I would add that strategies for engagement in school must extend beyond school, into homes and families, of course, but also into our libraries, and into other community resources.

On the issue of libraries, other states have "teacher in the library" tutoring programs, early literacy programs that stress that reading and learning is fun, and summer reading programs for both children and parents and media centers open only to teens.

It seems to help.

I see way to little of this in New Mexico.

My observations were these:

1–there is a culture of failure in this state. Parents do not care about education, so their kids don't. Not all parents, but a good number.

2–Dropping out is too easy.

3–Teachers do not care about their jobs only their summer vacations.

4–The overabundance of small school districts means more money in going to administrative costs instead of the classrooms.

5–In the rural areas there is not enough oppourtunity for kids to see life beyond the valley in which they live.

6–High pregancy rates, drug and alcohol abuse disrupts the education process

7–Kids are not given the support at home they need to be sucessful in school.

8–In the rural areas there is a lack of access to technology. The school I taught at only had one lab with30 computers for the whole school. I didn't even have a computer in my room to work on, or any for my students in the classroom.

I know my four kids have all had terrific elementary and middle school experiences, partially because we were engaged parents and made sure of it. Our two oldest boys entered high school with high GPA's and hope and positive expectations, only to have their bright, curious minds crushed by the insanity of the block schedule or a class in which movies and questions on the board to fill in substitute for engaged discussion. In classes where they truly had trouble, they were often allowed to reach a point of such poor performance that they had no way to recover and pass (we'd get notice halfway through the semester that they were failing). So they eventually adopted a "whatever" attitude, and barely graduated–this with IQ's in the 140's. Guess what? Once they went to college, where they WERE engaged intellectually and rewarded for their hard work and sharp minds, they have flourished.

Now my beautiful, talented and gifted daughter is entering high school, and while she is a completely different creature than her brothers, I wonder if she too will end up in the trash heap that is "smart kids who won't put up with bull".

I know so many intelligent and capable kids, from "good families" that dropped out because they could return to night school or eventually get their GED without having to bear the excruciating agony that is high school in New Mexico.

I do think the fact that our state is forgiving to those kids who step away from what they perceive as a pointless waste of time is part of our large drop-out percentages. They can, and more often than some realize, do find alternatives, and later get back on track. But the problem is it that it ends up costing the NM taxpayer two times the cost to educate that student.

(1) "The core problem is that when these students were in early elementary school they did not learn the skills necessary to become literate." But BEFORE they got to school they had parents who were not engaged in affirmative parenting. Don't blame it all on the schools.

(2) Do a comparison of teacher salaries in the 1950's, when the rich were really taxed, and teacher salaries today (adjusted for inflation of course). Our better qualified college students are NOT choosing careers in education. What? You think they should survive on dedication alone? Tell that to Wall Street.

(3) The problem isn't just in the public schools. Check the failure to make AYP in the state's charter schools. Two years ago it was slightly worse than in the public schools. And I am under the impression that they cherry-pick their students.

That's for starters.