nm access inventory final 10-15-12 (1)

New Mexico College Access Inventory

Prepared by:

Elizabeth Morgan, NCAN

Meriah E. Heredia Griego, Graduate Research Assistant

Amil Guzman, Graduate Research Assistant

September 30, 2012

http://www.collegenm.org/index.html

2 New Mexico College Access Inventory

This report was produced with funding from the Kresge Foundation for

the benefit of the New Mexico College Access Network.


Table of Contents

Page

Executive Summary 4

New Mexico State Profile 7

New Mexico Access Provider Survey Results 21

New Mexico Stakeholder Interview Summary 38

Recommendations 52


Executive Summary

With numerous public colleges and universities and generous state-supported financial aid, New

Mexicans are fortunate to have many affordable higher education options. New Mexico lags the

national average, however, when it comes to the percentage of residents who have completed a

postsecondary credential. Thirty-one percent of New Mexicans ages 25 and older hold at least an

associate’s degree, compared to 36 percent for the U.S. By 2018, 58 percent of New Mexico’s jobs

will require postsecondary education, so the state faces a significant workforce shortage if

postsecondary attainment rates do not increase. What can New Mexico do to better understand the

lag in postsecondary attainment and make changes that will lead to higher graduation rates?

In March 2012, the National College Access Network (NCAN) undertook a review of postsecondary

education attainment in New Mexico on behalf of the College Success Network of New Mexico

(known as New Mexico College Access Network). This report consists of three parts: (1) a review of

data of New Mexico’s population and educational attainment in comparison to the nation as a

whole, (2) a statewide survey of college access and success program activity, and (3) a summary of

stakeholder interviews. Based on this information, the final section includes a list of

recommendations for consideration by the New Mexico College Access Network (New Mexico CAN)

and others in the state.

National and State Data Comparison

Key data points from the comparison research include the following:

New Mexico ranks third in the United States for state support for higher education per

$1,000 of personal income.

New Mexico has a relatively high college continuation rate of 68 percent compared to the

national average of 63 percent. This statistic measures the rate at which students enter

college immediately after high school graduation. However, New Mexico’s relatively low

high school graduation rate (57 percent versus the national average of 72 percent)

significantly reduces the number of New Mexicans who enter higher education.

New Mexico has a higher than average proportion of its population that has started higher

education but not completed it (25 percent in New Mexico compared to 21 percent across

the U.S.).

At two-year public colleges, New Mexico’s graduation rates are lower than the national

average for Whites, Asians, and Hispanics, but exceed the national average for Blacks and

American Indians.1

1 This report uses the racial/ethnic categories defined by the U.S. Census Bureau, unless the specific reference

cited uses other terminology.


College graduation rates in New Mexico are significantly lower than the national average for

public institutions, especially for four-year schools. The national average graduation rate for

public four-year institutions is 56 percent, compared to New Mexico’s 41 percent.

Although New Mexico’s high school proficiency rates vary widely by race and ethnicity,

graduation rates at four-year public institutions in New Mexico are significantly lower than

the national average for every racial/ethnic group.

New Mexico College Access Program Survey

Key findings from an electronic survey of 48 organizations providing many college access and

success programs and services in New Mexico include the following:

67 percent of respondents are very small organizations with annual budgets under

$500,000.

70 percent of respondents serve fewer than 500 students per year.

The program goal listed most frequently by respondents was high school retention/dropout

prevention.

The number-one challenge listed by respondents was fundraising.

Only 21 percent of respondents use college completion as an evaluation metric.

Only 4 percent listed “training” as a program challenge, but 71 percent listed professional

development as the top service the New Mexico College Access Network could provide.

Key Stakeholder Interviews

Key findings from the interviews of 16 stakeholders (state education leadership, policy-makers,

program administrators, and direct service providers in secondary and post-secondary education)

include the following:

Many stakeholders frequently raised the barriers poverty poses to educational attainment

and some said that poverty shouldn’t be an excuse for not striving for excellence. The

practitioners who work closely with students and families emphasized the need to support

students and families in all aspects of their lives to improve education outcomes.

Several stakeholders recognized that New Mexico has a high level of college access but faced

challenges in retaining and graduating students. Participants discussed how the low

persistence rate was highly correlated to the need for academic remediation of students.

Additional factors included lack of student supports in higher education, lack of alignment

between K-12 and higher education curricula, and inflexibility of state-based financial aid.


Stakeholders said they rely on supportive relationships they have established across the

state and across institutions to help students and families. They prefer to refer students and

families to individuals they know personally and have a track record of supporting them

with care and compassion.

Recommendations

Key recommendations to improve college access and success based on this research include the

following:

Improve retention and completion rates at New Mexico’s public institutions, particularly at

four-year colleges and universities.

Encourage adults with “some college, no degree” to complete. New Mexico has a relatively

high percentage of adults ages 25 and older in this category.

Amend the Lottery Scholarship program to (1) be more flexible in its eligibility

requirements to meet the needs of low-income students, and/or (2) focus more resources

on students with financial need.

Build on the relative success in graduating Black and American Indian students from New

Mexico’s two-year public institutions.

Help public higher education institutions to align their college readiness expectations with

their feeder public high schools and districts.

Advocate for and support increased use of student outcome data to guide development of

better services for students.

Identify and promote models for improved remedial education.

Promote dual enrollment and early-college high schools to increase success for low-income

students.

Protect New Mexico’s college affordability.

Raise expectations about education outcomes for poor students.

Explore the need for some potential college access network services more thoroughly,

including professional development, fundraising, and collaboration/coordination across the

state.


New Mexico State Profile: Demographics, Educational

Attainment, and Workforce Projections

Examining the population, education, and workforce trends of New Mexico in comparison to the

United States shows how New Mexico differs from the national average and what implications that

has for the state. The U.S. Census Bureau-estimated population for New Mexico in 2011 was

2,082,224, which is less than one percent (.67 percent ) of the total U.S. population of 311,591,9172.

An Aging Population

The age range of New Mexico’s population is an important factor in the education and workforce

pipeline. Figure 1 indicates the age distribution of New Mexico’s population in comparison to the

rest of the nation. New Mexico’s population mirrors that of the rest of the nation at various stages of

the distribution, but the state has a slightly lower percentage of its population in the 25 to 44 range

(25 percent versus 26.5 percent) and a slightly higher percentage of adults age 60 to 74 (13.7

percent versus 12.6 percent) relative to U.S. population.

Figure 1: Age Distribution in New Mexico and the U.S.3

Knowing the current status of the population is beneficial, and looking at the future trends for the

population can be even more helpful. Between 2000 and 2030, New Mexico’s population is

expected to grow 15 percent, far below the national average of 29 percent.4 Figure 2 indicates the

age of the projected population for New Mexico and the nation. In 2030, New Mexico is expected to

continue to have a lower percentage of adults age 20 to 44 than the national average (26.2 percent

versus 31.6 percent) and a higher percentage of adults age 60 and older (32.5 percent versus 25.1

percent). 2 U.S. Census Bureau, State and County QuickFacts, 2010. http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/35000.html

3 U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (2010).

4 U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division, Interim State Population Projections, 2005. Internet Release Date: April

21, 2005. Table 1: http://www.census.gov/population/www/projections/projectionsagesex.html

http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/35000.html

http://www.census.gov/population/www/projections/projectionsagesex.html


Figure 2: Projected Percent of Population in Each Age Bracket, New Mexico and U.S., 20305

Figure 3 provides a more detailed view of how New Mexico’s population is aging. By 2030, the state

will have a significantly higher percentage of residents age 60 and older and a significantly lower

percentage of residents of workforce age, between ages 24 and 60, than it did in 2000.

