NEWS RELEASE

 

For Immediate Release:  March 20, 2003

 

 

SDE to Hold Workshops to Gather Input

On Options for High School Reform

 

(Santa Fe, NM)— The New Mexico State Department of Education (SDE) will hold five workshops across the state, beginning on March 29 and ending on May 3, in Albuquerque, Gallup, Las Vegas, Roswell and Las Cruces to gather public input on options for high school reform in New Mexico.  The workshops are sponsored by the SDE’s Career, Technical and Adult Services and Learning Services and Indian Education Divisions.

 

The workshops -- “A Public Workshop to Review High School Reform Efforts and Structuring of Career Pathways in Schools” -- will follow the following schedule:

 

March 29      Albuquerque        Workforce Training Center                        5600 Eaglerock Avenue, NE

April 5           Gallup                 Kennedy Middle School Auditorium          600 S. Boardman Drive

April 12         Las Vegas           New Mexico Highlands University             Ballroom, Baca and 9th Street

April 26         Roswell               Eastern New Mexico University                Occupational Technology Center

                                                                                                                 Roswell Room 124

May 3           Las Cruces          Onate High School                                    6800 NE Main (Highway 70)

                       

The morning session will provide an overview and training on career pathways while the afternoon session will be a public forum on high school reform.  Sandi Mittlesteadt, executive director of the National Career Academy Coalition, will facilitate the morning session, assisting participants with the structuring of career pathways in schools.

 

            The New Mexico State Board of Education (SBE) voted in November 2002 to include $3 million in its legislative package for pilot programs in 2003 of innovative high school curricula and to hold a minimum of four workshops throughout the state on proposed amendments to the Public School Code to change the state’s graduation requirements and require students to prepare a program of study designed around a career pathway.

 

An in-depth description of work in progress and a wealth of new information on the career clusters/pathways initiative supported through the National Association of State Directors for Career and Technical Education Consortium may be accessed at the following website: http://www.careerclusters.org/. The complete workshop schedule may be accessed at: http://164.64.166.11/cilt/info.cdp.html.

 

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