Albuquerque Reads - Education Reform

Welcome to the Workforce Development Division. The mission of the Workforce Development division is to support a systemic education reform effort, which will result in a world class public education system that supports every child in attaining high expectations, improving the community’s quality of life, economy and workforce.

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT:

• New to the Chamber for the coming year will be a focus on connecting business more closely to the local and state workforce systems and to the institutions delivering training for those systems. Through the Workforce Development Planning Council, the Chamber will engage the business community in the identification of what the training needs are both now and for the future, and in determining the appropriate delivery systems for that training.

• The Chamber will review the recommendations of the Task Force on Higher Education and Workforce Development convened by the Governor relative to workforce training reform and monitor those recommendations as well as advocate on their behalf.
 

•The Chamber will continue to focus on Albuquerque Reads by expanding to three schools. Albuquerque Reads is a partnership with APS designed to provide additional support and guidance to kindergartners who are in their first phase of literacy acquisition. Volunteers read one-on-one with the students who need help in Title One schools. Members and their employees can be a part of it by serving as volunteer tutors, or joining the planning meetings to
help expand to eventually all of the Title One schools within APS. In 2003, The Chamber began the program at Bel Air Elementary with great results and has expanded to Wherry and Atrisco schools in fall of 2004 with plans to expand to all 20 high poverty schools within a seven year time frame.

• The Chamber will continue to monitor continued implementation of HB 212 and the No Child Left Behind Act in New Mexico. House Bill 212 which was passed in the 2003 Legislative Session is aligned with many of the changes suggested in the Chamber's original education reform efforts outlined in our Every Child Report released in June of
2000. We will work with Governor Richardson and NM Secretary of Education Veronica Garcia and their staff to insure that the intent of these bills is implemented based upon the spirit of the law.

• Celebrate and Support Our Community's Diversity by striving to ensure that minority owned businesses share in the business and growth opportunities available to the rest of the community. Address workforce development issues related to the training and employment of minority workers.

Business Community Can Help Make Schools Work

New Mexico Standards Bases Assessments Information:

Beginning February 27, public school students in grades 3-9 and 11^th grade throughout the state will take the New Mexico Standards-Based Assessment. These tests will measure how well they have mastered reading, writing, mathematics and science.

The Public Education Department has designated February 13-17 as “Business Week,” which will be dedicated to getting business leaders out to schools to talk to students about the relevancy to their futures of what they are being taught now.  Students are more motivated when they understand the connections between what they are learning and their future goals.

Chamber member businesses can get involved by:

• Writing letters to the editor/op-eds about the significance of the testing.

• Placing information about the testing in employee newsletters.

• Adopting a school and donating a healthy morning snack during testing.

• Volunteering for speaking opportunities at schools.

For a generic copy of a letter for business newsletters and websites, please click here.  You can also go to the New Mexico Public Education Department website at http://www.ped.state.nm.us/ and click on the NM Standards-Based Assessment logo located on the top left of the page for more information.

Working together we will raise achievement for all of New Mexico's students.

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE WORKFORCE DIVISION:

Up-to-date information about the Chamber's education reform effort and information on the Chamber's $1.2 million capital campaign and read about the Chamber's workforce development initiatives.

The Chamber is involved in Character Counts! and supports the Six Pillars of Character: Trustworthiness, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring, Respect and Citizenship.

The Chamber's partnership with APS to form the Albuquerque Reads program to promote the involvement of the business community to assist kindergarten students with literacy acquisition.

Send us a message!