The best education for the students who need it most

Future Focused Education recognizes the aspirations of young people and works to help them overcome the systemic inequities and obstacles that may hold them back from the future they work hard to achieve. We envision schools as sites of innovation and opportunity, where students become the creators and maintainers of healthy, vibrant communities. We fight for the best education for the students who need it the most.

woman raises her hand at the front of a classroom

Local Wisdom for Local Schools

Local communities and local people are assets in designing schools that respond to a fast-changing world. We work with families, students, employers, and teachers to design schools that are suited to the particular needs of their community.

Equity

We work to connect and create positive pathways for young people to become change agents in their communities. Since institutional racism is a social determinant that drives educational outcomes, it is essential to challenge systems and intentional barriers to honor diversity and culture. Through our work, we seek to make our communities healthier and more prosperous by helping young people see that their future is rooted in investing in their own communities.

We believe that underserved students and communities are able to achieve more because of where they come from, rather than in spite of it.

If we want to develop innovative systems in a way that creates equity for all, we need to listen to youth - that will revolutionize how we do it

—Michael Rodriguez, 
Dual Language Education of New Mexico

Youth are the truth! Listen to their experiences and we will find the solutions.

—Andrew Montoya,
National Education Association of New Mexico

How We Work

By reimagining education from the community up, we can re-engage students and prepare them for life in the 21st century-–because the health and success of our society demands something different.

As obstacles to academic success increase, students turn to low-wage, low-skill jobs to help support themselves and their families rather than participating in activities that could open the door to a more sustainable future. For these students, the tradeoff between meeting short-term family obligations and long-term career preparation often comes down to an economic imperative where today’s needs overshadow tomorrow’s opportunities.

Future Focused Education is working to eliminate this tradeoff by transforming education and schools so they are responsive to the realities faced by many students and can connect students to college and career

Our Services

Four Pillar Model

All of Future Focused Education’s work is built upon our four-pillar model. Each pillar is equally important and convergent; together they create a balanced foundation for school design that serves students and communities that have not been served by traditional schools.

Community Partnerships

Reciprocal relationships with the community are the foundation of a school with greater opportunities for its students. Community Partnerships directly inform schools and their curriculum so that communities become more connected. Young people have a chance to lead when they are engaged in the community, which is an essential experience, not just for their futures, but for change making now.

Communities of Care + Well-Being

Support is focused on treating young people as assets to be nurtured rather than problems to be solved. This pillar is about building a school culture that is intellectually and emotionally safe for students. The power of the model is realized when the pillars converge, resulting in schools that adapt to the needs of students rather than the other way around.

Work-Based Learning

Work-based learning opportunities like the X3 internship program offer relevant, immediately-applicable learning experiences. These pathways connect young people to employers and the caring adults who will help them build the social capital they will need for career building. Students also have the experience of being treated as assets in their professional setting and in the larger community.

Learning by Doing

This is a form of project-based learning where students use problem solving to address real-world issues in their own communities. Learning by doing relies on the knowledge young people bring to the classroom as a foundation for nuanced lifelong learning. This pillar also opens opportunities for students to demonstrate their learning through project-based assessments.

Our History

Future Focused Executive Director, Tony Monfiletto at the front of a classroom.

Future Focused Education began in Albuquerque, New Mexico, a region with a diverse array of languages and cultures, where community is highly valued, but where the assets of our youth are not always recognized by the schools they attend. Future Focused came about because a one-size-fits-all model of education doesn’t fit the needs, dreams, and challenges of youth in New Mexico.

In 2013, Future Focused Education founded the Leadership Schools Network, a network of industry-focused charter schools in Albuquerque that re-engage students who have been underserved by the traditional school system. Future Focused no longer facilitates the network, but has since expanded to support schools across the state in adopting elements of the 4 pillar model.

Some of the key areas we’ve focused on in our programing are assessment reform, work-based learning and X3 paid internship programs, graduate profiles and capstone pathways, social-emotional learning, and educational equity.