“These are lessons created by New Mexico teachers for New Mexico students.”
~Mariana D. Padilla
Public Education SecretarySource: N.M. Public Education Department
Photo by Iain Jaramillo
Image: Courtesy Department ofDefenseWar
Cover Photo Caption: Spc. Mario Meraz helps a kindergarten student read at Highland Elementary School in Las Cruces, New Mexico, February 9, 2022. Meraz volunteered to serve as a substitute teacher as part of Task Force Supporting Teachers and Families.
SANTA FE — New Mexico teachers now have free access to classroom-ready lessons and activities created by fellow educators through a new state website.
The New Mexico Public Education Department (PED) launched the New Mexico Open Educational Resources website this week at https://oer.ped.nm.gov/. The platform features lesson plans, classroom activities and multimedia resources aligned to state standards that educators can download, adapt and share at no cost.
“These are lessons created by New Mexico teachers for New Mexico students,” said Public Education Secretary Mariana D. Padilla. “They reflect our state’s unique cultures and meet our students where they are.”
The PED began developing the platform in 2023 as a centralized hub for teacher-vetted instructional materials. The department’s Black Education Act Bureau and the Curriculum and Instruction Division spearheaded the effort in partnership with the Institute for the Study of Knowledge Management in Education.
The site includes lessons from the Indigenous Instructional Scope, Black history curriculum and New Mexico history materials. The PED partnered with New Mexico State University, the New Mexico Historic Women Marker Program, the Sandia Mountain Natural History Center, the Acequias and Land Grant Education Project and museums and cultural entities under the Department of Cultural Affairs to expand available resources.
The platform supports the implementation of the state’s Bilingual Multicultural Education Act, Black Education Act, Hispanic Education Act and Indian Education Act.
Padilla added that the platform fulfills commitments in the Martinez/Yazzie Action Plan. “Every New Mexico student needs access to high-quality, culturally responsive instructional materials,” she said. “This platform helps us meet that obligation.”
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