Figure 3: Population Pyramids of New Mexico: Percent of Total Population6

In comparison, Figure 4 shows the population projections for the United States. Although the

overall U.S. population is expected to age, the population of New Mexico will age more than that of

the country as a whole. From a fiscal perspective, population pyramids ideally resemble the shape

after which they are named, meaning that there are more individuals in the lower age ranges than

in the higher ones. For New Mexico, the older population will grow without enough expansion at

the lower age ranges to balance the pyramid, meaning there will be relatively fewer New Mexicans

of working age to fill jobs and help support relatively larger numbers of retirees.

5 U.S. Census Bureau, Interim State Population Projections, April 21, 2005. New Mexico Table 3:

http://www.census.gov/population/www/projections/statepyramid.html 6 U.S. Census Bureau, Interim State Population Projections, April 21, 2005.

http://www.census.gov/population/www/projections/statepyramid.html


Figure 4: Population Pyramids of the United States: Percent of Total

Population7

An Increasingly Diverse Population

In addition to age, the racial and ethnic make-up of New Mexico is also an important factor in

educational attainment. In the United States, 64 percent of the population is White and 36 percent

are minorities such as Black, Hispanic, American Indian, and Asian. 8 Figure 5 displays the

racial/ethnic distribution of the national population in 2010, followed by the comparable

distribution for New Mexico.

Figure 5: U.S. Racial and Ethnic Composition, 2010

Figure 6 indicates the racial/ethnic distribution of the population in New Mexico. In contrast to the

nation, New Mexico is a “majority-minority” state, which means all racial and ethnic minority

groups together make up the majority of the population. In particular, Hispanics represent the

7 U.S. Census Bureau, Interim State Population Projections, April 21, 2005.

8 U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (2010).


largest racial/ethnic group at 46 percent. New Mexico also has a relatively large American Indian

population and relatively small Asian and Black populations.

Figure 6: New Mexico Racial and Ethnic Composition, 20109

The U.S. Census Bureau no longer provides state population projections by race and ethnicity, but

examining recent growth rates gives us a sense that New Mexico’s “minority” populations will

expand at rates higher than the state average. For example, New Mexico’s overall population

growth rate from 2000 to 2010 was 13.2 percent. Several subpopulations grew faster than the state

average: Asians (46.5 percent), Hispanics (24.6 percent), multi-racial (16.1 percent), and Blacks

(15.9 percent). Non-Hispanic Whites grew at just 2.5 percent, and American Indians grew at 11.4

percent. Barring dramatic changes in birth rates, New Mexico can expect its “minority” populations,

and particularly Hispanics, to represent an even larger majority of its population pie chart by

2020.10

High Rates of Poverty

Poverty is another factor related to educational attainment, and New Mexicans experience poverty

at higher rates than the national average. New Mexico ranks third of the states with the highest

percentage of residents living in poverty,11 behind only Mississippi and Louisiana. New Mexico’s

per capita income and median household income both fall well below national averages, as

demonstrated in Table 1.12

9 U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (2010). 10

Alcantara, Ph.D., Adelamar N. Research Professor and Director, Geospatial and Population Students, University of New Mexico. “Population Transformation in New Mexico and the U.S. According to the Census,” presented Nov. 3, 2011. http://bber.unm.edu/DUC/Dely_DUC2011.pdf 11

U.S. Census Bureau, 2007 American Community Survey; R1701. Percent of People Below Poverty Level in the Past 12 Months (For Whom Poverty Status is Determined). 12

U.S. Census Bureau, State and County QuickFacts. Data derived from Population Estimates, American Community Survey.

http://bber.unm.edu/DUC/Dely_DUC2011.pdf


Table 1: New Mexico vs. U.S. Poverty Data, 2006-2010

New Mexico U.S.

Per capita income $22,966 $27,334

Median household income $43,820 $51,914

Persons below poverty level, % 18.40% 13.80%

New Mexico’s Education Pipeline

Understanding how New Mexico students fare along the Pre-K – 20 educational pipeline is another

important indicator for understanding college access and success in the state. The high school

graduation, college entrance, and college graduation rates are explored below.

Educational Attainment

In comparison to the nation, a smaller percentage of New Mexicans has a high school degree, and a

smaller percentage holds a bachelor’s degree. The total percentage of individuals (17 percent) with

less than a high school degree is also higher than the nation as a whole (14 percent). New Mexico

also has a higher than average proportion of its population that has started higher education by not

completed it. Figure 7 shows the percent of the U.S. and New Mexico population over 25 years old

by education level.

Figure 7: Percentage of Population at Each Level of Education, New Mexico and U.S. Ages 25+13

New Mexico’s Education Pipeline for New Mexico

Another way to look at educational attainment is to view high school entrance and graduation,

college enrollment, college persistence, and college graduation together to form the educational

13

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (2010).


pipeline. The pipeline in Figure 8 shows the success of students receiving their high school and

postsecondary education in New Mexico. Only 12 out of every 100 high school freshmen in New

Mexico graduate from high school on time, enroll immediately in college, persist to sophomore

year, and complete a degree or certificate within 150 percent of expected time (three years at two-

year colleges or six years at four-year colleges). This is much lower than the national average of 21

out of every 100 high school freshman that persist through the educational pipeline.

Figure 8: Education Pipeline, 9th Grade through Completion14

New Mexico’s K-12 Achievement

Early student academic preparedness is a crucial component of college readiness. Figure 9

indicates that only 13 percent of New Mexico’s K-12 schools met the federally required adequate

yearly progress (AYP) in New Mexico for the 2011-12 academic year. In contrast, the percentage of

U.S. public K-12 schools reaching AYP was 60 percent for the 2009-2010 year, the most recent year

for which national data was available.15

14

NCES: Common Core Data; IPEDS Residency and Migration, Fall Enrollment, and Graduation Rate Surveys. “Education Pipeline” at www.higheredinfo.org 15

U.S. Department of Education Ed Data Express, http://www.eddataexpress.ed.gov/state-report.cfm?state=US&submit.x=15&submit.y=5

http://www.higheredinfo.org/

http://www.eddataexpress.ed.gov/state-report.cfm?state=US&submit.x=15&submit.y=5

http://www.eddataexpress.ed.gov/state-report.cfm?state=US&submit.x=15&submit.y=5


Figure 9: Percent of N.M. Schools Making AYP, 2011-201216

Even with the delay in statistics, it is clear that New Mexico is far behind the national average in

terms of reaching the No Child Left Behind benchmarks.

A breakdown the academic benchmarks by subject area also shows that students across New

Mexico are not currently meeting national standards in reading, mathematics, and science. Figure

10 below indicates overall New Mexico student scores on statewide assessments since 2007. Large

percentages of New Mexican students are failing to meet K-12 proficiency standards.

Figure 10: Percent of N.M. Students Scoring At or Above Proficient, 2006-201117

16

New Mexico Public Education Department: http://ped.state.nm.us/ayp2011/ 17 New Mexico Public Education Department: http://ped.state.nm.us/ayp2011/

13%

87%

SchoolsMaking AYP

Schools notmaking AYP

http://ped.state.nm.us/ayp2011/



When disaggregated by racial/ethnic subgroup, these data also present a dismal picture from the

perspective of equity. Figure 11 indicates the percent of all students performing at or above grade

level on the state’s standardized assessment. During the 2010-2011 school year, White and Asian

students outperformed their Hispanic, African American, and American Indian counterparts in

nearly all subjects by at least 20 percentage points.

Figure 11: Percent of N.M. Students Performing At or Above Grade Level by Racial/Ethnic Group18

High School Completion Rates and College Readiness

The final transition in the K-12 education system is high school graduation. Figure 12 shows New

Mexico’s graduation rates by race/ethnicity and as compared to the United States. For the national

student population, the average high school graduation rate in 2008 was 72 percent whereas for

New Mexico it was only 57 percent. This gap of 15 percentage points means that for every 100

students who enter high school in New Mexico, 15 fewer students will graduate than the national

average.

