Affirmative action in college admissions was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, which caused great disappointment among New Mexico’s educators. The beginning of a reversal in the economic progress for diverse students in higher education is signalled by that decision along with the rejection of the student loan forgiveness plan. Despite whatever challenges may be faced, such as the elimination of affirmative action, as committed educators, there is a feeling of being compelled to guarantee that all New Mexico kids have access to a high-quality education.
Numerous studies conducted over the years have shown how important access to higher education is to the economic and social health of the communities. However, New Mexico has consistently received low rankings, placing the state at the bottom of the list for the quality of its education. In fact, New Mexico ranked 50th for education in both the 2023 Kids Count Data Book’s rankings for children’s well-being and the U.S. News & World Report’s 2023 Best States rankings.
Through its College Preparation Programme at the University of New Mexico, the Chicana and Chicano Studies Department has been working to enhance educational outcomes since 2016. To assist high school students from disadvantaged backgrounds in preparing for and succeeding in college, the high school to college pipeline programme was created.
There is an awareness that participants in the college preparation programme graduate from high school at a rate that is much higher than that of their classmates who did not take part in the programme. In contrast to the 75% statewide average, participants’ graduation rates in 2019 were 97%. It expanded the college preparation programme Initiatives for Student-engaged Educational Ecosystems COLLEGE! across the state as a result of this extraordinary success.
