NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – New Mexico Public Education Department Office of Inclusive Education was awarded nearly $10 million from the U.S. Department of Education.

The $9,943,500 will be used to help New Mexico individuals with disabilities transition to life after high school. Career Connected Learning in New Mexico (CCLinNM) will serve more than 27,000 students with disabilities in all districts across the state of New Mexico. The districts represent rural populations, and the majority of students are Hispanic.

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Project objectives/outcomes for students with disabilities include:

  • Providing relevance of career-connected learning.
  • Increasing access to career exploration.
  • Building motivation to learn and proficiency in foundation math to prepare for jobs.
  • Increasing self-awareness and self-advocacy skills.
  • Increasing training opportunities for teachers and partners with a career-connected learning focus from cradle to careers.
  • Apply a shared vision to build a partnership that coordinates resources and service delivery models to ease transitions after high school.
  • Increasing clarity of measures of career-connected learning in special education.

The U.S. Department of Education’s Rehabilitation Services Administration awarded nearly $199 million in funding for the Pathways to Partnerships innovative model demonstration project which supports collaborative partnerships between state vocational rehabilitation agencies, state and local educational agencies, and federally funded centers for independent living.

A total of 20 states were awarded grants. “This investment will not only require state and local agencies to improve outcomes for individuals with disabilities by finding innovative ways of working together, but it will also look to unlock post school and career success for those individuals,” said Glenna Wright-Gallo, assistant secretary for the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), which oversees RSA.