New Mexico Rising

Dr. Jessie Barrie, Head of School at Albuquerque’s Bosque School, joins us to chat about what the school’s tagline “challenging education” means and expanding access to quality education. We also discuss the successes of Bosque School, the nonprofits that were incubated at Bosque and Dr, Barrie’s hopes for New Mexico’s students.  Learn more about Bosque school here: https://www.bosqueschool.org/  ...

BREAKING NEWS: Academic performance results have been released by the NMPED. In this episode, Kelsey McCaffrey, Principal in Residence at Albuquerque Collegiate Charter Schools joins Amanda to discuss the results and what they mean for New Mexico’s students, teachers, and district leaders. Tune in to learn more about New Mexico’s academic performance!  Read Kelsey’s Op-Ed Here: https://nmeducation...

Juaquin Moya, founder of Horizons Albuquerque, joins us for a conversation about what’s possible for students in Albuquerque when they are provided the support they need. Juaquin reflects on starting Horizons Albuquerque, a transformational, community-centered education program proven to close the opportunity gap. Juaquin also shares about his experiences attending and working with both private an...

This episode of the New Mexico Rising Podcast is a fun one! Derrell Bradford, President of 50CAN joins us as a guest host!  Derrell interviews our Executive Director, Amanda Aragon. The two of them chat about Amanda’s background, her passion for education, and the work NewMexicoKidsCAN is doing to improve education in New Mexico. Sign up for NewMexicoKidsCAN’s email list here: https://nmkidscan.or...

Allison Caldwell, a structured literacy coach, has over 15 years of experience in the education field. This episode is all about literacy! Allison shares her experiences as a literacy coach, what is being done to improve New Mexico’s literacy rates and the importance of elevating this conversation for educators, parents and all community members.   We also discuss the upcoming screening of the Rig...

Kyle Rhodes, former President of the Farmington school board and CEO of PESCO, joins us in our first episode of semester 2. Kyle shares his passion for providing children with the opportunity to succeed, his role in improving student outcomes for Farmington Municipal Schools and why he is optimistic about what is possible for New Mexico’s education system.

Rebekka Burt, Vice-Chair of the Public Education Commission joins us for a conversation about the importance of quality charter school authorizing. What’s charter school authorizing you ask? Tune in to learn more about this critical role in New Mexico’s education system. Bekka also shares more about how she navigated school options to find the right fit for her daughters and a special tidbit about...

Isaac Rivas-Savell, founder and executive director of Voz Collegiate Charter School joins us for a fun and heartfelt conversation about his journey to start a high performing charter school in Albuquerque. We chat about the challenges he had to overcome, the progress that has been made and the legacy of the family members that came before us. Tune in for an inspiring conversation about the importa...

Yolanda Montoya-Cordova, School Board President for Albuquerque Public Schools, New Mexico’s largest school district joins us for a conversation about the district’s new goals and strategic plan. Yolanda also shares more about her personal education experiences in Albuquerque Public Schools and her history of service to her South Valley community.

Meet Dr. Arsenio Romero, New Mexico’s new Secretary of Education! Secretary Romero joins us to discuss his new role and what he plans to accomplish for the students and families of New Mexico. In this episode you will learn more about our new Secretary of Education including his background, educational experience, and how he plans to tackle the monumental task of improving education in the Land of...

Matt Pahl, Executive Director of Public Charter Schools of New Mexico joins us to provide our listeners with an update on New Mexico’s legislative session! Tune in to hear a summary of the big education ideas being debated and how Amanda and Matt think they will impact New Mexico Schools.

Jade Rivera, Founder and Executive director of Albuquerque Collegiate Charter School, joins us to share about what led her to start a high performing school in Albuquerque’s South Valley. Jade shares more about the excellent results her school has achieved, especially in early literacy and what she believes is possible for New Mexico students. Jade also shares with listeners tips for school enroll...

Bella Chandler, kindergarten teacher at S.Y. Jackson Elementary in Albuquerque, NM shares her vulnerable journey to learning about the Science of Reading and how it completely changed the way she teaches reading in her classroom. 14 years into her career, Bella realized that everything she knew to do was wrong. After lots of training Bella is now seeing phenomenal results in her classroom and beli...

Matthew Montano, Superintendent of Bernalillo Public Schools has been in the role leading his hometown school district for a year and half. In this episode he chats with us about the challenges of taking over the leadership of an underperforming school district, how it feels to lead in his hometown and so much more.

Danielle Gonzales, APS board member, has dedicated her career to improving education across the county. Recently, she moved home to put her experiences to use where it matters most, her hometown. Danielle is a proud product of APS and earned her Master’s in Education from the University of Notre Dame. In this episode she shares more about her personal and professional experiences, why she decided...

Yasine Armstrong, vice-chair of the Sidney Gutierrez Charter School governing board - has an incredible array of professional experiences which includes everything from working for Former Governor Bill Richardson to co-launching her own company, BabyPage. Yasine is also incredibly involved in the community and is passionate about improving New Mexico’s education system. In this episode she shares...

All across our state incredible leaders, educators and parents are working to improve our education system and New Mexico Rising will feature their stories. Each episode will feature an interview with someone leading great work in New Mexico’s education system. Tune in to New Mexico Rising and join us in creating a better future for New Mexico’s students. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts a...