Linda Cantu, Ph.D.
Senior Education Associate, Intercultural Development Research Association

Linda Cantu, Ph.D., is an IDRA senior education associate. She earned her doctorate in educational administration from Texas A&M College Station. Her dissertation title was “An Identification of Policies and Practices that Hinder and Facilitate the Admission and Retention of Hispanics in Institutions of Higher Education.” Her master’s degree is in public administration from Trinity University, and her bachelor’s degree is in education from the University of Texas at San Antonio.

Dr. Cantu directs the Coca-Cola Valued Youth Program, an internationally-recognized dropout prevention program. She coordinates the training, technical assistance activities, materials development, and evaluation for more than 50 sites that implement this cross-age tutoring program that successfully stems dropout rates at the secondary school level.

Dr. Cantu also manages and administers IDRA’s two Transitions to Teaching (TTT) projects (MASS and Caminos), funded by the U.S. Department of Education to recruit and prepare teachers for high school math and science and bilingual/ESL and special education elementary teachers. Similarly, she served as project administrator for Alianza, an IDRA model teacher preparation and leadership development initiative, funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, that developed a comprehensive, binational and interdisciplinary program for teacher preparation and leadership development.

Dr. Cantu directed IDRA’s TECNO (Technology-Enhanced Community Neighborhood Organizations) project, funded through the U.S. Department of Education and later by TG Public Benefit Program and JP Morgan Chase. TECNO established computer centers in a high-poverty, high minority area of San Antonio to provide community-based college access and computer support to high school students and their families.           

Dr. Cantu taught fourth grade for six years at Johnson Elementary and Ben Franklin Elementary in the San Antonio Independent School District. In 1988, she served as the assistant director of training for the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) at its national headquarters in San Antonio. She provided training and technical assistance to the HACU staff and four local school districts.

Dr. Cantu directed the PreCollege Programs, which included Upward Bound and Talent Search, for Communities in Schools (CIS). This program works with more than 500 middle and high school students in the south San Antonio and Southwest school districts.  These students represent the many who are college material, but due to their at-risk status are rarely given opportunities to fulfill their potential. Through the PreCollege Program, Dr. Cantu helped students get a taste of university life and learn about potential support through tours, presentations and general information dissemination.

Dr. Cantu was a participant in Leadership San Antonio in 1989. She was a member of the Texas Association of Student Support Services (TASSSP) and the Southwest Association of Students Support Services (SWASAP) for three years. She has also served on the executive committee of TASSSP.

IDRA is an independent, private non-profit organization, directed by María Robledo Montecel, Ph.D., dedicated to strengthening public schools to work for all children. As a vanguard leadership development and research team for more than three decades, IDRA has worked with people to create self-renewing schools that value and empower all children, families and communities. IDRA conducts research and development activities, creates, implements and administers innovative education programs and provides teacher, administrator, and parent training and technical assistance.

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