18

New Mexico Public Education Department: http://ped.state.nm.us/ayp2011/



Figure 12: High School Graduates by Race/Ethnicity (Class of 2008) 19

Two areas of note are with African American and American Indian students. New Mexico hovers

close to the national average for their American Indian graduation rate (53 percent) and graduates

African Americans (59 percent) at a slightly higher rate than the rest of the nation. In particular, the

American Indian statistic is significant because the population of American Indians is higher in New

Mexico (approximately 10 percent) than in the rest of the country (just over 1 percent).

As one measure of the college readiness of these high school graduates, Figure 13 indicates the

percentage of students who took the ACT and are ready for college-level work. New Mexico trails

the nation in every subject area. 20 Based on these data, students from New Mexico who do graduate

high school and enter higher education are less academically prepared than their peers around the

nation.

Figure 13: Percentage of ACT Tested Graduates Ready for College-Level Course Work

19

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), “Trends in High School Dropout and Completion Rates in the United States: 1972–2009,” 2011. 20

ACT, “The Condition of College and Career Readiness, 2011.”


College Enrollment and Retention Rates

College enrollment and retention rates are indicators for college completion. New Mexico’s college-

going rate for 2008 (defined as first-time freshman enrolling the fall after graduating from high

school) was 68 percent, which is higher than the national average of 63 percent21. However, we

must remember that this is 68 percent of the students who graduated from high school, and the

previous section shows that only 57 percent of New Mexico students graduate from high school

compared with the national average (72 percent).

New Mexico slightly lags behind the national return rates among students after their first year of

college. Figure 15 shows the percentage of first-time college freshman returning for their

sophomore year for New Mexico and the nation. At two-year institutions in New Mexico, the return

rate is 51 percent in comparison to 54 percent for the nation. Among the state’s four-year colleges

and universities, the retention rate of 71 percent is also below the national average of 77 percent.

Figure 15: First-Time College Freshmen Returning for Their Sophomore Year, 201022

College Affordability

As in many states, New Mexico’s financial support for higher education has declined during the last

five years. From fiscal year 2006-07 to fiscal year 2011-12, New Mexico’s state spending decreased

by 16 percent.23 New Mexico remains, however, at the top of U.S. states for relative spending on

higher education. For fiscal year 2011-12, New Mexico ranks third in the nation for state support

21

Tom Mortenson, Postsecondary Education Opportunity, aggregated by the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS), “College Going Rates for High School Graduates” at www.higheredinfo.org 22

NCES, IPEDS Fall 2010 Enrollment Retention Rate File. “Retention Rates,” www.higheredinfo.org 23

Grapevine Center for the Study of Education Policy, 2012. Annual Grapevine Compilation of State Fiscal Support of Higher Education Results for fiscal year 2011-2012, Table 1. http://grapevine.illinoisstate.edu/tables/index.htm



http://grapevine.illinoisstate.edu/tables/index.htm


for higher education per $1,000 of personal income and fifth in the nation for state support per

capita.24 This spending advantage is a tremendous strength for the state.

One generous aspect of New Mexico’s support for college affordability is the Legislative Lottery

Scholarship, which has been funded from proceeds of the New Mexico Lottery Authority lottery

ticket sales since 1996. Since its inception, the Lottery Scholarship has provided more than 75,000

New Mexico students with tuition support. Currently, the Lottery Scholarship covers 100 percent

of tuition for eight consecutive semesters of eligibility beginning with the second semester of

enrollment at any of 25 New Mexico public colleges, universities or junior/technical colleges.

Graduates of New Mexico high schools and GED earners are eligible for the scholarship as long as

they maintain a 2.5 GPA and meet other requirements.25 Students who transfer to another eligible

college retain their scholarship, even if tuition increases.

The availability of the Lottery Scholarship may increase students’ understanding that college is

affordable, with related benefit for college enrollment rates. Although state data shows that

students who receive the Lottery Scholarship graduate college at 18 percent over non-scholarship

recipients, research on the disaggregated data would determine the extent to which the Lottery

Scholarship is helping to increase college persistence and completion for low-income students who

likely would not have attended college without its support.

Additionally, public higher education tuition in New Mexico is extremely affordable. Figure 16

presents average in-state tuition for public institutions in the U.S. and New Mexico.

Figure 16: Average In-State Public Tuition in U.S. and New Mexico, 2010-1126

24

Grapevine Center for the Study of Education Policy, Table 5, 2012. 25 New Mexico Lottery, http://www.nmlottery.com/legislative-lottery-scholarships.aspx 26

College Board, Trends in College Pricing, 2011, http://completionagenda.collegeboard.org/state-performance/state/new-mexico

http://www.nmlottery.com/legislative-lottery-scholarships.aspx

http://completionagenda.collegeboard.org/state-performance/state/new-mexico

http://completionagenda.collegeboard.org/state-performance/state/new-mexico


Higher Education Completion Rates

To properly examine New Mexico’s college completion rates, it is helpful to analyze the data based

on the type of higher education institution (public, private, for-profit, etc.). Figure 17 provides the

college completion rates for students across New Mexico and the nation by institution type. As

evidenced by the data, most New Mexico institutions have lower graduation rates than the national

averages. For-profit institutions in New Mexico are the only exception, with slightly higher rates

than average. The biggest graduation gap is at New Mexico’s public four-year schools, where

graduation lags the national average by 15 percentage points. This side-by-side comparison shows

that the college graduation rates vary dramatically by institution type, both nationally and in New

Mexico.

Figure 17: Percent of Students Graduating in 6 Years by Institution Type, New Mexico and U.S.

When disaggregated by subgroup, this lagging trend generally continues. Figures 18 and 19

provide the six-year graduation rate for students in both New Mexico and the nation. New Mexico

institutions have lower graduation rates than the national average for most racial/ethnic

populations, except among African Americans and American Indians attending two-year colleges.


Figure 18: Percent of Students Graduating in 6 years at 4-Year Institutions, New Mexico U.S.27

Figure 19: Percent of Students Graduating from 2-Year Institutions, New Mexico and U.S.28

Workforce Trends and Future Projections

Over the next decade, the percentage of jobs requiring a college education is expected to reach 63

percent nationally, and the current projected supply of workers with at least an associate’s degree

will fall short by nearly 3 million. For any state, aligning resources in postsecondary education with

regional workforce needs is an important strategy for ensuring that both the regional economy will

prosper and graduates will find jobs with solid family-supporting incomes.

In New Mexico, 58 percent of all jobs will require postsecondary education by 2018.29 Currently, 33

percent of the state’s working-age adults have an associate’s degree or higher. Between now and

27

Complete College Toolkit. Chronicle for Higher Education. Compilation of Data via New Mexico Profile. http://collegecompletion.chronicle.com. Note that graduation rates at two-year institutions do not include students who transfer and graduate from other institutions. 28

Complete College Toolkit, Chronicle for Higher Education.

http://collegecompletion.chronicle.com/


2018, New Mexico will develop 292,000 job vacancies due to both new openings and retirements.

Of these positions, 57 percent will require a postsecondary credential.30

29

Georgetown Center for Education and the Workforce, Help Wanted: Projections of Job and Education Requirements through 2018 (New Mexico), 2012. http://www9.georgetown.edu/grad/gppi/hpi/cew/pdfs/newmexico.pdf 30

Georgetown Center for Education and the Workforce, 2012.

http://www9.georgetown.edu/grad/gppi/hpi/cew/pdfs/newmexico.pdf


New Mexico State Provider Survey Results

During March 2012, the National College Access Network administered an online survey to 48

providers of college access services in New Mexico. Table 2 provides a list of the survey

respondents and their locations.

