Building College Readiness for All Students
The pervasive myth that low-income and minority students are not college material has perpetuated discrimination and tracking of students into water-downed courses and graduation paths that steer them away from college. We should instead focus our energy on how education systems can better prepare all students to meet the demands of academia and the workforce. In this article, Nilka Avilés, Ed.D., shares strategies schools can use to provide curriculum and instructional equity for all students.

Texas Public School Attrition Study, 2012-13
High School Attrition Rates Continue Downward Trends
Recent trends in attrition rates for Texas public high schools continue to show a seeming positive outlook for the number and percent of students who continue their school enrollment through graduation. IDRA’s annual attrition study released this month builds on a series of studies that track the number and percent of students in Texas who are lost from public school enrollment prior to graduation. In this article, Roy L. Johnson, M.S., gives highlights from the study and links to the study itself along with related resources.

See the full Texas Public School Attrition Study, 2012-13

See infographic: Texas public schools are losing one out of four students with strategies for taking action to hold on to students through graduation.

The Impact of the Coca-Cola Valued Program on Students and Schools in the United States and Brazil
In 2014, the Coca-Cola Valued Youth Program will celebrate 30 years of positively impacting the lives of thousands of youth who were at risk of dropping out. Created by IDRA, this dropout prevention program began in San Antonio in 1984 and has operated in more than 550 schools throughout the continental United States, Puerto Rico, Brazil and the United Kingdom. In Brazil it operated from 1999 to 2011 in 46 schools in 21 cities and seven states at its peak. Felix Montes, Ph.D., and Linda Cantú, Ph.D., discuss how the program has had in impact on students, families and schools.