NM high schoolers excel in Career Technical Education

A school crosswalk sign at an Albuquerque high school on Sept. 7, 2023. (Photo by Anna Padilla for Source New Mexico)

High school students in New Mexico who studied law enforcement, architecture, manufacturing, information technology and other career technical areas showed success in the classroom last year.

For the more than 64,000 New Mexican high schoolers who were part of their local school district’s Career Technical Education programs, 95.7% graduated in 2023.

The overall statewide graduation rate for all students was 76.7%.

Last school year Janelle Taylor Garcia went on several visits to high schools in Gadsden, Bernalillo and Hatch with her boss, Public Education Department Secretary Aresenio Romero.

They observed how millions in new state investments, and changes to graduation requirements, set up a successful path for students participating in career tech classwork that want to enter the workforce right out of high school.

Taylor Garcia described program leaders at various school districts as innovative and hands-on.

“​​ When I toured the (Hatch Valley Public Schools) campus this past semester, I met with Principals, CTE faculty, fiscal and data systems staff members, and learned about exciting educational programming,” she said.

At Hatch Valley Public Schools they saw career technical education – referred shorthandly as CTE – curriculum in classrooms that students can “use immediately” in areas such as agricultural power structures, greenhouse development, animal care and services. The instruction on those areas provided students with realistic hands-on experience at school, Taylor Garcia said.

Bernalillo Public Schools expanded its Innovative Learning Space where students can learn about advanced technology and robotics.

And the Gadsden Independent School District “is actively responding to student requests for CTE Programs of Study,” said Taylor Garcia, the public education spokesperson. The district established a law enforcement program of study based on student request and the demand for those workers in the area.

Taylor Garcia also explained that recent legislative funds and outside grants have assisted in expanding the reach of CTE programs. The New Mexico legislature devoted $40 million in both 2023 and 2024 to CTE programs through general appropriations and the funding has been made available at the local level through statewide grants.

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House Bill 198 in 2023 expanded the reach to include schools funded by the Bureau of Indian Education to accept career technical education grants.

Taylor Garcia said programs vary by school, but the career concentrations that use the most state funding for CTE are architecture, construction, manufacturing, information technology and health sciences.

Other recent CTE funding includes a Careers2Communities grant awarded to the College and Career Readiness Bureau in 2020 and a “new” grant awarded to the department in 2023.

This funding was directed to develop a curriculum that “embeds career exploration into core academic content, especially math courses,” Taylor Garcia said, as well as make CTE resources more accessible to students with disabilities.

House Bill 171 in 2024 also changed the graduation requirements for students entering ninth grade in the 2025-2026 school year. Students will be required to take one unit of a career cluster course, workplace readiness or a language class other than English. A two-unit pathway for students that can include CTE programs will also be required.

Students are considered part of the CTE program if they complete two or more courses in a career cluster program.

Graduation rates were also higher in “at-risk” subgroups of students in a CTE track.

New Mexico is mandated to reform its education models for these students. The Yazzie-Martinez lawsuit, that is the court’s order to the reform, identifies this group as students with disabilities, living in poverty, English learners and Native Americans.

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Graduation rates for these students who are in CTE concentrations were all above 97% in 2023, according to the state.

Going forward, a Career and Technical Education Statewide Advisory Board will launch in August and to unify the different groups already established in the state to support CTE programs, Taylor Garcia said. The board is a collaboration between the Career Technical Leadership Project and the PED’s College and Career Readiness Bureau.

The first meeting is scheduled for Aug. 9 and will include business, industry and education representatives from across the state.

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