School leaders, educators, and community members are keenly aware that New Mexico has consistently ranked last in the nation in education, childhood poverty rate, and access to appropriate individualized educational support for children (Bobroff, 2019; Martinez, 2021; Rodriguez, 2019; Sanchez & Martinez, 2019). Now is the time to address the…

Industry certification and apprenticeship programs are vital in closing the labor shortage gap while improving graduation rates nationwide. New Mexico has trailed behind the rest of the nation in rebalancing the emphasis on skilled trades, particularly in rural schools. This phenomenological study interviewed ten Career and Technical Education…

Principals of low-performing schools in northern New Mexico lack adequate professional development to improve student outcomes. Exploration of experiences in the professional development program, Principals Pursuing Excellence, studied the lived phenomena of 12 rural northeastern turnaround school leaders through the conceptual framework of…

This technical appendix provides additional information about the sample, data, and estimation strategy used for a series of American Educator Panels (AEP) Data Notes published by the RAND Corporation in 2019. The Data Note series is intended to provide brief but incisive analyses of teacher and school leader survey results that may be of…

Much has been written regarding the dire educational state of most schools in rural America. This case study profiles two elementary school principals (preK-6) in rural New Mexico whose schools achieved adequate yearly progress (AYP) for the 2009-10 school year. The focus of this study centered on specific characteristics of the school cultures…

The present study was designed to examine factors that led to the academic success of two rural secondary schools in New Mexico. The primary focus was on the characteristics and behaviors of leaders in two high-achieving rural schools and how these factors might have contributed to achievement of Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in school year…

This paper examines the knowledge and acceptance level of special and general education teachers and administrators regarding inclusive education within the rural and diverse state of New Mexico. While inclusive education of disabled students has gained widespread support, little attention has been paid to program implementation within a rural and…

Two surveys were conducted to determine perceptions of administrators and teachers regarding the impact of Public Law 94-142 on programs for severely handicapped children in New Mexico's small, rural school districts. One year after the infusion of federal funding, 55 percent of the respondents perceived no improvement in the level of services.…

A New Mexico study interviewed 1 special education teacher and 1 administrator from each of 17 small rural school districts, via a 65-item interview guide related to staff development needs. Lack of staff development activities was identified as a critical problem for special educators. Training in instructional technology was the most frequently…

The report addresses characteristics and concerns of New Mexico's 19 smallest school districts with a 1981-82 average daily membership ranging from 262 to 60 students. Information was gathered from a Public School Finance Division questionnaire sent to the 19 superintendents; from a December 1981 meeting with 10 of the smallest districts; from…