New Mexico Changes Approach to Education

Martinez Team: Experienced and Progressive

Governor Martinez and her Secretary designate of Education, Hanna Skandera, appear to be serious about reforms in New Mexico. Skandera recently told the TMS board of education and Superintendent that “change” was coming. The advisory board appointed below represents a cross-section of experienced professionals from outside the state—a necessary corollary to improving New Mexico’s dismal record. For too long, the New Mexico Public Education Department has been filled with failed administrators and political hacks.

Generally speaking, this writer believes in local solutions. But New Mexicans, and certainly Taosenos, seem incapable of coping with contemporary education problems—except for abandoning the public school system all together. Hence the charter schools and local GED programs appear to offer the only real solutions to parents and students desperate for an education. Current school officials, in general, seem as out of touch with students as Hosni Mubarak is with the young people in Egypt.

The recent board election in Taos reflects a consuming passion for politics but not a concern with the education issues—which were rarely, if ever mentioned, during the campaign. As if to underscore the obsession with local politics, the Superintendent immediately recommended hiring an incoming board member’s wife for a semi-meaningless job—tobacco education—with a $25,000 stipend. The lame-duck board rejected the recommendation this last week as “unethical” and left the final decision up to the new board designate. Meanwhile, the TMS board voted to make CRAB Hall, the cursed administration building, available to one of the charter schools—call it a nod toward reality.

Students need teachers who have compassion and a passion for knowledge. And parents should be welcomed, not shunned, by administrators. But board members, regardless of good or ill intentions, have little say so over day-to-day operations due to New Mexico statutes and highly regulated PED environment. Charter, private schools, and GED programs offer a solution for independent students. But the vast majority of kids and parents need the state to step in and remove roadblocks, due to the top-down controls now in place. With rare exceptions the local system continues to stumble over the furniture.

At this point in time, Martinez and Skandera appear to be aware of the problem and are putting their plans into action. If Gov. Martinez and Sec. Skandera could change the education environment in New Mexico for the better, they will have accomplished an achievement far greater than Richardson’s Roadrunner, Spaceport, or new movie industry. Let us support and applaud the “change” that is coming. Skandera told the TMS board that she and Martinez were going to continue to try and find the “changes” that worked.

SANTA FE, NM – New Mexico Public Education Secretary-designate Hanna Skandera today announced the Public Education Department’s Advisory Team, which includes experts from across the country with extensive experience in education policy, management and administrative issues. This team of leaders is charged with making recommendations to Secretary-designate Skandera on short-term and long-term strategies for making the Public Education Department more efficient and effective to better serve New Mexico’s students, schools, teachers and parents.

“Under Governor Martinez’s leadership, the Public Education Department is committed to advancing bold reforms to improve the quality of education for every New Mexican student,” said New Mexico Education Secretary Hanna Skandera. “I’m proud to welcome this team of respected experts to the Public Education Department to serve our staff as we work to accelerate progress in our schools.”

The Public Education Department has contracted with these experts as an alternative to the immediate hiring of many of the Department’s exempt positions, resulting in a cost-savings to the State of New Mexico and more time to recruit exceptional full-time talent.

Public Education Department Advisory Team:

Catherine Freeman, Ph.D., is advising the Department on operational functions and education policy, including management, organizational structure and corresponding budget and legislative issues. Catherine is currently a Senior Associate with HCM Strategists, LLC. Catherine’s vast experience in K-12 education, from the local to the federal level, gives her a wide-angle lens on education issues and a strong footing in both policy research and practice. Before joining HCM, Catherine was Chief of Staff to the State Superintendent of Education for the District of Columbia. She has served in senior roles at the National Academy of Sciences and the U.S. Department of Education, where she was Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education. There she managed the office’s implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act, including its accountability and assessment provisions. Catherine earned a bachelor’s degree from Vanderbilt University, a master’s of education from the University of Texas-Austin, and a doctorate in philosophy from Vanderbilt University, where she currently teaches a course in federal policy development and implementation.

Christy Hovanetz, Ph. D., is advising the Department on a wide range of education reform policy issues, including assessment and accountability initiatives. Christy is currently a Senior Policy Fellow for the Foundation for Excellence in Education. She previously served as the Assistant Commissioner at the Minnesota Department of Education and Assistant Deputy Commissioner at the Florida Department of Education. She has worked in education policy for the state of Florida since 1999, serving as the Director of Evaluation and Reporting, Director of Reading First and a Policy Analyst for former Governor Jeb Bush. She graduated summa cum laude from St. Cloud State University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Education with a minor in mathematics and is a certified teacher in the state of Minnesota. Christy earned her Masters of Public Administration at the University of Minnesota and a Doctor of Philosophy in Public Administration and Policy at The Florida State University.

