Public Education Department
About the Department
The New Mexico Public Education Department partners with educators, communities, and families to ensure that ALL students are healthy, secure in their identity, and holistically prepared for college, career, and life. Our mission is to ensure students in New Mexico are engaged in a culturally and linguistically responsive educational system that meets the social, emotional, and academic needs of ALL students.
The New Mexico Public Education Department believes in the strength of our state’s diverse communities and in the inherent value of our multilingualism, resilience, creativity, culture, and compassion for one another.
Most Popular Services

Cabinet Secretary: Kurt Steinhaus
Kurt Steinhaus has led a lengthy and distinguished career in New Mexico public education, most recently as superintendent of Los Alamos Public Schools. Steinhaus began as a classroom educator, teaching at Alamogordo Public Schools from 1976 through 1988, where he also served as a department chair. Subsequently, in addition to teaching courses at Santa Fe Community College and the University of New Mexico, he was hired at what was then known as the state Department of Education as an educational consultant in the assessment and evaluation unit. From 1988 through 1999, he was promoted at the agency into varied leadership roles, including stints as state director of educational technology, director of the state data management unit, chief information officer and assistant superintendent for accountability and information services, in that time facilitating strategic planning about public education in New Mexico and managing budgets and staffing for program development, educational technology and interventions and incentive for school improvement.
Contact Information
Phone: (505) 827-5800
Email: PED.HelpDesk@state.nm.us
Most Popular Pages
- Licensure: https://webnew.ped.state.nm.us/bureaus/licensure/
- School Guidance/COVID-19 Toolkit: https://webnew.ped.state.nm.us/back-to-school-3.guidance/
- STARS Data: https://webnew.ped.state.nm.us/bureaus/information-technology/stars/
- Parent Portal: https://webnew.ped.state.nm.us/parent-portal/
- Educator Portal: https://webnew.ped.state.nm.us/educator-portal/
- Special Education Division: https://webnew.ped.state.nm.us/bureaus/special-education/
- Canvas Learning Management System: https://webnew.ped.state.nm.us/bureaus/learning-management-system/
- Educator Evaluation: https://webnew.ped.state.nm.us/bureaus/educator-growth-development/elevatenm/
- STAF (Substitute Teacher Info): https://webnew.ped.state.nm.us/we-need-you/
- Comprehensive Strategic Plan: https://webnew.ped.state.nm.us/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/NMPED-Strategic-Plan-2022.02.07_CG.pdf