The Value of Education in Dona Ana County

The Real World Value of Community College Classes for Dona Ana County High School Students

I read this article in the New Mexico Independent today and found that it brings up a lot of questions about education and how to encourage students to pursue higher education while staying in high school when they can find no way to afford it.

“On education, Fischmann said he’ll be looking for ways to foster a more “coordinated effort” between schools, unions, employers and the state labor department to help students become “self-sustaining” members of society. As a businessman, Fischmann said the state’s high dropout rate tells him that the state isn’t providing the right services to many students. With the high poverty rate in Doña Ana County, he said, many aren’t going to attend college, and the schools need to provide “something that feels relevant to these kids. … They need to see the connection to making a living.”

Fischmann said he doesn’t claim to have all the answers but will be exploring ways to improve education with that goal in mind.”

In Albuquerque at Central New Mexico Community College we have a program that allows high school students to take college classes at no cost to them. By giving these students a chance to see the value of taking higher education classes they are encouraged to stay in school and by allowing them to take technical classes it allows them to gain skills that they can use in the real business world. Technical classes have the added value that these classes have immediate real world application that can profit the high schools students upon graduation therefore allowing them to get jobs were they can afford to pay for more college classes with the end result being that it raises the level of education in the state and provides businesses with an educated workforce all at the same time. These types of programs also have the added benefit of reducing the dropout rates for high schools.