House Memorial 2

HOUSE MEMORIAL 2

57th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2025

INTRODUCED BY

Joy Garratt and Brian G. Baca and Yanira Gurrola

 

 

 

FOR THE LEGISLATIVE EDUCATION STUDY COMMITTEE

 

A MEMORIAL

REQUESTING THE LEGISLATIVE EDUCATION STUDY COMMITTEE TO ASSEMBLE AN EDUCATION DATA GOVERNANCE AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE WORKING GROUP TO STUDY AND RECOMMEND A STRUCTURE FOR IMPROVED STATEWIDE EDUCATION DATA GOVERNANCE AND POLICIES TO ADDRESS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE.

 

     WHEREAS, access to high-quality data is important for stakeholders throughout New Mexico's education community, including families who need data to answer questions about students' journeys through school and into the workforce, educators who need information that allows them to quickly target interventions where they are needed and policymakers who need data to evaluate whether investments are improving educational outcomes for students statewide; and

     WHEREAS, strong program evaluations rely on a foundation of high-quality data that is accurate, complete, consistent, granular and timely; and

     WHEREAS, recent legislative education study committee staff analysis of educational programs has met complications due to poor-quality data, resulting in ambiguity in the analysis of program effectiveness; and

     WHEREAS, data quality issues occur when schools and school districts have difficulties reporting reliable information or when data systems are created in administrative silos; and

     WHEREAS, many state agencies, including the public education department, the higher education department, the early childhood education and care department, the children, youth and families department, the workforce solutions department, the vocational rehabilitation division of the public education department and the department of information technology, are independently working on data systems and improvements, but a lack of collaboration and coordination may perpetuate issues with data quality; and

     WHEREAS, data quality can be improved through data governance, a set of rules, policies and standards designed to promote greater organizational collaboration, higher quality data and improved usability of data; and

     WHEREAS, artificial intelligence is a powerful new technology that can create new opportunities for students, educators and researchers to expand and deepen learning, but also creates new uncertainties about what the definition of "data" might include; and

     WHEREAS, some artificial intelligence systems may be given extensive access to educational datasets, personally identifiable information and culturally sensitive data, creating novel conditions for data governance policies, especially regarding the data of Indian nations, tribes and pueblos in the state; and

     WHEREAS, the advent of artificial intelligence warrants a set of rules and policies governing its use in educational institutions, especially to ensure that artificial intelligence tools are used effectively and responsibly, are accessible to all communities across New Mexico, are tailored to New Mexico's cultural and educational contexts and are not used as a substitute for meaningful human connection; and

     WHEREAS, many states have established a statutory structure for data governance, allowing state agencies and data users to collaborate on effective policies to improve data quality, particularly to ensure that statewide longitudinal data systems provide actionable, accessible and timely information; and

     WHEREAS, the RISE NM statewide longitudinal data system is under construction at the higher education department; and

     WHEREAS, state agencies that contribute data to the RISE NM system have a variety of mechanisms and internal processes to manage data transfers, but there is not a central mechanism to enforce data quality; and

     WHEREAS, the legislature has appropriated funds to the institute for complex additive systems analysis at the New Mexico institute of mining and technology to conduct an assessment of data governance policies and assets at various state agencies; and

     WHEREAS, to ensure that data is high quality, New Mexico would benefit from a coordinated approach to data governance among the many agencies working on data systems that honors the progress state agencies are making on data systems while still working to improve data quality; and

     WHEREAS, state agencies should collaborate and communicate in the creation of a statewide education governance framework given their deep knowledge of their data systems, as well as to foster an understanding of the needs of stakeholders that rely on timely access to data;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the legislative education study committee be requested to convene an education data governance and artificial intelligence working group throughout the 2025 legislative interim; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the working group consist of representation from state agencies representing the agencies' strategic vision along with technical experts overseeing work on the agencies' education data systems, including the public education department, the higher education department, the early childhood education and care department, the children, youth and families department, the workforce solutions department, the vocational rehabilitation division of the public education department and the department of information technology; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the working group include additional membership representing members of the New Mexico legislature; the legislative finance committee; the institute for complex additive systems analysis at the New Mexico institute of mining and technology; school district superintendents; charter school head administrators; New Mexico Indian nations, tribes and pueblos; nonprofit organizations that focus on work directly related to data quality, research and analysis; faculty of New Mexico institutions of higher education responsible for analysis of New Mexico educational programs; current educators; New Mexico students; and subject matter experts on the topics of data governance and artificial intelligence; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the legislative education study committee be requested to select working group members that promote diversity in regard to race, ethnicity, language, culture, geography and age; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the working group be authorized to organize into smaller groups for the purposes of deep, authentic discussion of various research topics; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the working group be requested to study the following topics:

          A. the current status of state education data systems spanning early childhood education to the workforce and potential improvements required for interoperability of data systems;

          B. an evolved understanding of data present in early childhood institutions, public schools and workforce data systems, including the data that might interact with artificial intelligence, and which types of data need to be managed in a comprehensive manner;

          C. current and prospective policies to ensure that data systems include accurate, complete and consistent information;

          D. the unique needs of New Mexico stakeholders regarding data access and data sovereignty;

          E. current and prospective policies to ensure that datasets and reports are transparent and timely for data users;

          F. current and prospective policies to maintain data privacy and security;

          G. the current uses of artificial intelligence by students and educators;

          H. current and potential policies to guide the use of artificial intelligence in public schools, including policies to promote access to artificial intelligence, protect sensitive data, protect data sovereignty and maintain meaningful human connection in classrooms; and

          I. formal data governance structures to ensure ongoing collaboration and coordination of data collection and maintenance efforts in perpetuity, including the funds, staffing and resources necessary to administer a formal data governance structure; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the working group be requested to make recommendations regarding a formal structure for data governance, statewide education data governance policies and policies governing the use of artificial intelligence in education; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the working group present its recommendations to the legislative education study committee by October 31, 2025; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this memorial be transmitted to the legislative education study committee for distribution.

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