State to get $40 million federal grant for literacy improvement

Money comes from United States Department of Education, which will pay $8M a year over 5 years

New Mexico will receive a $40 million federal grant to improve student literacy, the state Public Education Department announced Friday.

Schools will use the Comprehensive Literacy State Development Grant for intervention programs for struggling students, professional development for teachers and community initiatives that encourage parents to read to their children.

“Research clearly demonstrates that a highquality, literacy-rich environment beginning in a child’s early development is one of the most important factors in determining school readiness, high school graduation, college access and success, workforce readiness and civic engagement,” Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said in a news release. “Literacy skills are vital in supporting critical thinking as well as access to new innovation and technologies.”

The money will come from the U.S. Department of Education, which will pay $8 million a year over five years. The grant will promote literacy from birth to 12th grade.

Any school in the state can apply for a share of the money. The application process will begin in the coming weeks, and the state will start distributing the money in 2020, a spokesman for the state Public Education Department said.

As part of a separate grant, two Santa Fe schools will receive a combined $200,000 to enhance programs that support Native American students, state education officials announced this week.

Amy Biehl Community School will use its share of the Indian Education Initiative grant to continue to collaborate with the Institute of American Indian Arts, which puts artists and storytellers in classrooms. “We’re pretty excited,” Principal Felicia Torres said. “We’re going to strengthen that relationship [with the institute] so that there’s more collaboration.”

Santa Fe High School plans to use the grant to develop its Project Venture program.

In all, the state awarded $800,000 to four school districts as part of the grant, including $150,000 to Vista Grande High School in Taos, which will use the money to create a more inclusive education model that incorporates Native American histories, perspectives, struggles and successes.