Photo: Margaret McKinney/Highlands University
Brown Bear, left, a member of The Literacy Council of Northeastern New Mexico, with Highlands University education professors Loretta Salazar and Susan Rumann at the May 5 open house for the School of Education’s remodeled and upgraded curriculum library. The library now houses an office for The Literacy Council.
School of Education Opens Upgraded Curriculum Library With Office Space for The Literacy Council
The Highlands University School of Education held an open house May 5 for its remodeled curriculum library, which features a new state-of-the-art curriculum collection and an office for The Literacy Council of Northeastern New Mexico.
The university’s curriculum library is the only State of New Mexico comprehensive curriculum collection in the northeastern part of the state. It includes all the K -12 curriculum materials adopted by the state this year, including textbooks, CDs, videos and more.
Spanish, German and French materials are also part of the collection. In addition, the library contains technology tools like Smart Boards and PCs, and upcoming wireless service will allow education students to use their laptop computers at the library.
“This curriculum library will allow our education students to see and use materials that are being used in the classroom,” said Michael Anderson, dean of the university’s School of Education. “It’s also a resource where teaching teams from surrounding school districts can look at state curriculums before adopting specific textbooks and programs.”
Anderson said the School of Education’s new partnership with The Literacy Council of Northeastern New Mexico is a natural fit.
“It’s often characteristic of rural settings that it’s harder to access services for adult literacy,” Anderson said. “It’s incumbent upon the School of Education to provide the needed support.
“We want people to feel a sense of pride that they are coming to a university setting for adult literacy. Having the The Literacy Council office in our curriculum library will also give our education students an opportunity to better understand adult literacy,” Anderson said.
“We’re thrilled to be working with Highlands University, and Dean Anderson has provided a wonderful resource for The Literacy Council,” said Barbara Perea Casey, a council member and executive director for CASA, a non-profit agency with volunteers who advocate for abused and neglected children. “We were trying to find a good venue for adults to have an appropriate place to learn to read without stigma.
“The council will provide tutoring services to help people learn to read from our office in the curriculum library,” Perea Casey said.
Other members of The Literacy Council include Brown Bear, Dorothy Maestas, Carol Winkel, Janet Remenyik, Martha McCaffrey, and Holly Middleton, a Highlands University English professor who directs the university’s composition program.
Anderson said that education graduate student Jessica Flannery’s hard work put the finishing touches on the upgraded curriculum library. He added that the School of Education plans to continually update the library’s materials.
The School of Education curriculum library is in the university’ Victoria D. de Sanchez Teacher Education Center at 1031 11th St. The library is open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday or by appointment. Call the School of Education at 505-454-3381.
For information about The Literacy Council of Northeastern New Mexico, call Brown Bear at Tome on the Range, 505-454-9944.