The surveyed organizations range from university-based outreach and bridge programs to small

independent community-based organizations. Collectively, these organizations provide a variety of

services to thousands of New Mexico’s young people and adults to help promote college access and

success. This portion of the New Mexico College Access Inventory summarizes the results from this

online survey and provides an in-depth look at the types and characteristics of access organizations

working in New Mexico, the challenges these providers face, the types of students they serve, and

the services they offer.

Summary

Sample and Response Rate

Invitations to complete the provider survey were sent to 157 organizations/programs across the

state. Forty-eight (48) of those organizations contacted completed the survey, for a response rate of

31 percent. Frequencies reported in this narrative are thus based on a sample of 48 respondents,

unless specified for the sub-sample of those who provided responses on an individual survey item.

Provider Locations in New Mexico

The map on the following page, Figure 20, illustrates the locations of the organizations that

responded to this survey. While many of these organizations provide services beyond their local

area, this geographic display provides a sense of the availability of services statewide. Overall, half

of the college access providers within the state are located in the populous Bernalillo County.

Characteristics of Providers

New Mexico’s college access providers range from small independent organizations with small

budgets to those funded by large federal grants. Some college access providers serve individual

students while some programs also include parents and other family members. This portion of the

report provides an overview of the organizational characteristics of survey respondents and helps

to further understand the survey findings on the types of services available and the numbers of

students receiving services across the state.


Perspectives on Collaboration and Statewide Network

Almost all respondents indicated that they were interested in being part of a local, regional, or

statewide college access network. There was some preference for a regional, rather than statewide,

structure. Respondents also largely agreed that coordination with other organizations could

increase effectiveness.


Figure 20: Map of New Mexico College Access Survey Respondents

Counties with more than one college access program=

Counties with one college access program=


Table 2: Location of New Mexico College Access Survey Respondents

Name of Respondent Location County Students served

during 2010-2011

Supercomputing Challenge Albuquerque Bernalillo County 3,000

Albuquerque GED Inc. Albuquerque Bernalillo County 312

Magdalena Schools Magdalena Socorro County 178

Jobs for America's Graduates - New Mexico (JAG-NM)

Albuquerque Bernalillo County 100

Southwest Creations Collaborative Albuquerque Bernalillo County 246

El Centro de la Raza Albuquerque Bernalillo County 69

Bridges Project for Education Taos Taos County 7,000

ENLACE New Mexico Albuquerque Bernalillo County 200

Educate New Mexico Albuquerque Bernalillo County 7,600

GEAR UP at Eastern New Mexico University-Roswell

Roswell Chaves County 140

Youth Development Inc. Albuquerque Bernalillo County 1,270

Academy at Larragoite Santa Fe Santa Fe County 15,000

NMSU-Carlsbad Carlsbad Eddy County 75

American Indian Student Services Albuquerque Bernalillo County 774

Gallup High School Gallup McKinley County 5,000

UNM ECO Albuquerque Bernalillo County 1,150

Eldorado High School Albuquerque Bernalillo County 1,000

Clovis Community College TRiO Upward Bound Program

Clovis Curry County 1,900

ENMU-Roswell Roswell Chaves County 50

NMHU/RNNM GEAR UP Las Vegas San Miguel County 2,500

Community Engagement Center Albuquerque Bernalillo County 1,100

Central NM Community College Albuquerque Bernalillo County 150

Catholic Charities Albuquerque Bernalillo County 180

ENIPC Inc. Education Department Santa Fe Santa Fe County 1,001

Northern NM ENLACE Espanola Rio Arriba County 85

Student Support Services-TRIO Albuquerque Bernalillo County 400

Eastern New Mexico Universtiy Talent Search

Portales Roosevelt County 160

Alamo Early Childhood Center Alamo Socorro County 1,254

NM Public Education Department - 21st CCLC

Santa Fe Santa Fe County 108

Breakthrough Santa Fe Santa Fe Santa Fe County 7,000

Albuquerque Public Schools Title I Homeless Project


UNM Health Sciences Office of Diversity Albuquerque Bernalillo County 6,410

APS Even Start Albuquerque Bernalillo County 200

Valencia High School Los Lunas Valencia County 740

College Horizons Inc. Pena Blanca Sandoval County 1,000


TRiO Student Support Services Santa Fe Community College

Santa Fe Santa Fe County 400

Upward Bound Albuquerque Bernalillo County 160

Los Lunas Schools Los Lunas Valencia County 130

Student Support Services Las Vegas San Miguel County 450

HiddenFromView Albuquerque Bernalillo County 361

Career Guidance Institute Albuquerque Bernalillo County 0

LULAC National Educational Service Center


Upward Bound Portales Roosevelt County 150

NMJC Student Support Services Hobbs Lea County 65

YDI Albuquerque Bernalillo County 185

UNM CEOP HEP Albuquerque Bernalillo County 1,000

EOC Albuquerque Bernalillo County 60

Characteristics of College Access Programs in New Mexico

New Mexico’s college access and success organizations provide services that collectively are

targeted towards raising awareness and improving the likelihood of students enrolling and

succeeding in postsecondary education. The organizations focus on activities that will help students

with this process such as helping students graduate from high school, navigate the financial aid

admissions process, and develop study skills. Table 3 highlights the organizational structure of

programs responding to the survey.

The majority of responding organizations providing college access services in New Mexico are

housed in non-profit college access organizations (21 percent), community organizations (17

percent), TRIO (21 percent), and other (10 percent).

Table 3: Types of Organizations Responding to the Survey

New Mexico Access Providers Number Percentage

Non-profit college access and success program 10 21%

Higher Education outreach program 4 8%

High Schools 4 8%

School Districts 4 8%

Community Organizations 8 17%

GEAR UP 3 6%

TRIO 10 21%

Other (Higher Education) 5 10%


Budgets

Of the 48 survey respondents, 42 provided information on their operating budgets. Of these 42, 14

reported an operating budget of over $500,000 and 12 respondents indicated a budget between

$250,000 and $499,999. The largest percentage of providers (31 percent) indicated an operating

budget of $100,000 to $249,999. Figure 21 provides an overview of the providers’ operating

budgets.

Figure 21: Annual Operating Budgets

Capacity and Staffing

Responding organizations varied significantly in the number of students that the serve, with the

largest number of respondents (36 percent) assisting fewer than 100 students each year. Figure

22 provides an overview of the number of students that providers serve each year. Table 4

provides an overview of the staffing of the organizations that completed the college access provider

survey. The majority of staff are employed part-time. A substantial number of the providers (26)

also employ students.

Figure 22: Number of Students Served Annually


Table 4: Staff Employed by New Mexico College Access Providers, by status

Name of Respondent Full-time Part-time America Corps

Vista Work-Study

Supercomputing Challenge 3 1 0 0

Albuquerque GED Inc. 0 3 0 0

Magdalena Schools 2 5 1 1

Jobs for America's Graduates - New Mexico (JAG-NM)

