Albuquerque Public Schools
Supporting the Next Generation of Teachers
New Teacher Academy summer program gives teachers practical strategies, planning time and mentorship to help them succeed in the classroom and stay in the profession.
As Albuquerque Public Schools prepares for another school year, dozens of new educators are spending part of their summer sharpening their skills through the New Teacher Academy.
Hosted by the Mentor/Peer Assistance and Review team, the academy is now in its 11th year and provides Level 1 teachers with hands-on professional learning designed to help them build confidence, strengthen their instructional practices and prepare for a successful year in the classroom.
The academy takes place over three weeks each June, with teachers able to participate one week at a time. Each week focuses on a different area of teaching:
- Week 1: Establishing a learning environment and classroom management
- Week 2: Teaching for learning and instructional strategies
- Week 3: Reaching all students through engagement strategies
The program supports educators from Pre-K through 12th grade across all content areas, including general education and special education. About 60 teachers participate each week and receive compensation while using the time to learn, collaborate and plan for the upcoming school year.
APS PAR Coordinator Stephanie Garcia said the academy has two primary goals: helping teachers feel prepared for the school year and supporting teacher retention across the district.
"We're here to help them have a more successful year coming up,” Garcia explained. “We focus on what the basics of being an effective teacher are, and then help them take that information and actually utilize it. And by doing so, they become more successful, so we're also working toward teacher retention."
For many participants, the academy provides practical tools they can immediately apply in their classrooms.
Naanibah Eddie, a middle school special education math teacher entering her second year in the classroom, said the workshops and planning time have helped her think differently about student engagement.
"It's a lot of help being able to go to the workshops and then having the planning time," Eddie said. "I've gotten a lot of ideas about how to make math more student-based. I went to a lot of workshops about student engagement, so I really want to focus on that next year."
Eddie said she is eager to incorporate the new strategies she learned through the academy.
Erick Martinez, entering his second year of teaching third grade, said the academy has been helpful and has provided valuable guidance on managing student behavior and designing effective lessons.
"It's an excellent resource. The workshops are well thought out, and they give lots of valuable advice," Martinez said. “They help us ensure that we're designing our lesson plans to the Goals and Guardrails standards, while ensuring that they're manageable for students. They offer a lot of support in that."
Martinez said he particularly appreciated the workshops focused on both proactive classroom management and more intensive behavior support strategies.
Throughout it all, Garcia said the PAR team is surveying participants to make sure they are getting the most out of their experience.
"We do surveys weekly to get feedback and adjust. We also do surveys at the end of the three weeks, and then we do a survey in March that gives us feedback on how it has impacted their instruction," she said.
The feedback is encouraging, and continues to show the program is making a difference.
"The data shows that 100 percent of the teachers who attended last year said it positively impacted their decision to stay at APS. And then between 95 to 100 percent of them said it improved various areas such as student learning and engagement, to the teacher's confidence, to their preparation, to their routines and procedures, to their classroom management," Garcia added.
As APS continues working to retain high-quality educators, programs like the New Teacher Academy help ensure teachers have the knowledge, support and resources they need to thrive—ultimately benefiting students in classrooms across the district.
APS Level 1 teachers will be able to register for next summer's New Teacher Academy in the spring of 2027. Look for information at that time or email Stephanie Garcia with questions at garcia_step@aps.edu