Educators Wear Black in Statewide Day of Action to Take Back Joy of Learning

By Charles Goodmacher
NEA-New Mexico UniServ
Research, Communication & Government Relations

Today is the statewide day of action in New Mexico to take back the joy of learning, time for teaching and professionalism in public education.

In schools across New Mexico, education employees will wear black to express outrage against the Governor’s policies that are failing our schools, our students and our state, including the new teacher evaluation system which is largely based on standardized test scores. Teachers in many communities will also hold marches, rallies and other actions engaging New Mexicans.

“We are not afraid of tests — we invented them. But the imposed teacher evaluation system is about using tests to punish educators, rather than help students,” says NEA-New Mexico President Betty Patterson.

“In many New Mexico public schools, a culture of over-testing and high-stakes testing is killing effective teaching and learning. Focusing on tests hasn’t increased test scores, but it is destroying educator’s morale and stressing our students,” says Stephanie Ly, president of AFT New Mexico.

NEA Local (and Joint Local) Actions Statewide Include:

  • Bernalillo: BPS District Office: 560 S. Camino Del Pueblo;   
  • Carlsbad: Rally at District Office, 3000 W. Church;
  • Hobbs: Rally at Broadmore Mall, 1401 North Trail;
  • Roswell: Rally at Court House;
  • Deming: Rally Luna County Courthouse, 700 S. Silver;
  • Alamogordo: Alamogordo Public Schools Administration Complex at 1211 Hawaii Ave.;
  • Lovington: Individual school rallies, at the close of the duty day;
  • Santa Fe: Offices of the N.M. Public Education Department, 300 Don Gaspar;
  • Las Cruces: (with Classified School Employees Council), near district offices, 505 S. Main St.;
  • Belen: march on Main Street close to Belen school district central office;
  • Rio Rancho: March and Rally at Southern Blvd. and Hwy. 528; and
  • Grant County: Rally to Gough Park.
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