Elementary Teacher Education Program wins national award

Thanks to an innovative practice-based preparation curriculum, the HEST Elementary Teacher Education Program won the Billy G. Dixon Distinguished Program in Teacher Education in 2024.

The award is given by the Association of Teacher Educators – the only national organization devoted to improvement of teacher education for both school and campus-based educators – to a program that exemplifies collaboration between local education agencies and institutions of higher education in program development and administration. The Elementary TEP provides teaching candidates with more than 900 hours of field-based experiences with elementary children and families thanks to the guidance of NMSU Director of Elementary Education Leanna Lucero and supporting faculty.

“The collaborative development of our program helps us to achieve our program goals, align with state and national standards, and prepare socially just educators to work successfully in grades K-8 with children and families from linguistically and culturally diverse backgrounds. I am honored to serve as the current director of elementary education and to work with amazing faculty, staff and students who share a vision of serving children and families in the borderland,” Lucero says.