Albuquerque Public Schools
APS Strategic Plan: Our How
An overview of the Albuquerque Public Schools Strategic Plan
-
Priority I
Clear Expectations
Mobilize all staff around a clear plan, grounded in a culture of high expectations and accountability, for how to achieve academic success for all students. -
Priority II
Rigorous Instruction
Support leaders and teachers to provide students with rigorous, culturally sustaining, grade-level instruction that leverages high-quality instructional materials and is continually responsive to student progress. -
Priority III
Engaged Students
Cultivate safe schools and classrooms that keep all students engaged in their learning by ensuring they each have access to robust academic, social emotional learning, and extracurricular opportunities that meet their individual needs. -
Priority IV
Responsive & Coordinated Systems
Establish clear district systems for managing resources and communicating and supporting schools and families in a way that authentically responds to student needs.
A Message from Superintendent Gabriella Durán Blakey
A few years ago, we asked our community a simple but powerful question: What should our students know and be able to do when they leave Albuquerque Public Schools?
What did we hear? You want students who can read, write, and communicate effectively. You want them to leave APS with confidence, empathy, and the skills to manage their time, set goals, and navigate challenges. Your input became the foundation for the Board of Education's five-year goals, which guide every decision we make.
But goals alone don’t improve outcomes. Action does. That’s where our strategic plan comes in.
This isn’t a document that sits on a shelf collecting dust. It is our road map, guiding our daily work in schools and classrooms. It outlines initiatives that will directly impact student learning and growth, ensuring that every action we take is purposeful and connected to the goals we set with your input.
The strategic plan is living. It focuses everything we do at APS on our core mission of improving student outcomes. It helps every team member know their role, aligns resources to where they matter most, and keeps us accountable to the outcomes that truly count — our students’ success.
The path ahead is ambitious. Improving the lives of our students will take all of us — parents, families, community leaders, educators, and partners -- working together. But with your input as our guide and this strategic plan as our compass, we are charting a clear course toward a stronger future for every student in Albuquerque Public Schools.
Building Momentum
The Strategic Plan serves as the district's roadmap for achieving the Board of Education's Goals. Recently, APS sharpened its focus around a set of strategic initiatives designed to improve teaching and learning, ensuring schools and departments were working toward shared priorities and measurable results.
At the elementary level, APS is strengthening implementation of Transformational Opportunity Priority Schools (TOPS), supporting innovative staffing models, expanded learning opportunities and targeted interventions to help students succeed.
At the middle school level, APS advanced the Next Education Workforce initiative, redesigning how educators collaborate to personalize learning, strengthen relationships and better meet students' individual needs.
At the high school level, APS began laying the groundwork for the Academies of Albuquerque, a districtwide redesign effort that organizes schools into smaller, career-themed learning communities. Through Freshman Academies, industry partnerships and career pathway development, APS is creating stronger connections between rigorous academics, real-world experiences and postsecondary opportunities.
APS also deepened its investment in six districtwide promising practices: Genius Hour, high-quality professional learning, transformational coaches, community school coordinators, Student Success System resource teachers and high-dosage tutoring. Together, these initiatives support stronger instruction, increased student engagement and targeted support for students who need it most.
By aligning these efforts to the Board's Goals and Guardrails, APS created greater consistency across schools, strengthened accountability and built momentum toward higher levels of student achievement.