New Mexico is a place of great beauty, hope, and optimism. Our students are future leaders for the communities we serve including the 23 Sovereign Nations in our state. While we are consistently ranked last in the nation in education, we are also making tremendous progress in both urban and rural communities. We wholeheartedly believe our students have the power to change this narrative.
Since 2001, Teach For America New Mexico has worked alongside community partners, educators, and our network of more than 250 New Mexico alumni to expand educational opportunities for New Mexico students. With an unwavering belief in New Mexico and its students, our alumni push for educational equity from positions as classroom teachers, school leaders, policy makers, non-profit leaders, and more.
New Mexico is a unique, diverse state, known as the Land of Enchantment. The state is known for its sunshine, big sky, desert landscapes, and snow-capped mountains. We are also famous for our green chile, thriving art scene, and International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta. Native culture remains a vibrant and powerful force in our state, due to the incredible resilience and wisdom of indigenous communities. New Mexico also has the highest Latinx/Hispanic population of any state.
New Mexico’s educational outcomes tend to lag far below national averages. According to the 2022 Annie E Casey Foundation Kids Count Report, New Mexico ranked 49th. In 2018, Yazzie/Martinez v. State of New Mexico challenged the state’s failure to provide students—especially low-income, Native American, English language learner (ELL), and students with disabilities—the programs and services necessary for them to learn and thrive, and challenged the state’s failure to sufficiently fund these programs and services. Our Teach For America New Mexico community is determined to work in partnership to change this reality and support students and families in accessing an excellent and equitable education.
Teach For America New Mexico alumni work at all levels of the education system - teachers, school leaders, system leaders, policy makers - as well as other sectors impacting educational equity.