SENATE JOINT MEMORIAL 23

49th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2010

INTRODUCED BY

Cynthia Nava

FOR THE LEGISLATIVE EDUCATION STUDY COMMITTEE

A JOINT MEMORIAL

REQUESTING STATE AND LOCAL PUBLIC EDUCATION-RELATED AGENCIES AND INSTITUTIONS TO COOPERATE WITH PRIVATE INDUSTRY AND PHILANTHROPIC ORGANIZATIONS TO STUDY THE FORMATION OF A CONSORTIUM TO CONDUCT EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH TO SUPPORT SCHOOL REFORM.

     WHEREAS, beginning in the 1990s, legislation at the state and federal levels has focused major attention and millions of dollars in resources on achieving a vision of improved student academic success in the public schools through systemic changes; and

     WHEREAS, in New Mexico, these changes have included expanding the availability of high quality preschool and full-day kindergarten; restructuring the teacher licensure system; reconfiguring public school governance at the state and local levels; fostering growth in the number of charter schools; introducing stringent assessment and accountability systems; increasing high school graduation requirements; and aligning high school standards with the expectations of college and careers; and

     WHEREAS, New Mexico has been recognized for setting high academic standards in mathematics, science and language arts and measuring achievement of those standards by an assessment and accountability system, the rigor of which is shown to be well-aligned with the national assessment of educational progress; and

     WHEREAS, the legislature has also mandated the creation of an accountability system for colleges of education in order to benchmark the performance of teacher preparation programs, the primary juncture between public schools and higher education in the educational pipeline; and

     WHEREAS, since 2005, the legislature has appropriated fourteen million seven hundred thousand dollars ($14,700,000) to the public education department to develop the student teacher accountability reporting system, and the state is now moving forward to create a pre-kindergarten through post-secondary data system that will provide a rich information resource for educational research; and

     WHEREAS, these changes have all been aimed at ensuring that the state provides a uniform system of free public schools sufficient for the education of all of the students of the state as required by the constitution of New Mexico; and

     WHEREAS, New Mexico faces particular challenges in providing equal educational opportunity to all students, including many who are from households that are non-English speaking, highly mobile, low-income, headed by single or teen parents, very rural or inner-city urban and who are from other situations that may create barriers to educational success; and

     WHEREAS, in the face of these challenges, New Mexico students achieved improvements in performance, including growth in proficiency in mathematics on the national assessment of educational progress between 1992 and 2009 of fourteen percentage points in fourth grade and ten percentage points in eighth grade; and

     WHEREAS, New Mexico students as a group have also achieved improved rates of proficiency on state standards-based assessments between 2005 and 2009 of eleven percentage points in math, five percentage points in reading and six percentage points in science; and

     WHEREAS, despite meaningful advances, achievement gaps among ethnic groups persist, high school graduation rates in New Mexico are among the lowest in the nation and many schools struggle to improve student achievement and maintain improvements over time; and

     WHEREAS, while there is a growing national body of educational research demonstrating effective strategies for improving student achievement, there is still little science on which to base the broader effort to effect permanent, system-wide school reform; and

     WHEREAS, fostering systemic change that produces consistently excellent public schools statewide, serving engaged and high-achieving students, may require a multi-disciplinary effort supported by a wide range of researchers and resources;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the office of education accountability, the public education department and the higher education department be requested to cooperate with local and national research entities, public school districts and charter schools, institutions of higher education, public school teachers and higher education faculty, business and industry groups and philanthropic organizations to study the need for and feasibility of forming a consortium, including potential partners such as local and national research institutes, federal and state agencies and institutes, philanthropies, industry groups and educators in the field, which will conduct educational research to support long-term school reform; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the office of education accountability provide a report of findings and recommendations to the legislative education study committee and the governor by November 15, 2010; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the director of the office of education accountability, the secretary of public education, the secretary of higher education and the director of the legislative education study committee.

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