President Pro Tempore Mimi Stewart from Albuquerque is pushing a new bill to enhance literacy standards in New Mexico’s education system.
Senate Bill 242 aims to improve how future teachers are trained by requiring New Mexico universities to include structured literacy in their programs. This means a stronger focus on phonics, vocabulary, and reading comprehension, rather than relying on context clues or guesswork.
Structured literacy helps children build a solid reading foundation. In contrast, balanced literacy often encourages students to make educated guesses about words. Stewart pointed out how Mississippi improved its reading scores by passing a similar law in 2014, moving from the bottom to a much better position. “How did they do that?” she asked. “They implemented structured literacy training.”
The Senate Education Committee supported the bill unanimously, and it will move on to the Senate Finance Committee next.
Groups like Think New Mexico and NewMexicoKidsCAN also voiced their support, along with a teacher and parents from the May Center for Learning in Santa Fe.
Caitlin Trujillo, an elementary lead teacher at the May Center, shared her insights. She didn’t learn about structured literacy until she started working there, despite her training at New Mexico Highlands University. “I was lucky to receive extensive training on the science of reading at the May Center,” she told the committee. “Teacher programs need to teach this crucial skill so that educators can be effective in improving student outcomes in New Mexico.”
