions are located. The Mexican coalitions appear to be operating in a substantially more challenging environment for the prevention of violence and substance use. Their ability to manage these challenges will likely play a large role in determining whether they are successful in their prevention efforts. The context and capacity assessment is a valuable tool that coalitions can use in order to identify and address initial barriers to success. [More] Descriptors: Prevention, Comparative Analysis, Leadership Styles, Psychometrics
(2016). Favouring New Indigenous Leadership: Indigenous Students Attending Higher Education in Mexico, Educational Research and Reviews. The opportunities to attend higher education in Mexico have traditionally been offered to the middle class population since around 30% of students who finish high school are able to attend higher education. The main reason for this low attendance is the poverty in which much of the population lives and the lack of higher education institutions in rural areas. Low attendance to higher education is accentuated in marginalised indigenous groups. Migration from the rural areas to the cities over the years has enabled that recently, some indigenous students pursue higher education as a way to improve their social and economic opportunities. Indigenous students attending higher education in urban areas have to face additional challenges given that they speak their own native language, they come from a different culture, usually have a history of poor academic achievement, and face discrimination. In the Autonomous University of Ciudad Juarez (UACJ), an urban university on the Mexico-US border, was implemented a programme to support indigenous students attending the UACJ to favour their academic success. This programme also aims to increase the number of indigenous students attending the UACJ to develop them as professionals and leaders to impact positively their communities. This paper presents the findings of a qualitative study using participant observation and semi-structured interviews as the data collection methods to explore the implementation of the programme. Findings of collected data were grouped in two main themes: progresses and challenges of this programme. [More] Descriptors: Higher Education, Foreign Countries, Access to Education, Educational Opportunities
(2009). The Transformative Potential of a Study in Mexico Program for U. S. Teachers, Journal of Latinos and Education. This article reports findings of a Study in Mexico program and its potential for transforming teacher beliefs and observations about schooling in Mexico. This particular program has been in existence for 17 years; however, findings for this study are limited to data collected during two consecutive summers. The study was qualitative in design, and data collection included interviews, focus groups, and analysis of assignments. Five major themes emerged from the data, each of which supported the hypothesis that this 2-week Study in Mexico program can serve as a catalyst for transforming teachers' beliefs about Mexican schools, thereby validating the potential of this program. [More] Descriptors: Focus Groups, Foreign Countries, Spanish, Study Abroad
(2012). The Nation's Report Card Science 2011 State Snapshot Report. New Mexico. Grade 8, Public Schools. A representative sample of 122,000 eighth-graders participated in the 2011 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) science assessment, which is designed to measure students' knowledge and abilities in the areas of physical science, life science, and Earth and space sciences. This report covers the overall results, achievement level percentages and average score results, comparison of the average scores in 2009 and 2011 to other states/jurisdictions, average scores for state/jurisdiction and nation (public), results for student groups in 2011, and score gaps for student groups. In 2011, the average score of eighth-grade students in New Mexico was 145. This was lower than the average score of 151 for public school students in the nation. The average score for students in New Mexico in 2011 (145) was not significantly different from their average score in 2009 (143). In 2011, the score gap between students in New Mexico at the 75th percentile and students at the 25th percentile was 43 points. This performance gap was not significantly different from that of 2009 (45 points). The percentage of students in New Mexico who performed at or above the NAEP "Proficient" level was 22 percent in 2011. This percentage was not significantly different from that in 2009 (21 percent). The percentage of students in New Mexico who performed at or above the NAEP "Basic" level was 57 percent in 2011. This percentage was not significantly different from that in 2009 (55 percent). [For the main report, "The Nation's Report Card: Science 2011. National Assessment of Educational Progress at Grade 8. NCES 2012-465," see ED531894.] [More] Descriptors: Achievement Gap, Comparative Analysis, Economic Status, Educational Assessment
(2011). Accelerating the College and Career Readiness of New Mexico's Students. New Mexico is in the process of transitioning to new English language arts and mathematics standards that will better prepare students to be successful in college and their careers. Time, effort, and resources must be dedicated to effective implementation in order to realize the promise of these new common core state standards. This paper captures the progress made by New Mexico in adopting both the common core state standards, subsequent work in ensuring those standards are accompanied by college- and career-ready assessments, and the potential benefits of preparing all students for success in college and a career. [More] Descriptors: State Standards, Academic Standards, College Preparation, Career Development
