Education
Diane Denish believes that a quality education is the key to getting a good-paying job and achieving your dreams. That’s why she has fought tirelessly for the children of New Mexico, to make sure that our kids have the tools they need to compete for the jobs of the 21st Century.
In 2005, Diane spearheaded the creation of the Children’s Cabinet, bringing together representatives from Cabinet departments, non-profit organizations and the courts. Diane has also been a staunch advocate of early childhood education, creating and then expanding a state program which provided access to quality education for more than 1,400 children. The pre-K program has received national praise for having a “significant and meaningful impact on children’s early language, literacy, and mathematical development.”
Unfortunately, however, too many New Mexico children are falling behind and are either not graduating with the skills they need to compete – or not graduating at all. That’s why Diane launched the Centennial Graduates Initiative and continues to hold graduation summits across the state. These summits help students see a pathway to graduation and beyond. For Diane, the fight will not end until every single child in New Mexico has the opportunity achieve his or her dreams.
A Tireless Advocate for Early Childhood Education: As Lieutenant Governor, Diane Denish has fought to expand and improve early childhood education in New Mexico, so that every child in our state starts off on the right foot. Diane helped establish the New Mexico’s Pre-Kindergarten effort, and led the fights from 2005-2007 to provide additional funding for early childhood education. In addition, Diane has championed the public-private effort to expand high quality, voluntary home visiting services to New Mexico families – a proven way to help families access resources and community support.
Fighting to Improve New Mexico’s Graduation Rate: As part of her Centennial Graduates Initiative, Diane Denish has personally spoken to thousands of New Mexico High School students and asked them to pledge to finish high school. In 2009, Diane was selected by the America's Promise Alliance, a non-profit founded by Colin Powell, to host a Graduation Summit for New Mexico to call attention to the need to improve graduation rates statewide. The Summit convened more than 500 stakeholders including young people, educators, lawmakers, administrators, the business community, non-profits, and others to come up with ideas and action plans to address critical issues.
Promoting Exercise and Good Nutrition in Public Schools: Diane believes that in order for our children to be successful in school, and in the workforce, they must develop good habits of exercise and nutrition. That’s why she fought to obtain funding for a program that connects New Mexico farmers with local schools to make sure our children have fresh produce. Diane supported legislation to fund more than 200 additional physical education teachers in our schools, and led the effort to expand school-based health centers across the state. There are now 75 school-based health centers in New Mexico that ensure our children and their families have access to behavioral and physical health services.
Strengthening Vocational Programs that Prepare Our Students for the Workforce: Diane Denish believes that our high schools and technical schools must do more to prepare our students to compete for 21st Century jobs. That’s why she consistently fought to expand programs at career technical centers and vocational charter high schools. Students must be trained with skills that will lead to the good-paying New Mexico jobs of the future.
