NM ed secretary: Poverty impacts learning

from the Las Cruses Sun News

By Diana M. Alba

LAS CRUCES — Poverty is one of the most significant factors impacting public education in the state, said New Mexico Public Education Department Secretary Veronica Garc'a during a visit to Las Cruces on Tuesday.

Garc'a addressed a group of educators from across the country attending the Interstate Migrant Education Conference, which runs through Wednesday.

Garc'a said the state is taking a "holistic" approach toward improving education and is attempting to address all the needs of children. For instance, she said, school districts have worked to improve the health of students by removing unhealthy foods from vending machines. Also, she said the state is attempting to make sure students eat breakfast, which helps them focus in class and cuts down on behavior problems.

Garc'a noted that New Mexico "has one of the highest rates of students who receive free and reduce-priced meals in the country."

In addition, she said, New Mexico increased the number of school-based health centers from 56 in 2006 to 70 in 2007. Often, Garc'a said, these centers are the only access poor students have to health care.

Children of farm workers face more challenges than other students because their parents move, sometimes from one state to the next, with the harvest. Their parents also don't earn much, she said.

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