(2013). School Nursing in New Mexico: Partners in Education. Annual School Health Services Summary Report 2012-2013. The school nurse serves in an essential role to provide expertise and oversight for the provision of school health services and promotion of health Education. Using clinical knowledge and judgement, the school nurse plans and provides health care to students, performs health screenings and coordinates referrals to the medical home or private healthcare provider. The school nurse serves as a liaison between school personnel, family, community, and healthcare providers to advocate for health care and a healthy school environment. This summary report provides in tabular form, statistical information on School Nursing in New Mexico for the 2012-2013 school year on the following: (1) School Nurse Staffing in New Mexico; (2) Students with a Medical Diagnosis; (3) Medically Complex Procedures; (4) Prescription Medications, Student Visits to health Office; and (5) Student Screenings. [More] Descriptors: School Nurses, Role, School Health Services, Health Promotion
(2018). Initial Spanish Proficiency and English Language Development among Spanish-Speaking English Learner Students in New Mexico. REL 2018-286, Regional Educational Laboratory Southwest. To what extent do Spanish-speaking English learner students develop English proficiency and grade-level readiness in English language arts and math from early elementary school to upper elementary school? Is there a relationship between proficiency in a student's primary home language, Spanish, and the amount of time needed to attain fluency in the student's second language, English? And are there differences in these relationships across English learner student subgroups? These topics are of high priority to members of the New Mexico Achievement Gap Research Alliance. New Mexico has a long history of working to support the maintenance and development of students' biliteracy skills. Many members of the alliance provide districts with technical assistance related to English learner students, so answers to these questions may inform this technical assistance. This study, conducted by the Regional Educational Laboratory Southwest, sought to inform the New Mexico Achievement Gap Research Alliance about the path toward English proficiency and academic outcomes for Spanish-speaking English learner students who entered kindergarten with varying levels of Spanish proficiency. The study followed two cohorts of Spanish-speaking English learner students in four districts in New Mexico from kindergarten through grade 4 or 5. The 2010 cohort included students enrolled in kindergarten in 2009/10 who were followed through grade 5, and the 2011 cohort included students enrolled in kindergarten in 2010/11 who were followed through grade 4. The study examined cumulative rates of English learner students' progress toward reclassification as fluent English proficient. The study also examined students' demonstration of grade-level readiness on the New Mexico Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (NMPARCC) standardized academic assessments in English language arts and math in grades 4 and 5. All of the results were also observed through the lens of initial Spanish proficiency in kindergarten to understand differences among groups of English learner students. The main findings were: (1) More than 80¬ percent of English learner students in the 2010 cohort started kindergarten at the lowest English proficiency level, as did half of those in the 2011 cohort; (2) Nearly 83¬ percent of students in the 2010 cohort attained English proficiency by grade 5, and 59¬ percent of students in the 2011 cohort did so by grade 4; (3) Among English learner students with high initial Spanish proficiency, nearly all those in the 2010 cohort were reclassified as fluent English proficient by grade 5, and nearly three-quarters of those in the 2011 cohort were reclassified by grade 4; (4) Among English learner students with low or medium initial Spanish proficiency, roughly a quarter of the 2010 cohort were not reclassified as fluent English proficient by grade 5, and almost half the 2011 cohort were not reclassified by grade 4; (5) Of English learner students who were reclassified as fluent English proficient by grade 4 or 5, fewer than a quarter also demonstrated grade-level readiness in grade 4 or grade 5 English language arts or math on the NMPARCC assessment; (6) Regardless of initial Spanish proficiency, the rates of grade-level readiness were generally low on NMPARCC English language arts and math outcomes in grades 4 and 5. However, students with high initial Spanish proficiency were more likely to demonstrate grade-level readiness than were students in the other Spanish proficiency groups; and (7) Grade-level readiness in English language arts and math among students in the two cohorts who were reclassified as fluent English proficient in grades 4 and 5 was generally lower than statewide averages for all students in the same grades in New Mexico. Most students who were