Building the Future for Students in College and Career. Grantmakers for Education New Mexico Study Tour

In April of 2023, a group of education funders gathered from around the country in Gallup, New Mexico. The main purpose of the visit, which took place April 26 to April 28, 2023, was to learn about Gallup-McKinley County Schools' career pathways programs, which provide opportunities for young people in the district to explore careers like digital media, architecture, health sciences and automotive industry while still in high school. During the visit, tour participants visited high school classrooms dedicated to these career pathways classes, such as a garage-sized space housing a few pick-up trucks and a classroom set up for health sciences training that featured two human-sized dummies that reacted to voice commands. Tour participants also had the opportunity to hear from New Mexico state legislators about the state's education initiatives and funding priorities. This report examines what participants' learned about the program and their reflections of the visit.