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Do you think the influx of immigrants in the New Mexico schools who are testing and graduating are included in the statistics may be part of the reason New Mexico's numbers are so low?
Not being sarcastic or xenophobic, just wondering if that may be a factor...
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New Mexico is a border state but so are California, Arizona and Texas which had 30-31% reading competently at grade level vs. NM's 21%. While I do not know I am under the impression CA and TX receive a far greater number of immigrants as a percentage of their populations than does NM so the burden on them is likely greater.
I recall speaking with an Albuquerque assistant middle school vice principal 30 years ago. Her school was in a historically low income area, heavily hispanic, but native-born descendants of settlers from Spain during the 16th and 17th centuries, not immigrant hispanic. When I asked her how many of the children in her school came from two parent households she could not name one. Many if not most did not even live with a single parent but with grandparents, an older brother or sister, aunt or uncle. It was a good thing I was sitting down as I was shocked.
Multiple factors are driving the decline IMHO. The breakdown of family is just one. In 1958-1959 I took a HS US history course from a mediocre at best teacher. We were assigned homework in the form of a chapter to read from the textbook. Nothing to write so he would not have to review and grade paperwork. Then in class he would simply read the material we were assigned from the textbook, no Q&A, no discussion. At the beginning of the year he announced it did not matter which political party our parents belonged to as by the end of the school year we would all be _____________(fill in the blank). Midyear he proudly announced that a teachers' union had been formed and he had been an initiator of it.
A huge problem is that children are no long taught the three Rs. That is why test results are so abysmal. Instead, teaching time is spent indoctrinating cultish beliefs into tender young minds - and much worse as we all know.
The quality of many of today's teachers appalls me. They can't read, write or do arithmetic themselves.
Then the social media and illicit drugs play a part. sigh.