PEC vote to replicate MAS is great news
More students will now get a better education
In a landmark decision for New Mexico, the Public Education Commission (PEC) voted to support the replication of Mission Achievement Success (MAS) charter school to a second school site. This action creates the opportunity for over a thousand mostly low-income students and families in Albuquerque to attend one of the highest-performing schools in the state. By voting to approve MAS’s replication, the PEC showcased its ability to make a tremendous difference for the state’s students by putting school performance and highquality options for parents and families at the forefront of its mission.
As such, the PEC has begun to establish itself as a true leader in improving public education for all kids in New Mexico.
This is a win for students in Albuquerque. Just spend some time talking to the families of students that attend MAS every day who often transferred their child to the school after learning about its academic prowess. MAS charter currently serves 785 students near the Sunport. The school primarily has students that qualify for free and reduced-price lunch, and the campus has a higher proportion of Hispanic and African-American students than the state and Albuquerque Public Schools. While a student population like this often leads to excuses and lowered expectations across the city and across our state, students at MAS are getting amazing results because the school’s educators accept nothing less. Students at MAS grow academically at rates far beyond that of other schools in the state, and read and do math on par with schools in more affluent communities like the Northeast Heights.
The PEC’s decision creates the opportunity for hundreds of additional students to attend this amazing school, and will lead to a healthier and more prosperous Albuquerque in the years ahead.
Of course, the school’s performance — MAS has earned three “A” grades in a row — and desire to serve more students is reminiscent of another Albuquerque-based charter: Albuquerque Institute of Math and Science (AIMS). This school is the top-performing school in the state according to both U.S. News and World Report and New Mexico’s school grading system. The students of Rio Rancho have been presented with a similar opportunity as those in Albuquerque. We can only hope that justice will prevail for our students so that another transformative opportunity will exist for them to succeed. With the innovation, leadership and performance demonstrated by MAS and AIMS, we are on the cusp of something great for our kids — more high-quality options for students, parents and families in our state’s most populous and most deserving areas.