Valencia County Education Collaborative working to give all students a pathway to success

BELEN—Intentional collaboration is the name of the game in an effort to connect Valencia County high school graduates with next steps once they earn their diploma.

At a recent meeting of the Belen Consolidated Schools’ Board of Education, Dr. Sam Dosumu brought board members up to speed on what has been dubbed the Valencia County Education Collaborative.

“This is about collaboration with our local school districts,” said Dosumu, the chancellor of the University of New Mexico-Valencia Campus.

The chancellor and three superintendents — Lawrence Sanchez with BCS, Susan Chavez with Los Lunas Schools and Mike Ogas the School of Dreams Academy charter — meet for coffee and a chat about problem solving once a month.

“This is all about the success of kids, what’s good for kids,” he said. “Everything is framed around that.”

The genesis of the collaborative is the desire to take students from high school to higher education while acknowledging that isn’t always a straight shot.

“It can be a disjointed route along the way, one of which can involve dual credit,” Dosumu said. “It works best when high school and higher ed come together and figure out how to get kids through the pipeline.”

The chancellor said discussion began centered around how do students transition to post secondary paths from high school, which led he and the superintendents to the idea of a pathways academy.

“That way, high school kids will have a pathway, a solution to academic and career technical and trades offerings. We can identify interests in students when they start to take classes; the front end will be here (at the high schools) and our courses are on the other side, the post secondary,” the chancellor said.

Dosumu said while dual credit has been a longstanding program and partnership between the two-year campus and area high schools, he’s always felt the time spent at the campus should culminate in at least an industry certification, if not a degree.

“Students aren’t just taking classes. This collaborative allows the University of New Mexico-Valencia to work with districts to align scheduling, to align course offerings and make sure we create an environment where ... we offer one initiative instead of a disjointed experience,” he said.

To help students enter that pipeline and identify interests as early as possible, advisors from UNM-Valencia make it part of their monthly assignments to visit local high schools and make sure students are getting information first hand.

“We want them to transition to us with little to no challenges,” Dosumu said. “Either to come to our campus in Tomé or the Workforce Training Center in Los Lunas. At the end of the day, it’s about the pathway they select.”

To make this collaboration more cohesive, Dosumu said they are using a cohort model, where students move through a particular career or academic pathway with the same group of students.

“This ensures completion and we are able to prepare students to sit for industry credentials at the end of the coursework,” he said. “Whether it’s nursing, construction or welding, we want them to walk away and be able to go to an employer prepared.”

By encouraging students to take advantage of UNM-Valencia’s academic and career offerings, it gives them exposure to a university learning environment.

“There’s the power of the site. When they are at college it creates a different mindset,” Dr. Dosumu said. “It’s more than taking classes. Students get a taste of the environment, see other students, make friends, see the amenities and resources.

“It helps them grow and mature a little bit. A lot of students can do the courses but this is how they become independent after high school.”

Currently, UNM-Valencia offers an array of career technical education programs, including allied health, criminal justice, welding and game design, and has plans to add fields such as cybersecurity, community health work, and more trades like plumbing and HVAC.

“How do we get all of our students to the workforce or to post secondary education? This is building that pipeline,” Dosumu said. “This says, ‘UNM-Valencia is the first stop after high school, no questions asked.’ All the courses are UNM courses so they transfer seamlessly. This collaboration is for career technical and academics. I want to see more students go through.”

In May, a total of 11 local high school seniors were awarded their associate degree, 28 students earned an allied health certificate and 13 students received a welding certificate. Many of these students have been earning college credit since the ninth grade through the dual credit program.

Belen Board President Jim Danner said dual credit programs have greatly benefited two of his grandchildren, both in New Mexico and Colorado.

“I cannot emphasize enough to parents — dual credit is the best. UNM dual credit transfers anywhere,” Danner said. “AP classes aren’t worth it; they don’t always transfer. With you (Dr. Dosumu) on board, we are making really, really good things happen for our kids.”

Board member Aubrey Tucker had a nephew among the students receiving an associate degree this spring, something that puts him ahead.

“In this global society, he’s ahead, not behind,” Tucker said. “I appreciate the forward thinking you have with this.”

BCS Superintendent Lawrence Sanchez said the district has partnered with UNM-Valencia in dual credit for many years, but with all the moving parts, the effort wasn’t always intentional.

“It has become more intentional. With the dual credit and CTE opportunities, it allows us to stand out among other schools,” Sanchez said. “Working together with Dr. Sam and his team is how we can provide flexibility.

“We know in looking at the research our students want flexible. They don’t want traditional high school.”