Education: New Mexico awarded five federal grants totaling more than $44 million

The funding will support assessment improvements, career exploration and new approaches to teacher recruitment and retention.

Source: N.M. Public Education Department

SANTA FE – The New Mexico Public Education Department (PED) has been awarded five competitive federal grants to strengthen classroom instruction, improve how educators use assessment information, expand career exploration, help schools recruit and retain teachers, and expand high-impact literacy tutoring. 

“These grants will help us give educators clearer information about student learning, expand effective reading tutoring, connect students with career possibilities and create more ways for talented New Mexicans to teach in their own communities,” said Public Education Secretary Mariana D. Padilla. “Together, these efforts will help more students see a path from what they learn in school to the futures they want to build.”

Connecting career exploration to the workforce
Grant amount: $8,956,520.00
Grant award period: Oct. 1, 2026 – Sept. 30, 2029

From Early Exploration to the Workplace, a three-year career pathways initiative led by the PED in partnership with the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions, will expand career exploration for students in grades 6–12.

The initiative will connect classroom learning with current labor market information and opportunities to explore careers. It will include a 150-lesson career exploration curriculum for middle school students, individualized academic and career planning, career-connected learning and expanded access to work-based learning. Students will be able to explore their interests earlier and consider how their coursework connects to education and employment after high school.

Expanding educator pathways in rural communities
Grant amount: $8,832,285.00
Grant award period: Oct. 1, 2026 – Sept. 30, 2031

A grant through the U.S. Department of Education’s Teacher Quality Partnership program will support New Mexico Pathways and Talent Hub for Schools (NM-PATHs), a five-year initiative focused on teacher shortages in rural and tribal communities and small school districts.

NM-PATHs will establish a statewide Rural Preparation Hub to connect higher education programs and school districts. The hub will expand access to virtual and hybrid coursework, yearlong co-teaching experiences and mentorship. Through local recruitment efforts, candidates will be able to work as pre-apprentices, Educator Fellows or Teacher Apprentices while preparing to become teachers. The initiative builds on New Mexico’s investments in teacher residencies, registered apprenticeships and educator workforce development.

Expanding strategic staffing and rewarding teacher leaders
Grant amount: $12,451,889.00
Grant award period: Oct. 1, 2026 – Sept. 30, 2029

A grant through the U.S. Department of Education’s Teacher and School Leader Incentive Program will support New Mexico’s Aspiring to Rewarding Careers (NM ARC) initiative. The three-year project will help high-need schools address teacher shortages through strategic staffing and performance-based compensation.

NM ARC gives New Mexico’s most experienced and effective teachers new opportunities to lead and support teams of teachers while continuing to teach students themselves. This approach will support strong teachers to share their expertise, mentor newer teachers and work alongside their colleagues to strengthen classroom instruction. By bringing teachers together to learn from one another, more students will benefit from high-quality teaching, new teachers will receive the support they need to succeed and schools will be better equipped to improve student learning. The initiative builds on New Mexico’s existing efforts to recruit, prepare and support teachers through teacher residencies, apprenticeships and the Educator Fellows program.

Literacy Expansion Through Accelerated Rural Networks: Building Reading Success with High-Impact Tutoring in a Rural State (Project LEARN)
Grant amount: $9,986,328.00
Grant award period: Aug. 1, 2026 – July 31, 2029

A grant through the U.S. Department of Education’s Education Innovation and Research Program will support New Mexico’s Project LEARN initiative. The three-year, nearly $10 million project will expand high-impact literacy tutoring, with a focus on rural communities and students who need additional reading support.

Project LEARN will build on New Mexico’s Summer Reading Program and broader investment in high-impact tutoring by expanding evidence-based literacy support during the school year. The initiative is expected to improve reading outcomes for thousands of students while strengthening a statewide tutoring system that gives rural schools greater access to consistent, high-quality intervention.

Building a more connected assessment system
Grant amount: $3,998,995.00
Grant award period: Oct. 1, 2026 – Sept. 30, 2030

A grant through the U.S. Department of Education’s Competitive Grants for State Assessments program will support the PED’s Integrated Learning, Instruction, Assessment and Decision Making (ILIAD) initiative.

ILIAD will better connect curriculum, instruction and assessment by bringing together information from multiple assessments that are connected through common proficiency scales and learning progressions. This work will give educators a clearer picture of what students know and where they need support.