‘The teachers and the scientists are going to raise hell’

Inside the rewrite

For four years, Lesley Galyas worked to bring the Next Generation Science Standards to New Mexico. Blown away by the breadth of scientific opportunities in the state for both teachers and students, she thought it was the perfect place to roll out the new wave of science education. This week, SFR has the story of her growing frustration with higher-ups at the Public Education Department whom, she says, weren't interested in learning about the new standards and were more concerned about what they could keep out. Just hours after we published, the PED announced a planned revision of its widely panned proposal.

Act II

Just what that full revision will look like is anyone's guess. The four standards released Tuesday night were generally well-received by many critics, but this is education policy. What the science standards are not is the full Next Generation Science Standards. The department has said it plans to make a final decision in the next few weeks.

Repeal and replace

You wouldn't think that phrase would be the first choice of policymakers in describing their plans, but it certainly fits the bill for Gov. Susana Martinez' effort to change the way the state handles accused criminals before they're convicted. Martinez says a constitutional amendment passed by voters just last year that allows both pretrial detention of suspects deemed dangerous and release of most others is being applied too broadly and putting the public in danger. She's calling on lawmakers to repeal and replace the amendment in the next legislative session.

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