Connecting New Mexico Kids

Practical Steps to Create Change in New Mexico Education            As past articles have demonstrated, funding and access to technology in New Mexico schools is often limited, and a large number of students face additional educational barriers due to poverty and marginalization.  Despite these obstacles, there are practical and effective strategies that educators can employ to foster media literacy skills, critical thinking, and responsible digital citizenship among their students. Rio Grande Gorge ~ Photo by Elisabeth Fulton           Some specific steps to accomplish media literacy in these conditions would be as follows: 1.      Integrating media literacy concepts and serious critical thinking into the school’s existing curriculum through literature classes, language classes, philosophy, or other subjects. As Jolls et. al. encourage, “interdisciplinary approaches [to media literacy] are ideal” (16)....

New Mexico has a variety of unique factors and challenges to consider. These include those who do not speak English as their first language, limited access to technology, high numbers of children living in poverty, and the challenges that come with minorities and social identity. L2 Learners            Kimberly Scheerer recommends additional support for Spanish translation services, lobbying for fiscal support for minority and low-income students, and integration of Native American contributions in schools (73) in order to drive student success, especially in STEM subjects.  A large population of New Mexican students are not native English speakers and may require additional assistance, tutoring, and attention (Williams & Severino). Lack of funding in New Mexico public schools makes this difficult to accomplish.  Technology Equity           Monica Brown et.al. argue for technology access equity, especially be...

New Mexico Ranks Number 50 Nationally in Education       The literature concerning the current state of education in New Mexico all agrees overall: the state is failing their kids. A correlating reason for this is the socioeconomic status of many families in the state. The demographics of New Mexico are “unique” according to Scheerer: “As a collective, they consist of under-represented minority students with large numbers living in rural and low socio-economic status families. Hispanic and Native American student and community demographics in the state are higher than most of the U.S.” (64).   View from Sandia Peak ~ Elisabeth Fulton     Amanda Aragon says that New Mexican students face extra challenges, “the result of historic injustice and current economic and family instability.” She quotes data from the Annie E. Casey 2024 KIDS COUNT Data Book, stating that New Mexico ranks 50 out of 50 in education for the 8 th consecutive year. Oakes says that “New M...

Why We Want to Increase Media Literacy in New Mexico Public Schools Taos ~ photo by Elisabeth Fulton New Mexico's education is rated the worst in the country. This is largely due to funding issues in low-income areas of the state. The "Connecting New Mexico Kids" initiative believes that public schools in New Mexico with student populations that are highly diverse and low-income should focus heavily on media literacy in order to foster critical thinkers and increased digital citizenship contributions from minority voices. This proposal will outline a strategy for implementing media literacy education in schools with limited funding and technology access. By focusing on core critical thinking skills and utilizing readily available resources, schools can effectively prepare students to navigate the modern media landscape. Literacy is more than simply the ability to read and write. It includes the ability to communicate across various platforms and in various social situatio...