N.M. Leader Rafe Martinez

Get a front row seat to some pretty amazing things happening at the Albuquerque Sign Language Academy. From SEL frameworks and university partnerships across the country, to project based learning and teacher empowerment, hear how this little school is making big waves as a leader in innovation with everything from how students are assessed to how teachers are encouraged to be bold. Co-founder and Executive Director Rafe Martinez, born and raised a Burqueno, sees the need to disrupt the system while the empowering people within it.
Get a front row seat to some pretty amazing things happening at the Albuquerque Sign Language Academy. From SEL frameworks and university partnerships across the country, to project based learning and teacher empowerment, hear how this little school is making big waves as a leader in innovation with everything from how students are assessed to how teachers are encouraged to be bold. Co-founder and Executive Director Rafe Martinez, born and raised a Burqueno, founded the school after his own son's needs were not being met by the current system. Today, Martinez continues to advocate for children who are deaf or hard of hearing, as well as pushes the envelope in his approach to education.

Sponsored by NMOGA and produced in collaboration with the New Mexico Public Education Department