New Mexico, under the current Democratic administration and Democratic controlled legislature, will continue to be the lowest ranking in education in the country, as it has been for decades. (See below) Reforming and promoting school competition at all levels of education would improve school outcomes. Choice between public, charter and private schools must be an option allowing education funds to follow the student in order to meet their needs, particularly for the disadvantaged. 

 

One size fits all education is not working because early education needs to focus on life skills development rather than indoctrinating children with social justice issues that have usurped parents prerogatives in shaping their children's ethical beliefs. We need to look at the best practice models for education currently in this country and examples in foreign countries also. New Mexico needs to appropriate funds or grants for best practice models that ensure students go back to basic education, i.e., mathematics, English, civics and science that will equip them into the next phase of life.

 

Students are leaving schools uneducated and unable to perform reasonable skills. Because we have shifted our focus, we have dumbed down our schools resulting in students not having critical thinking skills. Educational job training programs need to provide advanced wage-earning capabilities. This can be done by redirecting existing funding that are freed up from over-bloated administrative agency costs that prevent much of the appropriated funding from reaching the grass roots targets that it was intended to benefit.