State of New Mexico hosts Semi-Annual Spring Government-to-Government Indian Education Summit
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CONTACT:
ECECD Contact: Micah McCoy
micah.mccoy@ececd.nm.gov
PED Contact: Dr. Janelle Garcia
janelle.garcia@ped.nm.gov
HED Contact: Tripp Stelnicki
tripp.stelnicki@hed.nm.gov
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 18, 2024
State of New Mexico hosts Semi-Annual Spring Government-to-Government Indian Education Summit
FARMINGTON – On Monday, July 17, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and state education leadership joined leaders from New Mexico’s Pueblos, Tribes, and Nations for the Semi-Annual Government-to-Government (G2G) meeting at Navajo Preparatory School in Farmington, NM. Attendees from the State of New Mexico included Early Childhood Education Department (ECECD) Cabinet Secretary Elizabeth Groginsky, Public Education Department (PED) Cabinet Secretary Dr. Arsenio Romero, and Higher Education Department (HED) Cabinet Secretary Stephanie Rodriguez – along with Workforce Solutions Department Cabinet Secretary Sarita Nair and Indian Affairs Cabinet Secretary Josett Monette.
The meeting included a presentation by Navajo Preparatory School and Santa Fe Indian School, highlighting best practices for supporting Native American students and families and a series of breakout groups consisting of Tribal leaders, superintendents, and other education leaders, focusing on identifying strategies spanning from cradle-to-career for improving outcomes for Native American students.
“Improving educational and health outcomes for New Mexicans — cradle to career — is a top priority of our administration.” said Secretary Groginsky. “These face-to-face conversations are invaluable for building relationships and ensuring that ECECD is aligned with the priorities and goals of the Pueblos, Tribes, and Nations. These relationships are coming to fruition, with ECECD investing more than 5.5 million dollars in FY25 to renovate and improve early education facilities in nine Tribal communities and provide NM PreK for six Tribal communities.”
"It is vital to the Public Education Department to listen to our Tribal leaders, superintendents, and other educational leaders about what is working and what is not working for Native American Students,” said Secretary Romero . “G2G is the place where we identify strategies that will lead to better outcomes for our Native American students from cradle to careers.”
“Hundreds more Native American students are graduating from colleges and universities each year,” said Secretary Rodriguez . “And as a department we have more than doubled the number of Native American students receiving free college tuition all throughout New Mexico in only one year. The New Mexico Higher Education Department is firmly and foundationally committed to helping more Native American students not only access higher education but get exactly what they want out of it — without the burdens of debt. These government-to-government relationships are crucial to strengthening the educational pathways we have built together, and I am grateful to tribal leadership for their contributions to these important conversations.”
Breakout discussions among Tribal leaders covered a diverse array of topics, including:
What efforts have been successful in ensuring grade level proficiency and graduation among Native American Students
Strategies for improving reading and language proficiency rates among Native American students
Strategies for supporting culturally and linguistically relevant learning experiences
Ways of administering funding at the student-level to ensure Native American students are benefiting from these investments.
Courtesy photos from the Semi-Annual Spring G2G Summit are available for use and publication at: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1eDDQzmJGocl9iNesKIcomZJq_d426Oxm?usp=sharing
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Since 2003 the New Mexico Indian Affairs Department (IAD) has implemented groundbreaking state-tribal policies intended to improve the quality of life for the state's Native citizens. Our initiatives are designed to strengthen Tribal and state relations and address the challenges we face in our communities: economic development, infrastructure improvement, the protection of our cultures and languages, health care accessibility, and educational opportunities for our most precious resource— our children. Learn more at www.iad.state.nm.us .
Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham launched the New Mexico Early Childhood Education and Care Department ( ECECD ) in 2020, making New Mexico among the first states to consolidate all early childhood programs and services under a single cabinet-level agency. Under this administration, ECECD has led the nation by expanding access to free New Mexico PreK, overseeing the largest investment in early childhood infrastructure in state history, and implementing cost-free child care for a majority of New Mexico families. Learn more about how ECECD supports children, families, and the early childhood professionals that serve our communities at nmececd.org . On Facebook , Twitter , and Instagram as @NewMexicoECECD.
The New Mexico Public Education Department partners with educators, communities and families to ensure that all students are healthy, secure in their identity and holistically prepared for college, career and life. Currently, the NMPED serves more than 317,000 students in 187 districts and charter schools. Find an abundance of resources for administrators, educators, families and students at New Mexico Public Education Department (state.nm.us) or follow the NMPED on Facebook and Instagram .
The New Mexico Higher Education Department was established in 2005 and oversees the state’s public and Tribal colleges, universities, and special schools. It also oversees adult education and literacy programs statewide, manages state-funded financial aid programs and capital projects for higher education institutions, provides college readiness services via the GEAR UP program, and grants state authorization to…