SANTA FE –The New Mexico Public Education Department (PED) has been awarded a $40 million federal grant to improve literacy outcomes for students in New Mexico, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced Thursday. Here is a statement from the PED:
The Comprehensive Literacy State Development Grant from the U.S. Department of Education will be paid out over a five-year period.
“Research clearly demonstrates that a high-quality, literacy-rich environment beginning in a child's early development is one of the most important factors in determining school readiness, high school graduation, college access and success, workforce readiness and civic engagement,” Gov. Lujan Grisham said. “Literacy skills are vital in supporting critical thinking as well as access to new innovation and technologies,” she said.
The new grant, in conjunction with the current Striving Readers Comprehensive Literacy Grant, will use targeted federal literacy funding for birth through grade 12 in three specific ways: (1) teacher professional development, (2) research-based interventions for struggling students, and (3) a generational approach that promotes family literacy.
The governor established A New Direction for New Mexico Schools outlined in her 11-point plan for improving the state’s educational system with a primary goal of addressing the large achievement gap in reading and math between New Mexico students and their peers nationally.
The plan includes initiatives to expand access to high-quality early care and education, and ensures equal opportunities to prepare every student for success. It also supports the PED in its efforts to address the needs of students identified as at-risk in the Yazzie Martinez court ruling.