skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Tuesday, November 12, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Trump's emerging team of loyalists is primed for a fast start in his second term; GA activist focuses on zoning violations to advocate for environmental health; Federal tax credits help clinics expand in low-income IL communities; Experts say antibiotic resistance is growing in VT due to 'superbugs.'

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Immigrant rights groups and librarians react to Trump's win. The President-elect names philosophical allies and deregulators to White House positions and Democrats wonder how they can fight Trump policies, given the GOP's congressional majority.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Texas women travel some of the longest distances for abortion care, Californians the shortest, rural living comes with mixed blessings for veterans, an ancient technique could curtail climate-change wildfires, and escape divisive politics on World Kindness Day.

NM Schools Use 'Real-life' Experiences to Ready Students for College, Career

play audio
Play

Tuesday, June 27, 2023   

A New Mexico program is offering high school students more real-world experiences to boost their interest in college and a career.

Future Focused Education is redesigning graduation requirements and putting more emphasis on students' personal interests.

Tony Monfiletto, executive director of the group, said students tackle capstone projects designed to increase motivation and enable deeper learning. He pointed out a classroom assignment takes on new meaning when students engage in real-life activities combining personal interests with their unique skill sets.

"Young people are out working on homelessness, they're out working on food insecurity," Monfiletto outlined. "They're out working on other issues that are important to the community."

Future Focused Education is working in partnership with the state's Public Education Department to advance the "Innovation Zone Initiative," granted $30 million in expansion funds by the New Mexico Legislature earlier this year. Participating schools aim to improve the student experience and academic outcomes and also benefit local communities.

Monfiletto noted it is a new approach not just for students but also teachers, and requires training beyond the traditional classroom. It includes measuring how students respond: Are they going to college and staying enrolled? He added once they graduate, the program will also evaluate if students are getting better jobs or entering into apprenticeships.

"What we're trying to do is move outside of a standardized test -- filling in the bubbles kind-of evaluation -- which tells you very little about what a student can actually do," Monfiletto explained. "We're trying to move this evaluation to a real-life context."

He added students work with mentors outside of school to identify a community need and then develop a project to address the need.

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.



get more stories like this via email
more stories
Nearly half of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency budget goes into grants to state environmental programs, nonprofits, educational institutions and others. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

Florida environmental advocates are concerned about the future after President-elect Donald Trump named former New York Congressman Lee Zeldin to lead…


play sound

As President-elect Donald Trump announces immigration hard-liners as his deputy chief of staff and border czar this week, groups supporting …

Health and Wellness

play sound

It is now up to Wisconsin Supreme Court justices to decide the fate of an abortion law from the mid-1800s. A circuit court determined last year an 18…


Someone becomes homeless in the United States every 40 minutes. (Pixel-Shot/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

The faith-based nonprofit Our Calling is working with unsheltered clients in north Texas to create a long-term exit plan to help them rebuild their li…

Environment

play sound

The hills and hollers of Virginia are no strangers to hardship, but few were prepared for the devastation Hurricane Helene would bring. Six weeks …

Economists suggest for a more budget-friendly holiday feast, consider hosting a potluck. Sharing dishes not only brings variety to the table, but helps spread the costs among guests. (Drazen/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

With Thanksgiving just over two weeks away, will Michiganders and shoppers across the country face sticker shock at the grocery store while planning …

Social Issues

play sound

Incarcerated young people in Washington state can spend a longer time in detention if they do not have a place to go upon release. Some of the …

play sound

By Grace Hussain for Sentient.Broadcast version by Shanteya Hudson for Georgia News Connection reporting for the Sentient-Public News Service Collabor…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021