K-12 – LANL Foundation

Our K-12 Program grows and bolsters teachers and educational leaders through programming that is highly effective, culturally sustaining, and inquiry based, to create education ecosystems with the conditions for students and educators to thrive.

Our three strategic priorities are: 1) Supporting School Leaders & Districts, 2) Supporting Teachers with Professional Development, and 3) Recruiting & Retaining Educators.

The Inquiry Science Education Consortium (ISEC), our flagship K-12 program, provides materials and training in inquiry STEM teaching and learning focusing on physical and earth sciences to school and students in grades K-6th throughout Northern New Mexico.

Upcoming Events:

September 11-15, 2023 – ISEC Make-Up Teacher Training. Register here
January 2024 – Excellence in Teaching Awards nominations open. More info to come.
January/February 2024 – STEAM Day at the Legislature. More info to come.

ISEC RESOURCE HUB

K-12 Priorities

Supporting School & District Leaders

We support school and district leaders in strengthening their leadership and creating conditions for adults and students to thrive in their education ecosystems. Among our priorities in this realm are advocating for changes to the principal licensure programs, building communities of practice for resources sharing, and strengthening mentorships of new principals.

Supporting Teachers with Professional Development

We deepen opportunities for teachers to engage in highly effective professional learning that focuses on culturally sustaining pedagogies, social emotional learning, and inquiry-based approaches. We engage higher education institutions and school districts in our region to build bridges to increase teacher and leader effectiveness across a career.

Recruiting & Retaining Educators

We support school and district leaders in strengthening their leadership and creating conditions for adults and students to thrive in their education ecosystems.

For the Students

We are dedicated to increasing equity and access to quality education in Northern New Mexico. Experience and research tell us that to move the needle in education, we must engage students in innovative, student-centered learning that is hands-on, collaborative, and multi-faceted while valuing individuals' cultural, linguistic, social, emotional, and cognitive development.

K-12 Past Initiatives

TESOL Teacher Certification

Melisha Martinez was on a very different career path before becoming an educator. Over 10 years while her three children were young, she worked her way up from desk clerk to manager at a Santa Fe hotel with a daily…

Social Emotional Support for Educators

Teachers are always on the go. They are required to focus on the needs of their students throughout the day with minimal breaks and little time for themselves. With this fast pace comes stress, fatigue and lack of self care. “As…

Hour of Code

More than 350 schools and community sites hosted Hour of Code learning events in New Mexico during national Computer Science Education Week, held December 3–7, 2018. New Mexico TechWorks and Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) connected local volunteers with classrooms throughout…