Conversations about workforce readiness often focus on high school preparedness, including career academies, certifications, internships, and college alternatives. But during a recent interview, Albuquerque Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Gabriella Duran-Blakey emphasized that a dual approach supports a district's overall objectives.

Workforce pathways, she argued, do not begin in high school. They begin with literacy.

“If we aren’t teaching students how to read—particularly in those early grades—we’re not setting them up for success along their schooling or along their life,” she said.

It’s a shared idea among many in the education community, but one that has reshaped how Albuquerque, New Mexico’s largest school district, thinks about student success, workforce preparation, and long-term economic opportunity.

A Reset Rooted in Focus

Albuquerque Public Schools (APS) serves roughly 70,000 students across a geographic area the size of Rhode Island. It is the largest district in a largely rural state, serving urban, suburban, and rural communities that include students who travel long distances from reservations to attend school.

Shortly after the district emerged from COVID-era disruptions, it faced another reckoning: a statewide lawsuit finding that New Mexico was failing to adequately serve Native American students, those with disabilities, English language learners, and economically disadvantaged students—all groups that make up a significant portion of APS enrollment.



For Duran-Blakey, who became superintendent in July 2023, the moment demanded clarity rather than complexity. “We had to reset,” she explained. “And really get strategic about what we’re doing to increase outcomes for students.”

Working closely with the community and school board, APS narrowed its focus to four districtwide goals. Among them: third-grade reading, eighth-grade math, purposeful high school pathways, and the explicit teaching of skills and mindsets such as perseverance and self-regulation.

While each goal stands on its own, together they form a coherent pipeline that starts long before students ever choose a career pathway.

Literacy as the First Workforce Investment

Few metrics carry as much long-term weight as third-grade reading proficiency. By that point, students are expected to shift from learning to read to a reading-to-learn principle. When they don’t, the consequences can echo for years.

Before APS adopted its current literacy goal, only about a quarter of students in key subgroups were proficient readers by third grade. That meant roughly 75 percent were not.

“That was really concerning to me,” Duran-Blakey said. “Because our students aren’t being set up for success if we don’t get this right early.”

Rather than treating literacy as a stand-alone academic issue, APS reframed it as foundational infrastructure necessary for every future pathway, whether college-bound or career-focused.

The district committed fully to the science of reading, drawing lessons from Mississippi’s well-documented turnaround. Once ranked near the bottom nationally, Mississippi dramatically improved literacy outcomes through structured phonics-based instruction and statewide alignment.

“It gave our teachers hope,” Duran-Blakey said. “It showed us that change was possible.”

Today, all 88 APS elementary schools are aligned around foundational reading instruction, ensuring that no matter where a student lives in the district, they receive consistent, evidence-based literacy support.

The workforce connection is intentional. Students who struggle to read by third grade are far less likely to succeed in advanced coursework later—and far more likely to disengage entirely before reaching the career opportunities schools hope to provide.

Building the Middle-School Bridge

If literacy is the on-ramp, math is the bridge.

APS has identified eighth-grade math as another critical pressure point—one that directly influences high school success, particularly in science, technology, and technical career pathways.

“Math is really important to us,” Duran-Blakey said. “When you look at math proficiency, especially in middle school, you can see a strong connection to high school dropout rates.”

It’s a reality that carries added weight in New Mexico, a center for national laboratories, where STEM skills are central to the local economy.

Duran-Blakey brings a personal perspective to the conversation. A classical violinist who performs with the Albuquerque Symphony, she sees firsthand the intersection between math, music, and disciplined practice.

“Music relies heavily on math—timing, rhythm, structure,” she said. “And I’ve learned how important it is to break skills down intentionally, because not everything comes easily to every student.”

This year, APS expanded access to art and music instruction across all elementary schools, ensuring that every student receives both opportunities alongside academics. The move isn’t about enrichment alone but reinforcing problem-solving, persistence, and cognitive skills to support learning across multiple disciplines.

Pathways of Purpose in High School

APS is striving for choice over chaos, particularly as students arrive in high school.

According to Duran-Blakey, in the past, students have too often accumulated disconnected electives that fail to provide the results they are looking for. The district is now replacing that older pattern with intentional pathways that align coursework, credentials, and career exploration. The list includes career academies in high-demand fields such as STEM, industry certifications, and alignment with New Mexico’s bilingual-biliteracy seal. The emphasis is not on steering students away from college, but on widening the definition of success.

“For some students, a four-year degree makes sense,” she said. “For others, a two-year degree or certification leads to a stable, successful career without taking on massive debt.”

Importantly, APS views workforce-aligned pathways as equity work, not tracking. The goal is to prepare students early enough that multiple options remain viable, rather than forcing them to make narrow decisions late in high school.

Teaching the Skills Employers Expect

Academic readiness alone isn’t enough. Employers consistently cite perseverance, adaptability, and self-regulation as essential workplace skills—and those don’t develop by accident.

APS’s fourth goal addresses that gap directly.

“We can’t just assume students learn these skills on their own,” Duran-Blakey said. “We have to teach them intentionally.”

The Genius Hour is an initiative in several elementary schools that gives students 45 minutes a day to explore interests ranging from robotics to mariachi music. These activities allow teachers to connect to concepts such as perseverance, self-efficacy, and emotional regulation. The results have been encouraging, though challenges remain, particularly for the district’s roughly 3,000 unhoused students, who score lower on assessments measuring these skills.

“That isn’t surprising,” Duran-Blakey said. “But it tells us where we need to be even more intentional.”

Leadership Grounded in Community

As Duran-Blakey completed her first year as superintendent, she reflected on the weight (and privilege) of leading the district where she grew up.

“When I see students outside of school, I take that very personally,” she said. “I want to make sure they have the best education experience we can provide.” To her, it makes a difference when leaders know their community, the people, and the context.

In Albuquerque, that familiarity is shaping a long-term strategy that links early literacy, academic readiness, and workforce opportunity into a connected system of potential. In actuality, meaningful workforce pathways start well before a job offer or certification—they begin years earlier with a student who can read, reason, and believe that their future is worth investing in.