PED News:

SANTA FE — Dr. Margaret Cage, deputy secretary of special education for the New Mexico Public Education Department’s Office of Special Education (OSE), will participate in a working group with the Center for Advancing Policy on Employment for Youth (CAPE-Youth).

CAPE-Youth is a U.S. Department of Labor-funded grant project that seeks to create job opportunities for disabled youth and young adults by helping states with their service delivery and workforce systems.

Cage will attend the CAPE-Youth working group’s first in-person meeting in Richmond, Virginia from Aug. 14–16.

“The prospect of shaping our state’s and nation’s youth service delivery workforce systems, particularly for students with disabilities, resonates deeply with me,” Cage said. “I am committed to playing an integral role in this endeavor and striving to create environments where all students can thrive.”

Cage was selected for the working group based upon her expertise and leadership in the field of special education. Cage has more than 25 years of experience in education, having served as a teacher, instructional coach, turnaround specialist, school leader, and school system director. Prior to working with the PED, Cage supervised special education services for Assumption Parish Schools in Louisiana.

Working group members will have the opportunity to collaborate with and learn from other state leaders to improve transition systems and career pathways for youth with disabilities. The working group will help improve and guide the Center’s work by reviewing and disseminating content, reviewing the Center’s research approaches and processes, and cultivating state champions of employment for youth and young adults with disabilities.