Education

The Education Resources Information Center (ERIC), a key repository of education research managed by the U.S. Department of Education, is facing significant operational changes...

New Mexicans seeking to earn their high school equivalency credential will soon be able to do so at no cost, thanks to a new...

Parents in New Mexico are paying more to keep their infant in child care for a year than it costs to send a student to a four-year public university in the state. At $14,000 annually, infant care now runs 86 percent higher than in-state college tuition. For minimum-wage workers, that means spending nearly two-thirds of their entire income on child care for one child. The financial burden is forcing families into difficult choices and leaving many young children without access to early learning experiences that research shows are critical for long-term success. While the state has expanded subsidies and eliminated co-payments for many families, gaps remain for parents working non-traditional hours, those in rural areas, and families with special needs children.

The program has become something of a direct pipeline to the lab. Students learn to use detection equipment, interpret radiation data and apply federal safety standards. Then many of them walk straight into jobs at Los Alamos, one of the few employers in the region offering six-figure salaries to workers without four-year degrees.

Governor Brad Little waited until late February to put his signature on one of the most contentious pieces of legislation to cross his desk in years. House Bill 93, which creates a $50 million tax credit program for families who send their kids to private schools or homeschool them, became law despite thousands of Idahoans flooding his office with opposition. The program offers up to $5,000 per student to cover private school tuition, homeschool curriculum, and other educational expenses. Within hours of Little's signature, a coalition of public school advocates announced plans to challenge the law in court, arguing it violates the state constitution's requirement that Idaho maintain a system of free public schools.