Jay Pfeiffer is advising the Department on data quality issues, including measures to upgrade and improve New Mexico’s Student-Teacher Accountability Reporting System (STARS). Jay is currently The Program Director of the State Longitudinal Data Program of MPR Associates, Inc. of Berkeley, California. In this role, he has advised and consulted with the Data Quality Campaign, the Aspen Institute, the State Higher Education Executive Officers Organization, several foundations and states. He received the Data Quality Campaign’s only life-time achievement award and is recognized as an expert on the uses of state longitudinal data systems in informing policy and education business applications including planning, designing and implementing data systems, and connecting K12 data, postsecondary education and workforce data. He has more than 30 years of experience in using stat data to support education policy and research. Jay served as the Deputy Commissioner of the Florida Department of Education up until 2009. He also co-chaired the National Education Longitudinal Data Committee of the Council of Chief State School Officers and is a member of the Independent Advisory Panel for the National Assessment of Career and Technical Education.

David Saba is advising the Department on education policy issues relating to teacher effectiveness, certification and licensure. David is the founder of DWSaba Consulting and previously served as Chief Executive Officer of the American Board for Certification of Teacher Excellence (ABCTE). He is directly responsible for dramatically increasing the teacher recruitment efforts at ABCTE, having grown enrollments by more than 300 percent and has seen the organization recruit over 9,500 potential teachers into its rigorous, self-paced online teaching certification program. Before joining ABCTE, David served as the Mid Atlantic Regional Director for Kaplan Test Prep.

Jeff Sellers is advising the Department on a wide range of education policy and data quality issues. Jeff has 30 years of experience working for the state of Florida in a variety of Information System capacities including data management, data warehousing, information security, data base administration and data systems. He served most recently as the Deputy Commissioner in the Florida Department of Education. He was the director Florida’s PK20 Education Data Warehouse; a comprehensive data repository of education data spanning prekindergarten through postsecondary graduate level achievements; providing a seamless data link between Florida’s public PK-12, workforce education, community college and university systems. Jeff has served on multiple boards, advisory committees, and taskforces for regional data centers and national organizations on issues of connecting and using data longitudinally across education sectors and with related agency services.

John Bailey is advising the Department on a wide range of education policy and technology issues. John is currently the Director of Whiteboard Advisors and serves as co-publisher of Education Insider. He most recently served at the White House as part of former President George W. Bush’s Domestic Policy Council, where he was responsible for coordinating education and labor issues. He has also worked on education policy at the state and federal level, as well as with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. He was also an ex-officio member of the U.S. Department of Education’s Commission on the Future of Higher Education in 2006. From 1995 to 2001, as the nation’s second Director of Educational Technology and Pennsylvania’s first Director of Educational Technology, John spearheaded the development of several initiatives to expand online learning and improve the use of technology and data in education.

Terrell Halaska is advising the Department on a wide range of education policy and organizational issues. Terrell is a founder of HCM Strategists, LLC. Terrell previously served as the Assistant Secretary of the Department of Education for Legislation and Congressional Affairs, where she led the team negotiating reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act and the Higher Education Act. Prior to joining the Department of Education during former President George W. Bush’s Administration, she served in the White House as special assistant to the president for domestic policy, advising the president, domestic policy advisor, and other senior staff.

Kristy Campbell is advising the Department on communications, legislative and public engagement strategies. Kristy previously served as the Communications Director for former Governor Jeb Bush’s two non-profit education policy organizations, the Foundation for Excellence in Education, a national 501c3 focused on advancing education reform in states across America, and the Foundation for Florida’s Future, a state-based 501c4 education advocacy group. She was also Press Secretary to Governor Bush, serving as his chief spokeswoman and assisting in overseeing the Bush/Jennings Administration’s public messaging and outreach at 18 state agencies, including the Florida Department of Education. Kristy most recently worked as the communications director for a gubernatorial campaign in Florida.

Chad Colby is advising the Department on education policy, federal compliance and communications issues. Chad is a communications strategist and a veteran of education reform campaigns and implementation. Chad’s experience in education started in the Florida Department of Education at the same time the state adopted Governor Jeb Bush’s “A+ Plan.” The first-of-its-kind plan instituted a school grading system with a strong accountability measures. Later, he joined the U.S. Department of Education where he managed the media affairs office and all events for the Secretary. Chad most recently worked as a communications advisor to a gubernatorial campaign in Florida.

Governor Martinez has made improving education in New Mexico a top priority and is committed to ensuring every student has access to quality schools and teachers. Her “Kids First, New Mexico Wins” plan is comprised of four key initiatives to increase accountability and transparency, set our students up for success by ending social promotion, target our resources where they are needed the most and identify and reward our most effective educators and leaders.

Sometimes a politician means what he or she says–in spite of themselves. I think Martinez is serious. She gives every indication of having a passion for kids and education.

As the poet said,