DEAP Charter in Navajo, NM Empowers Local Community

In my last post, I shared about the work being done by educators at Dream Diné, a charter working to serve its primarily Native American community on the Navajo reservation in Shiprock, New Mexico.

This week, I spoke with Kayla Begay, a co-founder of DZIŁDITŁ'OOÍ (DEAP), a charter focused on empowering Navajo youth, supporting traditional connection to the land, and providing the community of Navajo, NM voice and choice in their children’s education.

“The desire for the school really started in the community. There were a group of local officials and elders who were dissatisfied with the education options that exist…even though there is school choice in the district, there are not a lot of schools that give us local control,” Kayla explained.

It was out of this desire for a more locally controlled school that the concept for DEAP was born. In 2012, the Gallup-based district that controls the schools in Navajo moved to consolidate the three schools in town. Though the community eventually defeated the plan, for many the district’s actions trivialized the role of local schools. They felt that they needed options.

“The school districts still has that looming over us that consolidation could be an option.“ Kayla said. In response, she and a core group of concerned educators and community members began to seek their own options for more community-responsive schooling options in their community.

More on DEAP and creating school choice in Navajo, NM later this week…for now check out the DEAP website at http://www.deapschool.org/.

Some 2015 Resolutions for New Mexico Education

The New Year is a time for reflection, for change, and for a fresh start. While the state may be mid-way through a school year, calendar year 2015 still represents an opportunity for educators, administrators, and policymakers to rededicate themselves to making meaningful change that will help students learn and grow.

So, to help make educational inequity Auld Lang Syne, Here are a few of the vital resolutions for New Mexico Education in 2015:

Hone and Improve the NMTeach Evaluation System. 2014 was a rough year for NMTeach, with criticism (much of it valid) coming from teachers, district leaders, and union officials. With flux in standards and testing and difficulties with data reporting from districts across the state, NMTeach has a ways to go before it becomes an excellent tool for measurement and for teacher growth. With that said, abandoning the idea of evaluations or stepping backward to evals without data are not options. NMPED must listen to all voices on this issue, especially those of teachers, but also remain committed to developing meaningful systems for evaluating teacher success.

FULL Implementation of CCSS. Last year's NMSBA state test was supposed to bring a full evaluation of students on the Common Core Standards. Instead, it merely integrated CCSS while retaining characteristics of the old test and NM state standards. This sent mixed messages to teachers about which standards they should really be teaching. With the advent of PARCC in the state this year, there should be no doubt about the test's alignment. In addition, district and school leaders must commit to the CCSS framework holistically - helping teachers to implement performance and research tasks as opposed to drilling with multiple choice questions. While my district spends a great deal of money and time on short-cycle assessments, little to nothing is put toward helping teachers develop cooperative learning strategies or Common Core-Aligned performance tasks. Let's embrace the rigor and foundation of CCSS, not just its assessments.

Do More for Students of Color and English Language Learners, Disproportionately Attending the State's Poorest Schools. 2014 saw three NM school districts actually sue the state over a lack of funding for their students. The state's education apparatus will need to redistribute funds more equitably or provide more inputs if they expect more achievement outputs. Cash is especially needed for school investments in technology, which low-income students have less access to at home. As a teacher in Gallup, we see this funding deficiency show up in a medley of ways - poor school transportation infrastructure and not enough bus drivers, lack of school resources such as copies, student supply shortages, Professional Development, etc. It is heartbreaking to see students who would like to participate in extracurriculars after school but are unable to without a ride home.

Retain teachers in numbers and of quality. While this is much wider than just a New Mexico issue, there is an epidemic of teachers departing the profession, especially those in their first five years. New Mexico is taking several steps to help alleviate this problem, including a merit pay pilot and a proposal to pay new educators more as they begin careers in NM schools. Ideas are not enough - these concepts will need to be refined and change as they are put into place.

Here's to a great 2015 with the great students of New Mexico.