Rebecca Dow, a House Representative from New Mexico, has urged school districts to adopt evidence-based strategies such as tutoring and grade retention without the need for new legislation. This statement was made on the social media platform X.
"Dear NM public school districts, you don't need a legislative mandate to implement most evidence based strategies," said Rebecca L. Dow, New Mexico State Representative for 38th District (R). "You can offer tutoring now. You can inform and engage parents now. You can suggest a child who can't read by third grade be retained at the parent's request now."
A recent analysis comparing student performance in New Mexico and Tennessee indicates that Tennessee has achieved significant progress in mathematics through high-dosage tutoring and the use of the Zearn platform. Lower-performing students in Tennessee have shown notable growth on state TCAP exams. In contrast, New Mexico continues to struggle nationally with some of the lowest proficiency rates in both reading and math. These findings have led to calls for expanding similar tutoring interventions in New Mexico, according to reports by Zearn and NM Kids CAN.
In the 2023-24 school year, only 39% of New Mexico students were proficient in reading, while just 23% were proficient in math, based on state data. Nationally, the NAEP 2024 results placed New Mexico at the bottom, with only 20% of fourth graders proficient in reading and 23% in math. Among eighth graders, only 19% were proficient in reading and 14% in math. These statistics highlight ongoing academic challenges within the state, as reported by NM Kids CAN.
Research indicates that high-dosage tutoring can significantly accelerate learning, with estimated gains equivalent to an additional 3 to 15 months of progress. This approach can elevate average students from the 50th to the 66th percentile. Studies combining third-grade retention with tutoring found that students near the cutoff scored 0.045 standard deviations higher than peers who narrowly missed retention. These findings underscore the effectiveness of integrating tutoring with literacy-focused policies, according to American Progress and Education Week.
Dow is a Republican who represented District 38 in the New Mexico House of Representatives after being first elected in 2016. She is known for her focus on education, parental choice, and literacy initiatives. Dow served on legislative committees addressing education and economic development and previously worked in nonprofit child and family services before entering politics. In 2022, she also ran in the Republican primary for governor, as reported by Ballotpedia.
New Mexico’s education system is managed by the Public Education Department under the governor's oversight, with local school boards responsible for districts and charters. The state ranks near the bottom nationally regarding reading and math performance but has initiated reforms including K-5 reading plans, summer programs, high-dosage tutoring, and debates over third-grade retention policies. These efforts aim to close persistent achievement gaps and accelerate recovery from pandemic-related educational losses as reported by NM Kids CAN and the New Mexico Legislature.