80 5 0 3

Southwest Creations Collaborative

6 0 0 0

El Centro de la Raza 1 1 0 0

Bridges Project for Education 6 0 7 7

ENLACE New Mexico 2 0 0 0

Educate New Mexico 3 33 15 28

GEAR UP at Eastern New Mexico University-Roswell

1 0 0 0

Youth Development Inc. 4 0 0 1

Academy at Larragoite 500 120 4 30+

NMSU-Carlsbad 13 2 0 0

American Indian Student Services

3 17 0 2

Gallup High School 5 0 1 6

UNM ECO 120 0 0 0

Eldorado High School 4 1 0 1

Clovis Community College TRiO Upward Bound Program

250 20 0 0

ENMU-Roswell 3 10 0 1

NMHU/RNNM GEAR UP 4 35 n/a 12

Community Engagement Center

6 4 0 5

Central NM Community College 4 4 120 75

Catholic Charities 3 3 0 2

ENIPC Inc. Education Department

12 8 N/A N/A

Northern NM ENLACE 1 0 0 0

Student Support Services-TRIO 2 3 0 6

Eastern New Mexico University Talent Search

3 2 0 14

Alamo Early Childhood Center 4 0 0 5

NM Public Education Department - 21st CCLC

30 1 0 0

Breakthrough Santa Fe 15 0 0 0

Albuquerque Public Schools Title I Homeless Project

2 24 0 0

UNM Health Sciences Office of Diversity

14 7 0 0


APS Even Start 8 4 0 2

Valencia High School 26 45 0 0

College Horizons Inc. 100 25 0 1

TRiO Student Support Services Santa Fe Community College

2 1 0 0

Upward Bound 4 0 0 0

Los Lunas Schools 5 20 0 3

Student Support Services 1 0 0 0

HiddenFromView 8 0 0 17

Career Guidance Institute 1 0 0 0

LULAC National Educational Service Center

1 0 0 0

Upward Bound 2 2 0 5

NMJC Student Support Services 3 0 0 3

YDI 4 5 0 3

UNM CEOP HEP 22 0 0 0

EOC 4 0 0 6

Goals and Objectives

Providers were asked to identify three main goals that drive their work in college access. Figure 23

provides an overview of the most frequently citied goals of New Mexico college access providers.

The majority of providers (73 percent) focus on improving high school retention and preventing

high school dropouts. Sixty percent of respondents indicated increasing high school

graduation/obtaining GED as their top goal, and 48 percent indicated improving academic

preparation as a top goal. In open-ended responses, the providers indicated additional goals such as

“providing quality preschool for 3 and 4 year olds,” “preparing children for kindergarten entry,” and

“building the capacity of the native tribal nations.”


Figure 23: Top 3 Goals for New Mexico College Access Providers

Types of Services Provided

Table 5 provides an overview of the most common services offered by New Mexico college access

providers. More than three-quarters of college access providers within the state focus on enhancing

academic skills, and 60 percent provide advising for selecting the right institution of higher

education. Respondents, however, reported low rates of providing assistance with college

retention, college graduation, or scholarships. For example, only 35 percent provided college

success programming, and only 12 percent of respondents provide unmet need aid. Additional

open-ended responses indicated that respondents also provide “employability skills curriculum,”

“college prep academic planning,” and “financial literacy awareness.”


Table 5: Types of Services Provided

Major Services Provided Number of Providers Percentage

offering this service

Academic enhancement/tutoring/study skills 38 79%

Career exploration and/or career counseling 35 73%

Financial aid advising 30 62%

College admissions advising 29 60%

Scholarship searches and applications 28 58%

College fairs and visits 25 52%

Mentoring/shadowing/internships 24 48%

Services for parents 20 42%

College transition/retention support 19 40%

Test preparation 17 35%

College success programs 17 35%

Encouraging academically rigorous curriculum 17 35%

Fee payments for tests, housing, admissions 11 23%

Unmet need aid (last dollar grants) 6 12%

Early Awareness 4 11%

Characteristics of Populations Served by Surveyed Providers

The vast majority of surveyed providers indicated that they target their services to low-income (94

percent), minority (83 percent), and/or first-generation college-going students (79 percent).

Additional responses indicate students with disabilities (50 percent) and undocumented students

(48 percent). Open-ended responses indicated that providers also focus on “youth involved in the

juvenile justice system,” “native children,” and “migrant seasonal workers”. Fewer respondents

targeted foster children (29 percent) and veterans (25 percent). See Figure 24.


Figure 24: Populations Targeted by Provider

Figure 25 provides additional information on the services provided to students across the state.

Generally, college access programs in New Mexico provide the aforementioned services students

spanning a wide range of ages. Most of these services, however, are concentrated on students who

are in 10th and 11th grade (65 percent).

Figure 25: Percentage of Providers Targeting Each Age/Academic Level

Challenges

Survey respondents identified the top three challenges they are currently facing. Figure 26

provides an overview of these results. By far the biggest challenge revolved around

funding/sustainability (46 percent). Respondents indicated the capacity to serve all the students in


need as the second biggest challenged (42 percent) followed by engaging parents/families (19

percent), program evaluation (19 percent), and retaining students in the program(19 percent).

Open-ended responses in the survey provided an additional context to understand the challenges

faced by New Mexico’s college access providers. These additional responses included “retaining

students in college,” “identifying new college partners,” and “data gathering and use of data.”

Figure 26: Top 3 Challenges Faced by College Access Providers

Evaluation and Data Collection

In terms of measuring evaluation and program success, the majority of survey respondents report

collecting information on high school graduation (56 percent) and students who enroll in

postsecondary education (56 percent). Figure 27 indicates that nearly 30 percent of respondents

collect data about how many students complete a FAFSA, and 25 percent collect data on whether

their students graduate with a postsecondary credential.

Figure 28 provides an overview of the data indicators that respondents collect to evaluate their

programs. The majority of respondents indicated focusing their evaluations on high school

performance and enrolling in college. Additional answers provided by survey respondents included

“obtaining a GED,” “obtaining employment,” and “entry into health professions.”


Despite their goal to increase the number of students entering and succeeding in postsecondary

education, a small percentage (21 percent) of respondents use college completion as a metric in

their evaluations. For the programs that do collect this critical information, the average percentage

of seniors during the 2010-2011 school year that persisted towards postsecondary education was

61 percent.

Figure 27: Percent of Providers that Collect Key Data on College-Going

Figure 28: Percentage of Providers that Evaluate Key Outcomes

New Mexico’s College Access Providers Communications

Table 6 provides an overview of how New Mexico’s college access providers promote their

programs to students and families. Printed materials, web sites, and communications with school

personnel are the most common methods.


Table 6: Mediums Used to Promote College Access Services

Mediums to promote college access programs

Numbers of providers using this medium

Percentage

Brochures and other printed materials 42 88%

Website 40 83%

Schools (counselors, teachers, announcements)

37 77%

Information table at outreach events 29 60%

Direct mail 23 48%

Email newsletter 23 48%

Social Media (Facebook, YouTube) 23 48%

Print publications (newspapers, magazines

12 25%

Radio 11 23%

Other (networks, alumni, community presentations)

9 19%

Internet advertising 7 15%

Television 5 10%

Local Business cross promotion 4 8%

College Access Providers’ Perspective on Collaboration and Statewide Network

First, 92 percent of respondents said they would be interested in participating in a local, regional,

or statewide college access network (44 respondents).

When asked if they believed their organization has done an excellent job in engaging key

stakeholders in advancing their mission, about two-thirds of respondents (69 percent) agreed.

Figure 29 provides an overview of these results. Respondents were also asked if regional

partnerships, rather than statewide, would make a more substantive impact on increasing college

awareness. Slightly more than half (52 percent) of respondents favored developing regional

partnerships instead of at the state level. Figure 30 provides an overview of these results.


Figure 29: Percentage of Respondents Indicating Positive Stakeholder Engagement

Figure 30: Percent of Respondents that Prefer Regional Partnerships

Regarding coordination of services, only 17 percent of respondents agree that there is little overlap

in postsecondary support services across the state whereas the remainder are neutral or disagree.

Figure 31 provides additional detail. Similarly, only 19 percent of respondents agreed that college

access/success organizations across the state are well aware of each other's activities (see Figure

32). Lastly, 79 percent of survey respondents believed that they could benefit from coordination

with other organizations to achieve better outcomes (see Figure 33).


Figure 31: Strong Awareness Exists of Activities of Other College Access/Success Programs

Figure 32: There Is Little Overlap in Postsecondary Support Services

Figure 33: Coordination with Other Organizations Could Achieve Better Outcomes


Finally, the survey asked respondents to identify the most useful services they could receive as a

member of the college access network. Figure 34 provides an overview of these results. Overall, a

majority of the respondents indicated that professional development for school counselors, staff,

and advisors (71 percent), aggregate data (56 percent), and FAFSA completion programs (56

percent) are the most useful as a New Mexico College Access Network member.

