(April 3, 2008) A group of parents were deeply concerned about the math curriculum and instruction at their children’s Texas high school, which was not meeting AYP. They decided to survey parents and students to see what could be done to turn things around. What resulted was parents, students and educators at this large, predominantly Hispanic and low-income school having fruitful conversations to improve math education there. Aurelio Montemayor, M.Ed., director of the IDRA Texas Parent Information and Resource Center, tells the story of how this group of parents is affecting student success. Aurelio isinterviewed by Christie Goodman, APR, IDRA’s communications manager an IDRA education associate. Send comments to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or fill out form online at www.idra.org/Podcasts.

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By Jack Dieckmann, M.A., and Aurelio M. Montemayor, M.Ed., IDRA Newsletter

 

 

* Host Christie Goodman, APR, IDRA's communications manager, interviews Aurelio Montemayor, M.Ed., about parent engagement at a Texas high school.

 

* Aurelio profiles the high school, located in far West Texas.

 

* Aurelio describes how parents created a questionnaire that probed parents’ and students’ perceptions of the school's classroom instruction in math.

 

* Aurelio talks about the parents’ reactions to the survey results.

 

* Aurelio explains how this example of parent engagement represents a shift in the traditional support role parents play at most schools.

 

* Aurelio discusses the new, dynamic discussions about math that the school and community at large are having as a result of the parents’ efforts.

 

 

The Power of IDRA's Parent Leadership Model (Episode 3)

Valuing Families in Children's Education (Episode 11)

Engaging Parents in Education (Episode 21)

Five Dimensions of Mathematical Proficiency (Episode 16)