N.M. Stat. § 21-21N-7 — NM Code / Chapter 21 / Article 21N / Section 21-21N-7
§ 21-21N-7. Lottery student community outreach pilot project; tuition scholarship recipients; additional requirements; mentoring; training
Status: in_force

A. The “lottery student community outreach pilot project” is created as a six-year study that encourages students who receive a tuition scholarship pursuant to the Legislative Lottery Tuition Scholarship Act at participating public post-secondary educational institutions or tribal colleges to volunteer to provide community outreach, chiefly through mentoring public school students. Tuition scholarship students are not required to participate to maintain their tuition scholarship. The purpose of the pilot project is to demonstrate that:

(1) both mentors and mentees receive similar benefits, including improved grades and on-time graduation and a renewed sense of confidence, purpose and community and civic engagement;

(2) this service improves the community in which the student volunteer works and the public school student lives;

(3) mentoring by young adults can help disadvantaged public school students narrow the achievement gap; improve cognitive, social and behavioral skills; and lead to higher test scores and success in school; and

(4) mentoring can also help the student volunteer improve the student volunteer's skills, test scores and success in college and inculcate civic and social engagement in community life.

B. The pilot project shall be administered by the department and shall be conducted with at least three public post-secondary educational institutions around the state, ideally with at least one from the research institutions, at least one from the comprehensive universities or tribal colleges and at least one from the branch and independent community colleges and with at least five hundred tuition scholarship students. Preference for the pilot project shall be given to institutions in areas with high poverty rates and in public schools with eighty-five percent or more of the students eligible for free or reduced-fee lunch and high English language learner populations. The department may expand the pilot project during its term to more participants.

C. The department shall certify a list of nonprofit community- and education-oriented organizations that maintain relationships with public schools with which student volunteers may work. The organizations shall identify public schools in their areas that are interested in having mentors and shall develop a mentoring training program for student volunteers. The organizations shall also identify community-based outreach or specific community-based projects appropriate for students in their first program semester or students unable to mentor during the school year.

D. A participating community- and education-oriented organization shall monitor and evaluate the work of the student volunteers and the time spent mentoring or participating in community-based projects as well as the progress of the public school students being mentored.

E. The department shall determine application requirements and procedures for public post-secondary educational institutions, tribal colleges, nonprofit community- and education-oriented organizations and student volunteers to apply for the pilot project, criteria to evaluate applications and quantitative and qualitative measures of the pilot project's efficacy.

F. In addition to other requirements and qualifications in the Legislative Lottery Tuition Scholarship Act, a tuition scholarship student who participates in the pilot project shall provide at least two hours per week of community outreach with public school students in the area of the public post-secondary educational institution or tribal college the student attends. The community outreach shall consist of:

(1) partnering with community-based organizations and assisting with community-based projects;

(2) mentoring public school students; or

(3) mentoring first-year college students.

G. The following schedule of community outreach for student volunteers is:

(1) students in their first program semester shall partner with a community-based organization to assist it in community outreach or specific community-based projects;

(2) students in their sophomore and junior years shall mentor students in grades kindergarten through twelve; and

(3) students in their senior year shall mentor freshmen college students.

H. If a tuition scholarship student who wants to participate is unable to perform the community outreach service during the school year because of class load, work requirements or other reasons, the student volunteer may volunteer for an approved community outreach project that will be available for the student to participate in during semester breaks or the summer for a total of at least thirty-two hours.

I. Public schools that choose to participate in the pilot project shall identify willing students who would benefit from participation. The student's teacher or school principal shall work with the nonprofit organization and the student volunteer to determine what activities and types of engagement would benefit the mentee student.

J. The department shall establish reporting and evaluation requirements for all participants in the pilot project. The department shall provide interim and final reports annually to the governor and the legislature.

K. The participating public post-secondary educational institutions, tribal colleges, nonprofit community- and education-oriented organizations and public schools shall actively seek public and private grants and donations for any costs of the pilot project. Grants and donations shall be kept and expended as other grants and donations of the institution, tribal college, organization or public school.