NM schools earn national recognition

AS NEW Mexico continues to battle COVID-19, some outstanding education news has come to our state giving us a much needed morale boost. U.S. News and World Report has released its national and state school rankings, and Albuquerque Institute of Math and Science earned several prestigious honors. AIMS@ UNM has earned the No. 1 school ranking in New Mexico for the 10th year in a row.

In addition, the publication ranked AIMS@UNM 23 out of 2,845 national charter schools and, even more astonishingly, 103 out of 24,121 U.S. schools, the top 99th percentile in the country.

Other high-performing N.M. schools also were recognized for their achievements. Cottonwood Classical, Academy for Tech and Classics, Los Alamos High and others scored very high on a national scale.

The transition to online learning during COVID-19 restrictions has been seamless for these and other New Mexico schools, since online instruction has played a critical role in the curriculum for years.

These national rankings prove one undeniable fact: New Mexico kids can learn. In addition, learn at a national level. For years, the focus has been shifted to the unproven issue of testing fairness. Maybe the public should question why some schools and districts perform well and others do not? Why don’t the state education power brokers learn from the successful schools and consider their proven strategies? Obviously, our New Mexico kids can and do score well on these “biased” tests.

New Mexico education, without the pressure of special interest groups, must remain a priority for our children. Schools that have the winning formula should be applauded and emulated. AIMS@UNM has been trying to replicate its successful model in Rio Rancho for over five years but legal appeals and other maneuvers have blocked that from happening. Meanwhile, Rio Rancho kids are the ones who pay the price.

Congratulations to the high-performing New Mexico schools. In the coming days, more schools and more students will hopefully achieve their highest potential.

PETER SPOKUS AIMS communications liaison