identified as English learner students in kindergarten required a minimum of three to four years of instruction after kindergarten to attain English proficiency. A large percentage of students were not reclassified as fluent English proficient before leaving elementary school. Even when students were reclassified, this milestone did not always translate into grade-level readiness in English language arts and math. Among English learner students who were reclassified as fluent English proficient by grade 4 or 5, only a small percentage demonstrated grade-level readiness in grade 4 or grade 5 English language arts and math. The findings suggest that English learner students with low and medium initial Spanish proficiency will not fare as well in English language arts and math as students with high initial Spanish proficiency. A Spanish proficiency measure could be used as an early indicator to target students with low and medium Spanish proficiency in kindergarten for language and literacy interventions in early grades. [More] Descriptors: Spanish Speaking, English Language Learners, Language Proficiency, Readiness
(2012). Hispanic Student Experiences at a Hispanic-Serving Institution: Strong Voices, Key Message, Journal of Latinos and Education. A symposium at New Mexico State University, a Hispanic-Serving Institution, revealed Hispanic students' attitudes about their experiences at the university. Discussions concerned the campus climate, mentors, the experiences of first-time students, cultural challenges, retention, and accountability. Discussion of the resulting data yields policy recommendations to help address the issues raised. [More] Descriptors: Hispanic American Students, Student Experience, Student Attitudes, Organizational Climate
(2017). Scientific Evidence for the Validity of the New Mexico Kindergarten Observation Tool. REL 2018-281, Regional Educational Laboratory Southwest. The New Mexico Public Education Department developed the Kindergarten Observation Tool (KOT) as a multidimensional observational measure of students' knowledge and skills at kindergarten entry. The primary purpose of the KOT is to inform instruction, so that kindergarten teachers can use the information about their students' knowledge and skills from the KOT to inform their curricular and pedagogical decisions. Stakeholders also are interested in using data from the KOT for other purposes, such as assessing student readiness for school statewide and identifying disparities in students' readiness for school across the state. This study examined the construct validity of the KOT to determine whether data from a field test supported using the KOT to measure six school readiness domains and, if not, what domain structure the data best supported. The study was conducted in response to the New Mexico Prekindergarten Research Alliance's and New Mexico Public Education Department's interest in evidence for the KOT's validity and reliability. The study team conducted exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses to identify the latent constructs that the KOT measured. The analyses identified the sets of items that were most related to one another and that could be used to develop domain scores. The study team also assessed reliability to confirm that items in the identified domains consistently measured the same construct. In addition, the study team applied other psychometric analysis methods to examine item functioning and differential item functioning across student subgroups. These analyses provided evidence of whether the KOT rating categories for each item were ordered correctly and whether there were any potential biases in how teachers rated student subgroups. Finally, the study team examined the proportion of the variation in the KOT's domain scores and item ratings at the classroom level to explore the extent to which domain scores and item ratings provide information about individual student abilities. The study identified valid and reliable approaches for scoring KOT item ratings, although not based on the developer's intended six-domain structure. Additional development and validation work is still needed to assess benchmarks for school readiness, determine whether particular items are biased for student subgroups, and examine the sources of classroom-level variations in scores. [More] Descriptors: Test Validity, Observation, Measures (Individuals), Kindergarten
(2011). Development and the Urban and Rural Geography of Mexican Emigration to the United States, Social Forces. Past research on international migration from Mexico to the United States uses geographically-limited data and analyzes emigrant-sending communities in isolation. Theories supported by this research may not explain urban emigration, and this research does not consider connections between rural and urban Mexico. In this study we use national data from Mexico to investigate rural and urban emigration. We find that a central motivation for emigration–self-insurance through labor market diversification–is most relevant to less rural, non-metropolitan places. Paradoxically, while Mexican cities have the lowest rates of emigration, the rural places that are spatially proximate to cities have the highest rates. These findings suggest that while urban development retains emigrants within city borders, it may generate emigration out of neighboring rural places. [More] Descriptors: Labor Market, Foreign Countries, Immigration, Mexicans