Figure 34: Most Helpful Network Services


New Mexico Stakeholder Interview Summary

In April 2012, the National College Access Network (NCAN) began interviews with key stakeholders

from across New Mexico regarding their perspectives on college access and success in the state. The

interview participants came from a range of professions, including state policy-makers, program

administrators, and direct service providers in secondary and post-secondary education. The

participants also represented public and private sectors from various parts of the state. The

interview questions were modeled after questions in previous inventories and adapted by the New

Mexico College Access Network (New Mexico CAN) to meet unique state considerations.

NCAN worked in partnership with New Mexico CAN to identify key stakeholders in the college

access and success community. Nearly 25 participants were contacted and 16 separate interviews

were conducted over the course of two months. Interviews were conducted in person or over the

phone based on the participant’s location and preference. The interviews were audio recorded and

partially transcribed for this report.

Several themes emerged from the discussions with stakeholders:

Social Issues

Social issues were a common topic of conversation throughout the interviews. Social factors such as

socioeconomic status, cycles of poverty, transient families, and young parents, among other factors

present barriers to college access and success. The practitioners who work closely with students

and families emphasized the need to support students and families in all aspects of their lives to

improve education outcomes. These stakeholders saw this theme as a constant throughout post-

secondary education, college readiness, college completion, and career readiness discussions.

Participants also related these social issues to the low expectations of students and a lack of

mentors and role models in students’ homes and communities.

Retention

Several stakeholders indicted that New Mexico has a high level of college access due to the diverse

range and number of higher education institutions, relative to the number of people in the state.

The challenge for New Mexico in relation to postsecondary education is retaining and graduating

students. Participants discussed how the low persistence rate was highly correlated to the need for

academic remediation of students. They pointed out that students’ chances of completing a post-

secondary degree decreases substantially for each remediation course needed after high school.

Additional factors included lack of student supports in higher education, lack of alignment between

K-12 and higher education curricula, and inflexibility of state-based financial aid.


Supportive Relationships

Supportive relationships and human capital was another common theme from the stakeholder

interviews. As college access and success practitioners, the stakeholders rely on relationships they

have established across the state and across institutions to support students and families. They

prefer to refer students and families to individuals they know personally and have a track record of

supporting them with care and compassion. Since these stakeholders assist students relationally,

the students and their families have established trusted relationships to assist them with navigating

through bureaucracies. Stakeholders highlighted these relationships as an integral part of the

strengths in New Mexico because of the potential to create strong networks of support for students.

Relationships, however, also have histories that can present challenges for people and

organizations trying to work together. For this reason stakeholders also regarded relationship

dynamics as a weakness. The stakeholders discussed how strained professional relationships

among individuals in the field have limited the capacity for organizations to work together, enhance

competition, and prevented collaboration. Relying on relationships, rather than systems within and

among organizations and institutions, may also limit the number of students who receive support

along the pathway to and through college.

Access

Stakeholders frequently noted various types of access (proximity of institutions, admissions

standards, and affordability) as strengths. Three key characteristics surfaced as critical to college

access in New Mexico:

1) There are 14 public higher education institutions in across the state, many with multiple branch

campuses. With the exception of the two largest 4-year institutions, the admissions requirements

are nearly open enrollment for all high school graduates and GED recipients.

2) The 2-year institutions are also sources of adult education, GED support, and remedial education

to prepare individuals who are not yet college-ready.

3) The New Mexico Legislative Lottery Scholarship provides New Mexico high school graduates

with full tuition for any New Mexico public institution.

Still, some of the stakeholders were concerned that although there is access in terms of proximity of

institutions, admissions standards, and affordability, there is inequitable access for students in

rural communities, poor communities, students of color, English language learners, and students

from underperforming schools.

Aggregated Interview Responses

The following is a summary of participant responses for each interview question. The responses are

not attributed to any one participant. Although there were 16 participants, some participants


provided multiple answers for each question, while others refrained from answering questions they

believed to be outside the scope of their work. Additionally, high-level policy makers were provided

a truncated list of questions due to time constraints and relevance.

Figure 35: What are the top issues for New Mexico students related to postsecondary education?

Participants presented numerous issues of high concern about post-secondary education in New

Mexico. The three primary issues were social issues, college readiness, and the availability of

information. The first area of concern, social issues, was comprised of symptoms of poverty and the

systematic inability to meet students’ social needs. Issues such as substance abuse, cycles of failed

attempts at education, high mobility, homelessness populations, and a lack of integrated services

present barriers to students pursuing higher education. The interview participants gave examples

of how the immediate financial and emotional needs of parents and families take precedence over

students’ education when faced with these challenges.

The participants pointed out that based on the state’s low high school graduation rate, it is not

surprising that many of the current high school students would be first-generation college students

and have undereducated parents. Most stakeholders were optimistic that systematically engaging

parents in education, for themselves and their children, can ease these barriers for students.

Additionally, stakeholders expressed the need to work holistically with students - integrating

academic support services with public assistance, health, and financial support programs.

College readiness was nearly equally noted by stakeholders as critical issue for post-secondary

education. Participants cited the high college remediation rate as evidence that high school

graduates are underprepared for college, requiring pre-college courses. The need for remediation

courses has a high correlation with low student retention and completion rates. Some participants

pointed to the lack of a rigorous high school curriculum and a lack of systematic support for English

language mastery as two sources of the underpreparedness.


Stakeholders also raised the issue of inconsistent college information. There is a sense that students

are often provided inaccurate or incomplete information about what is it takes to be admitted and

be successful in post-secondary education. The limited ability for school counselors to provide

college guidance for students and families exacerbates the information gap. Furthermore,

stakeholders noted that college information is limited or largely inaccessible to students of color,

English language learners, and students with physical and learning disabilities.

Figure 36: What are the top issues for New Mexico students related to college readiness?

Social issues like poverty, substance abuse, and being first-generation students topped the list in

the area of issues for college readiness. During this discussion with stakeholders the topic of social

issues expanded to include shortcomings of the education system, namely lack of child care, lack of

transportation, and disparities in the quality of public schools across the state.

Stakeholders also discussed college readiness in more detail than in the previous question. They

described how many high school graduates lack critical skills necessary to be ready for college,

work, and life. Some of the skills mentioned were basic reading and writing, critical thinking, and

study skills. Stakeholders felt that the high school curriculum the lacks rigor and relevancy

necessary prepares students to go to college.

Other concerns during the college readiness discussion, in order of frequency, were: the lack of a

cohesive (cradle-career) education system, low expectations of students, and the lack of school

college counseling. The state has 14 public higher education institutions that work independently

and have individual admissions standards and processes, contributing to a gap between high school

graduation and postsecondary education. The stakeholders felt that higher education does not

work well with public education to prepare students for college and that higher education

institutions are unclear about what skills are necessary to be successful in college. The lack of

cohesion and alignment between public and higher education leaves gaps that make for a difficult

transition to college.


Low student expectations were of concern to some of the participants. “Mediocrity has become the

norm,” stated one stakeholder while describing these low expectations. A few participants felt that

schools and the community-at-large have neither engaged, inspired, nor expected students to have

a self-vision that include postsecondary education. While school counselors are well positioned to

engage, inspire, and guide students to postsecondary education, they are limited in number and

lack the institutional support to provide students with adequate college guidance. The counselors

are pulled away to administer testing and other administrative duties, limiting direct service to

students and families. One stakeholder also noted that there is no state-level accountability for how

school counselor work time is spent, allowing for schools and districts to require counselors to

perform other duties not specific to guiding students to high school completion, college, and career.

Figure 37: What are the top issues for New Mexico students related to college persistence?

