Revisiting New Mexico’s Classrooms

This week on New Mexico in Focus, we explore problems in the classroom the state’s new public education secretary will face. 

Correspondent Russell Contreras sits down with Dr. Karen Sanchez-Griego, a former superintendent of the Cuba Independent School District. Sanchez-Griego speaks on the state’s graduation rates and how public education can improve. 

COVID, remote learning, returning to school and concerns about safety are all major challenges that have snowballed for students in recent years. Executive Producer Jeff Proctor speaks with two school counselors about the unique hurdles students are confronting and how they’ve impacted their mental health and coursework.    

Correspondent Gwyneth Doland interviews three St. John’s College-affiliated authors about the value of a liberal arts education.   

This fall, the Rio Grande corridor will be planted with thousands of milkweed plants, thanks in part to students from Sandia High School who put aside their textbooks for pots of soil and seeds. The “River for Monarchs” project is meant to help restore the Rio Grande’s habitat and make the land more hospitable for the monarch butterfly. 

This week on New Mexico in Focus, we explore the history of Labor Day and the state of labor in New Mexico in 2024. Senior Producer Lou DiVizio sits down with University of New Mexico professor Dr. Jason Scott Smith as he explains the roots of the holiday and considers how Americans should measure economic success in our country.  

Albuquerque-based labor lawyer Stephen Curtice talks to Lou about his work and provides a snapshot of the state of labor today in New Mexico. 

A study from the University of New Mexico reports dangerous working conditions in the oil and gas industry. Correspondent Elizabeth Miller speaks with Dr. Gabriel Sanchez, a study author and executive director at UNM’s Center for Social Policy, to ask how the sector’s workers might find new jobs in a clean-energy future. 

Host: Jeff Proctor 

Segments: 

Former Superintendent on Improving NM Public Education

Correspondent:  Russell Contreras   

Guest:  Dr. Karen Sanchez-Griego, Former Superintendent, Cuba Independent School District 

School Counselors Assess the Student Experience in 2023

Correspondent:  
Jeff Proctor  

Guests:  
Bryan Gabaldon, school counselor, Highland High School  
Devon Shelton, school counselor, Alameda Elementary School 

St. John’s College Authors on the Value of a Liberal Arts Education

Correspondent:  Gwyneth Doland  

Guests:  
Dr. John Agresto, author, former president, St. John’s College  
Dr. Patricia Sauthoff, author, St. John’s College alum  
Salvatore Scibona, author, St. John’s College alum   

River for Monarchs: Sandia High School Seed Workshop

Correspondents:  Tara Walch & Michael Kamins    

Guests:  
Tyler Turk  
Erika Kent  
Alexandra Blind  
Joy Gbara  
Jason Roback