SANTA FE — Dr. Margaret Cage, deputy secretary of special education for the New Mexico Public Education Department’s Office of Special Education, will participate in a working group with the Center for Advancing Policy on Employment for Youth.

CAPE-Youth is a U.S. Department of Labor-funded grant project that seeks to create job opportunities for disabled youth and young adults by helping states with their service delivery and workforce systems.

Cage attended the CAPE-Youth working group’s first in-person meeting in Richmond, Va. from Aug. 14-16.

“The prospect of shaping our state’s and nation’s youth service delivery workforce systems, particularly for students with...

Chancellor delivers branch campus update to New Mexico Interim Indian Affairs Committee


State lawmakers praised the continued growth of The University of  New Mexico-Gallup after the chancellor delivered updates about the branch campus to  the New Mexico Legislature’s Interim Indian Affairs Committee on Aug. 2.

The committee had a three-day meeting in the northwest corner of the state, ending at  UNM-Gallup’s Student Services & Technology Center. This is the second year in a row  that UNM-Gallup has hosted a meeting of the Interim Indian Affairs Committee.

“I’m happy to be hosting your meeting today,” Chancellor Dr. Sabrina Ezzell said. “It’s  really nice to...

'Navajo Highway' is headed to the small screens to preserve Native language

SANTA FE — Navajo puppeteer Pete Sands recently wrapped filming on Navajo Highways, an educational T.V. series that brings the richness of Navajo culture and tradition to young viewers through the use of Navajo-speaking puppets.

The project, supported by a grant from the New Mexico Public Education Department, marks a significant milestone for the Navajo Nation’s ongoing language and cultural preservation efforts.

This premiere project, featuring six captivating episodes, addresses the critical need for the Navajo language to be included in filmed entertainment and media resources.  Navajo Highways will...

SANTA FE — The New Mexico Public Education Department announced the return of the Level Up Reading Challenge for the 2024–25 school year in a July 29 press release. This initiative aims to build on last year’s success, where schools saw significant improvements in students’ reading skills.

The Level Up Reading Challenge inspires K–5 students across New Mexico to develop a love for reading and improve their literacy. Throughout the 2024–2025 challenge, dedicated teachers will use data-driven methods to help students enhance their reading abilities.

Ralph the Reader and Ricky the Roadrunner, the mascots of literacy, will visit schools to promote the challenge. Each month...