Once again, social issues topped the list of issues for students, this time related to college

persistence. The social characteristics such as poverty, a lack of role models, access to affordable

and quality childcare, transportation, and family dynamics were seen as creating challenges for

students already in post-secondary institutions. Often, the need to financially contribute to the

family household pushes students to work at a high rate, having a negative impact on student

persistence.

In addition to the family and social issues that affect students’ ability to pay for college,

stakeholders identified the New Mexico Legislative Lottery Scholarship as contributing to the issue

of college persistence. In 1996, the State Legislature established the Legislative Lottery Scholarship

using state lottery revenue to fund college attendance. The scholarship provides full tuition to

qualified New Mexico high school graduates and GED recipients at eligible New Mexico colleges and

universities. The scholarship provides full tuition for eight consecutive semesters. While a great

funding opportunity for students, the scholarship standards and limitations become an issue of

persistence when a large number of students lose the scholarship due either to falling below the


eligibility criteria or exceeding the number of allowable semesters to access the scholarship. A few

participants pointed out that the lack of academic preparation and the required remediation cause

students to take much longer than eight semesters to complete their degrees. Once the lottery

scholarship runs out, students either cannot or chose not to complete the degree due to the lack of

funding.

Stakeholders indicated a lack of support systems such as tutoring, mentoring, coaching, and

meaningful parental involvement. There are pockets of strong higher education support programs

and services, but these are limited in capacity and do not have broad institutional support. The

participants expressed optimism about the passionate people working in strong support services,

but were disheartened by the lack of a systematic approach to provide cohesive, ongoing support to

students and families throughout post-secondary education. Additionally, a participant described a

hostile campus climate not conducive to supporting students from diverse backgrounds and

experiences and student frustrations with being underprepared as issues contributing to low

college persistence rates.

Figure 38: What are the top issues for New Mexico students related to career readiness?

The top three issues in career readiness were: a lack of information, lack of institutional alignment

with industry needs, and lack of career preparation. The stakeholders said there is limited access to

information about a variety of jobs and careers and little to no information provided to students

about the education and skills necessary to enter a desired profession. Students are unclear about

the expectations and requirements to be successful in a chosen career path. Additionally, some

stakeholders felt that youth are neither inspired nor encouraged to think of non-traditional

professional pathways, opportunities beyond the limited exposure they have to professionals.

Some stakeholders described a misalignment between public education, higher education, and the

job market. They believe that the educational institutions do not adequately prepare students for


college and careers. Furthermore, the public school system is ill-equipped (in human capacity and

funding) to provide the type of curriculum and technology necessary to appropriately prepare

students for high-tech industry.

A few of the stakeholders expressed their belief that education and the economy have come into

conflict about the true purpose of education. Modern discussions about the purpose of education

describe successful educational outcomes as the preparation of students with marketable skills to

attract industry and improve the economy of the state and nation. The participants challenged the

dominant discourse though the following statements, “it is so much more than preparing [students]

for jobs,” “we need [students] to be prepared for life,” and “[students] need to have the ability to

transfer the talents and skill sets that they have to any profession.”

Figure 39: What are New Mexico’s strengths with respect to helping students enroll in

postsecondary education?

A large majority of the stakeholders considered the amount of people and programs in New Mexico,

working on college access and success, to be the number-one strength. According to the

participants, there are many caring people across the state who are passionate about increasing the

college completion rate. The programs they work with are “pockets of excellence” that need to be

looked at for scale-up of best practices.

Stakeholders also identified the Lottery Scholarship and other sources of student funding as an

advantage that New Mexico has when it comes to timely enrollment of students in post-secondary

education. Students must begin college the first semester after receiving a high school diploma or

GED to be eligible for the scholarship. This criterion incentivizes students to enroll in one of the 14

public institutions directly out of high school. Additionally, the stakeholders described higher

education in New Mexico as being widely accessible due to the number of institutions and the

relatively low cost of attendance.


Figure 40: What are New Mexico’s weaknesses with respect to helping students enroll in

postsecondary education?

Stakeholders discussed a broad range of weaknesses with respect to enrolling students in post-

secondary education. The most frequently noted weakness was low expectations of students (i.e., in

academic performance and in the ability to excel personally and professionally. Participants

pointed to the lack of a college-going culture in schools and families as the source of low

expectations. They explained that students internalize the low expectations. As a result, many

students have fear and self-doubt about their ability to be successful in college and life.

Upon completing high school, the bureaucratic college systems (i.e., jargon, policies, procedures,

paperwork, and cultural norms) can be cumbersome, intimidating, and difficult to navigate for

students and families. This is particularly challenging for first-generation students who do not have

a family member to assist them and students whose guardians have limited English proficiency.

A few participants highlighted access as a weakness for rural New Mexico students. During this

discussion, these participants felt that students from rural communities have limited access to post-

secondary education due to limited high school curricula, lack of technology to connect to

accelerated learning opportunities, lack of transportation, and distance from college campuses.

Currently 37 percent of New Mexicans hold a college degree. When thinking about the New

Mexico college completion rate, would you say it is of concern, on target, or excellent?

The stakeholders unanimously thought the degree attainment in New Mexico was of concern. One

participant added the word “appalling,” while others said that the completion rate should be higher

considering the low population relative to the number of public higher education institutions in the

state. Three of the interview participants expressed concern that 37 percent was artificially high


due to the number of highly credentialed employees imported by companies such as Intel, Sandia,

and Los Alamos National Laboratories.

Figure 41: Thinking about the students you work with or the students in your community, how

aware are students and their families of the college access resources in their community or state?

Which student resources do you most often promote?

The stakeholders generally believe that students and families have limited knowledge about the

college access resources in their community and across the state. Those participants who indicated

that students and families were not at all aware of the resources predominantly work with low-

income, English language learners, and immigrant families. Those that said not very aware,

somewhat aware, and aware focused on how students have trouble filtering the large amount of

information and resources that bombard them. These participants said that students receive a large

amount of information from schools, colleges, and community organizations, but parents are much

less aware of the available resources. They felt that engaging parents could increase student

participation in support programs and college access resources. The stakeholder that works closely

with private schools said the students and families are very aware of the college access resources

due to high parental engagement, educated parents, high expectations of students, and effective

school counseling.

The stakeholders provided a combined list of approximately 50 types of resources to which they

refer students and families for college access support. The resources covered higher education

(two-year and four-year) based organizations, school-based organizations, community-based

organizations, and various student funding opportunities.


Figure 42: What is the number one thing that New Mexico (K-12) schools and community

organizations need to do in order to best help students successfully prepare for postsecondary

education?

The stakeholders struggled to provide one answer for this interview question. It was clear that

most participants felt a series of things need to happen to better prepare students for post-

secondary education. Comments related to relationships were the most frequently mentioned

action items for K-12 schools and community organizations. These comments addressed the need

for schools and organizations to build relationships and to harness existing relationships to create a

strong support network for students and families throughout the education process. Although

participants did not mention specific organizations, there was a sense from some of the participants

that there are many strong organizations that are in competition with one another and do not work

together to benefit students. Participants expressed a need for creating genuine partnerships and

strengthening of current relationships without “pointing fingers” regarding the past failures.

Additionally, stakeholders want schools and organizations to create strong relationships with

parents, beginning with welcoming spaces for students and families in the schools.

Inspiring excellence was the second most frequently noted action item from stakeholders. This

topic included suggestions like engage students in education, raise expectations of students,

educate undereducated parents, and begin informing students about college at a young age to

create a college-going culture.

Stakeholders also discussed the need for a holistic approach (integrated academic, personal,

financial, and health support services) to working with students. It is evident that the participants

regarded social issues such as the socioeconomic status of students, students with children, lack of


transportation and other issues beyond academics as barriers to college completion. A holistic

approach to working with students through the integration of social support services would

address some of the challenges for students, as opposed to schools and organizations attempting to

work on academic success in isolation.

