Education Reform
Our Goal is to advocate for education policies and practices that will lead to a direct improvement in the academic achievement of students in public schools and give every child the opportunity to receive a high-quality education that adequately prepares them for success in college, the workforce, and life.
Our Core Beliefs:
- Every child is capable of learning and improving academically, regardless of their background, upbringing, demographics, or disabilities
- The success of New Mexico’s schools should be measured primarily by whether students are learning
- Academic performance is alarmingly low in New Mexico and likely hampered further by the COVID-19 pandemic; prior to the pandemic, just 3 in 10 students read on grade level and 1 in 4 did not graduate from high school.
- Closing persistent achievement gaps and improving the equity of educational opportunities will be required to make long-term academic gains
- Intervening early with struggling students is critical to preventing children from becoming discouraged in later grades and dropping out
- Our schools are the workforce pipeline for New Mexico’s employers; current academic achievement data significantly hurts business recruitment and growth
The Chamber’s Education Reform Policy Planks
- Measure academic achievement in a consistent and transparent way; use data to support struggling students, turn around low-performing schools, and replicate success
- Develop and empower effective school leaders
- Provide more high-quality education options for all students
- Expand access to high-quality early childhood education programs
Progress and Initiatives
Public Charter School Growth
- Assemble a committee of local leaders to work with directors of high-quality charter schools on opening another campus, adding grade levels, or expanding enrollment.
- Maintain bipartisan opposition in the Legislature to charter school enrollment caps and moratoria on new charter schools.
- Work to pass legislation making it easier – and more equitable – for charter schools to lease, buy, or build high-quality school facilities.
Early Childhood Workforce
- Work with state leaders, early childhood practitioners, and our non-profit partners to cultivate a well-prepared and professionalized early childhood education workforce.
Albuquerque Reads Re-Launch
- Lead a successful in-person re-launch of the Chamber’s ABQ Reads program, which provides literacy instruction from volunteer tutors to struggling K-1 readers in APS.
Apprentice Development, Homegrown Workforce
- Explore the possibility of bringing an innovative apprenticeship program to Albuquerque and/or expanding efforts to place young people in the workplace to learn professional skills, with the goals of building a stronger homegrown workforce and providing kids an opportunity to see meaningful career and college pathways.
Emphasize Learning, Dollars in the Classroom
- Support the rigorous measurement of academic progress in order to help struggling students and schools, and focus education dollars in the classroom – particularly COVID relief funding.
MAKING A DIFFERENCE: From sponsors to volunteers, the Chamber honors those helping Albuquerque Reads move the literacy needle
Albuquerque Reads is the Chamber’s decades-long running literacy program, and it takes a village to ensure the program is consistently making strides. For more than ...
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GEARING UP FOR A NEW YEAR: ABQ Reads needs you to join its tutor base for the upcoming school year!
Our Albuquerque Reads kindergarten and first-grade students are celebrating the end of the school year – but it’s never too soon to become a volunteer ...
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LEGISLATIVE ROUNDUP: Spur-of-the-Moment, $500M Tax Increase Rockets Out of Committee
SPUR-OF-THE-MOMENT, $500M TAX INCREASE ROCKETS OUT OF COMMITTEE Say what? Yep, the House Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Committee gave a 7-4 nod of approval ...
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ANOTHER STEP WITH EDUCATION: City enters agreement with UNM to extend campus into Downtown
The Lobos are looking to take the pack Downtown. On Feb. 13, the city of Albuquerque and the University of New Mexico announced a new ...
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BRINGING IN THE MONEY: Chamber hosts UNM president, athletics director, football coach to talk community, economic impact
On Feb. 13, the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce hosted the University of New Mexico luncheon featuring UNM President Garnett S. Stokes, Athletics Director Fernando ...
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LEGISLATIVE ROUNDUP: Public Safety Package Advances to House Floor
PUBLIC SAFETY PACKAGE ADVANCES TO HOUSE FLOOR This afternoon, the House Judiciary Committee voted 6-4 along party lines to advance House Bill 8, referred to ...
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LEGISLATIVE ROUNDUP: New Standards for School Principal Training and Development
LEADERSHIP MATTERS: NEW STANDARDS FOR SCHOOL PRINCIPAL TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT This morning, the House Education Committee gave a unanimous do-pass recommendation to House Bill 157 ...
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CALL TO ACTION: Fidelity Scholars Program needs scholarship-application readers
The Fidelity Scholars Program is in need of scholarship application readers. According to officials, the program is seeking readers to support the program, which is a ...
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BREAKING: New Mexicans back public charter schools in BIG numbers
Over 80% of New Mexico residents believe they need more public-school choices in their community (including 88% of parents!), and nearly three in four residents ...
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FINANCIAL FUTURE: Chamber hosts ‘Business Beat’ with Legislative Finance Committee Director Charles Sallee
The Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce began its “Business Beat” speaker series with a virtual panel on Dec. 2. The event was the first of ...
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Learn more about how we promote educational reform across the state.
Contact the Chamber by email or by phone. We’ll be happy to answer all your questions – and determine whether involvement in our educational reform initiative is of interest to you.
