New Mexico
New Mexico Receives Federal Grant For Statewide Teacher Residencies
The grant, part of the U.S. Department of Education’s (ED) Education Innovation and Research Program, will provide much-needed research, infrastructure and implementation support for NM Residencies.
NM Residencies has three primary goals:
Strengthen the teacher recruitment and selection processes to attract, prepare and retain a strong teaching force that reflects the state’s student population.
Build consistency across residencies to ensure equitable access to well-prepared teachers.
Create sustainable funding streams with competitive wages so paid residencies can grow and become the norm in New Mexico.
Studies of teacher residency programs consistently point to the high retention rates of their graduates, showing 80% to 90% of graduates remaining in the same district after three years and 70% to 80% remaining in the same district after five years.[1]
By increasing the number of qualified teachers in the educator workforce and providing existing educators with aspiring teachers to help share classroom responsibilities, NM Residencies also contributes to the NMPED’s goal of reducing classroom sizes and teacher workloads.
“Having aspiring teachers observe and assist experienced teachers benefits everyone in the education process,” said New Mexico Public Education Secretary Arsenio Romero. “We are grateful for the opportunity to advance this program and further develop a coherent, high-quality teacher preparation system.”
NMPED is one of only three mid-phase grantees in the nation awarded under the ED’s Educator Recruitment and Retention priority.
The grant, which is housed in the NMPED’s Educator Quality and Ethics Division, will develop open-source resources to be shared nationally. In addition, Basis Policy Research will conduct an external evaluation, the findings of which will be disseminated widely.
“New Mexico is a national leader in supporting shifts in the teacher preparation ecosystem so that people can afford to attend high-quality teacher residencies. These federal grants are highly competitive; this award recognizes the quality and potential of NM Residencies to inform the field more broadly,” said Karen DeMoss, Executive Director of Prepared To Teach, a national organization working to make paid residencies the norm for teacher preparation and a collaborator on the NM Residencies project.
The NM Residencies program and the NMPED’s collaboration with the ED are part of Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s ongoing efforts to increase teacher recruitment and retention across New Mexico.
Legislative funding signed by the governor in 2022 provided stipends of $35,000 for aspiring teachers in state-approved residencies to address the cost-barrier that many aspiring teachers faced when choosing a preparation pathway. As a result, enrollment in teacher residencies is growing. Over half the districts in New Mexico have hosted residents, and 92% of residents graduate on time. Two-thirds of residents also identify as persons of color, compared to 46% of the state’s current teachers.
The contents of this press release were developed under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, Education Innovation and Research (EIR) Program. However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the federal government. Total project costs over the 5-year grant period, including stipends for more than 2200 residents, are estimated at $68,525,450. Federal funding of $7,772,426 will cover 13% of these total costs; the remaining 87% of costs totaling $60,753,024 are anticipated to be covered through state and local dollars.
[1] New findings on the retention of novice teachers from teaching residency programs (ed.gov)
Research Report: The Teacher Residency: An Innovative Model for Preparing Teachers (learningpolicyinstitute.org)
When a famly unexpectedly loses a loved one, or has someone go missing, the details of what comes next can be overwhelming.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – When a famly unexpectedly loses a loved one, or has someone go missing, the details of what comes next can be overwhelming.
But they don’t have to do it alone thanks to an organization helping New Mexico families with some of those burdens.
Watch the video above for more.
New Mexico state lawmakers held the first meeting of their Epstein “Truth Commission” on Monday, launching a formal investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s Zorro Ranch and its potential use for criminal activity, human trafficking, and sexual abuse.
The four-person commission’s meeting lasted less than an hour but served as an opportunity for lawmakers to outline their plan and goals — and for Epstein survivors to have their voices heard.
RELATED STORY | New Mexico AG calls on Epstein survivors to come forward amid Zorro Ranch investigation
The only known Epstein survivor living in New Mexico, identified only as Rachel, spoke about her experiences. Lawmakers also heard from the family of the late Virginia Roberts Giuffre, an Epstein victim who died by suicide in April of last year. Giuffre’s brother and sister-in-law told the commission that Giuffre had repeatedly described being abused at Zorro Ranch, and that she paid the price for systems that for so long did not believe survivors.
“Virginia was not only abused by Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell,” Giuffre’s brother Sky Roberts said. “She was trafficked to extremely wealthy, powerful and dangerous individuals. Some of that trafficking happened right here in New Mexico at Zorro Ranch. That is not speculation. That is not rumor. That is testimony. And New Mexico now stands at crossroads. This state can either repeat the failures we have already witnessed across institutions and protected power over people. Or New Mexico can lead.”
Federal investigations into Epstein were conducted in Florida and New York, but no federal probe was launched in New Mexico. Giuffre’s family addressed that gap directly, expressing hope that a meaningful separation between state and federal government could benefit survivors. They said that when an Epstein survivor feels the federal government has wronged them, the state government should be able to step in and conduct its own investigation — and they hope something meaningful can come from this probe.
The commission left Monday’s meeting with 14 subpoenas. The subpoenas are not directed at specific individuals but target the Epstein Estate, as well as banks and other entities tied to Epstein or related investigations.
State Rep. Andrea Reeb, one of the lawmakers on the commission, told Scripps News there is a possibility they will need more resources before a final report can be completed. The commission faces a deadline of July 31 to produce an interim report, with a final report scheduled for later this year.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT | Epstein’s former New Mexico ranch searched in criminal investigation
Reeb said she is prepared to name names if she believes someone is involved, and that the commission is prepared to refer additional survivors to the Department of Justice at any time they come forward, in case they want to pursue legal action. The commission also said it will issue formal referrals to the state of New Mexico, Florida, New York, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and other relevant international jurisdictions.
The commission said it is also prepared to make full legislative recommendations. At the time Epstein lived in New Mexico, he was not required to register as a convicted sex offender — and that law remains on the books today. The commission believes targeted changes to that law could make a significant difference.
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