Additionally, stakeholders suggested a more cohesive systematic approach as an important

initiative for schools and community organizations. Suggestions for systematic changes included:

address racism and classism in the education system, scale up and institutionalize highly effective

programs and services so that more students can benefit from them, and invest in early childhood

education “because kindergarten is just too late.”

Figure 43: What are New Mexico’s strengths and/or weaknesses when it comes to helping students

complete a postsecondary degree?

Most stakeholders pointed to strong organizations and programs providing support services to

students as strengths related to students completing a post-secondary degree in New Mexico. The

stakeholders stressed the valuable resources across the state investing money, time, and human

capital into supporting students. The programs were predominantly higher education-based

services that include institution, state, and private funding. Many of these organizations have been

assisting students for 20 to 40 years and have long-established relationships with communities and

policy-makers.

Once again, the Lottery Scholarship surfaced as a strength related to helping students complete a

college degree. The stakeholders who mentioned the scholarship emphasized the value of the

program for low-income students. For many students, this incentive pulls them through post-

secondary education to degree completion. Additionally, participants noted access to higher

education as an asset when it comes to assisting students with completing a degree. This strength


was described as the high number and location of institutions with open access, “no matter where

you live in the state, you can go a half-hour and be on a [college] campus.”

Figure 44: What are New Mexico’s strengths and/or weaknesses when it comes to helping students

complete a postsecondary degree?

Most stakeholders pointed to systematic flaws within P-20 education as weaknesses. These flaws

included: institutionalized racism and classism, no way to track student progress across schools,

administrators and policy-makers embedded in maintaining the status quo, a lack of cohesion

between the state Public Education Department and the Higher Education Department, and a lack

of a state-wide transfer articulation between two-year and four-year institutions. Participants also

discussed the following weaknesses related to supporting degree completion: college readiness, a

lack of student engagement in schools and their own education, and how higher education

institutions are funded.


Figure 45: In your opinion, is there a New Mexico student population most difficult to reach?

Which population most struggles with college completion?

The stakeholders provided a broad list of student sub-groups that are most difficult to reach.

Topping the list were Native American students, followed by students with low family support and

engagement, non-traditional (adult and commuter) students, and poor students. One participant

used the term “lost students” to describe a difficult population to reach. This group refers to

transient, homeless, sexually-active youth, youth involved in the justice system, and students

suffering from addiction, substance abuse, and other forms of abuse.

Table 7: New Mexico CAN is the state-wide college access/success network. Please comment on the

level of benefit the following supports would be if provided by New Mexico CAN for its

membership?

A student advisement tracking system (for practitioner use) 4.8

Regular network communications 4.5

Policy updates and advocacy efforts 4.5

Major program public relations/media (FAFSA Free-for-All, etc.) 4.4

Scholarship coordination (promotions, database, etc.) 4.4

Professional development for college access practitioners 4.4

An annual convening 3.9

Fundraising and/or sub-grants 3.5


Stakeholders rated the following supports on a scale of 1 to 5, five being extremely beneficial, and

one being not beneficial at all. Overall, stakeholders thought these supports would be beneficial to

the college access and support community in New Mexico. They particularly gravitated to

developing networks of support for practitioners, highlighting best practices, and sharing

resources. Participants approached ratings for an annual convening, network communications, and

professional development with caution. They discussed how they have spent a lot of time in many

similar initiatives, with very little results and action. The participants stressed a need to be

intentional and impactful when providing annual convenings, communications, and professional

development through the inclusion of youth voice, parents, follow-up, and follow-through activities.


Recommendations

As mentioned earlier in this report, 33 percent of working-age New Mexicans currently hold an

associate’s degree or higher, but by 2018 58 percent of New Mexico’s jobs will require at least some

postsecondary education. The information collected through this assessment points the way to

several strategies New Mexico can pursue to improve college access and success and meet the

state’s future workforce needs.

Improve retention rates at New Mexico’s public institutions. New Mexico’s college

retention rates lag national averages, particularly at public four-year institutions. Analysis

of these data for each institution could identify pockets of excellence and provide examples

of best practices to be implemented elsewhere in the state by both institutions and by

college access/success programs. New Mexico CAN could also identify relevant examples

from other states. Advocates could also raise awareness of this issue with the state

legislature and encourage the state to begin create funding incentives based on college

retention and graduation rates, rather than on enrollment.

Encourage adults with “some college, no degree” to complete. New Mexico has a

relatively high percentage of working-age adults in this category. Several states have

launched successful efforts to reach out to these adults and encourage them to re-enroll and

complete a credential.

Amend the Lottery Scholarship program to (1) be more flexible in its eligibility

requirements to meet the needs of low-income students, and/or (2) focus more

resources on students with financial need. Currently, the scholarship’s requirements

that recipients enroll full-time immediately after high school graduation and maintain a 2.5

GPA are likely to be limiting the number of students who benefit. The lack of financial need

requirements mean that a significant number of families benefit from the program who

could otherwise afford college. Implementing a financial need requirement could make

more funds available to benefit low-income students and raise the state’s college success

rates.

Build on success with Black and American Indian students at two-year colleges. By

examining the relative success at New Mexico’s two-year public institutions in graduating

Black and American Indian students, New Mexico CAN could identify and share best

practices with the four-year institutions.

Help public higher ed institutions to align their college readiness expectations with

their feeder public high schools and districts. Convening the higher ed institutions with

their feeder schools to review college enrollment, persistence, and graduation data for local

students could be a powerful way to begin this interaction and create meaningful change.

Advocate for and support improved use of student outcome data. First, New Mexico

would benefit from advocates who are monitoring and encouraging the work of the state’s


Data Warehouse Council, the home of the longitudinal state education database, to improve

the availability and use of data to improve student performance, including performance on

college access and success indicators. A 2011 analysis from the Data Quality Campaign

indicates that New Mexico has a number of actions yet to take to link data systems, provide

timely access to data, create student progress reports, and promote strategies to raise

awareness and use of available data.31 Second, New Mexico’s college access providers would

benefit from support to collect and analyze outcome data for their students in order to

improve their program effectiveness.

Identify and promote models for improved remedial education. Programs in New

Mexico and around the country are exploring ways to accelerate students’ progress through

remedial education. By encouraging adoption of such programs, New Mexico could increase

college retention rates and ultimately achieve cost savings.

Promote dual enrollment and early-college high schools. These programs are

demonstrating success around the country in improving college-going for low-income

students.

Protect New Mexico’s college affordability. Many states have made relatively larger cuts

to their higher education funding than New Mexico, pushing more costs onto students and

families. Advocates in New Mexico will want to be sure that advocacy efforts to improve

higher ed outcomes also emphasize the need to maintain the state’s financial investment.

Raise expectations about education outcomes for poor students. Stakeholder

interviews in particular emphasized the barriers that poverty presented for students. As the

state with the third-highest rate of poverty in the nation, this is an understandable and

highly relevant topic for New Mexicans. A holistic understanding of all circumstances that

limit educational attainment is crucial. It presents an opportunity for the New Mexico

College Access Network to change the conversation and share strategies from other

communities that are helping low-income students overcome multiple barriers and achieve

their intellectual and workforce potential.

Explore some potential college access network services more thoroughly. The college

access program survey and stakeholder interviews produced a mixed picture of what the

most valued member services for the New Mexico College Access Network might be. More

exploration is warranted for a few categories: professional development, fundraising, and

collaboration/coordination across the state.

31

Data Quality Campaign, http://dataqualitycampaign.org/stateanalysis/states/NM/

http://dataqualitycampaign.org/stateanalysis/states/NM/

nm access inventory final 10-15-12 (1)

Documents

new mexico state profile

new mexicos population

number of new mexicans

percent of new mexicos

percent of new mexicans

new mexicos graduation

national average

high college continuation