(March 29, 2010) The Internet has brought a deluge of education information to parents across the country. For the first time ever, parents have instant access to information that is vital to transforming public education. Yet, parents in “distressed” communities lack convenient access to technology and training to take advantage of available resources. Hector Bojorquez, an IDRA education associate, tells the story of how two youth groups in south
Texas overcame these obstacles by providing leadership and technology expertise for parents and community members. Hector is interviewed by Aurelio Montemayor, M.Ed., director of the IDRA Texas Parent Information and Resource Center. Send comments to
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* Hector recounts his initial interest in working with the youth leadership group in
South Texas .
* Hector talks about the tech-savy-ness of the students and how they used their skills to help their parents access important information about local schools on the Internet.
* Hector and Aurelio discuss the difficulty of understanding and navigating state-provided education data, and the need for the creation of a parent-friendly online education portal.
* Hector and Aurelio explain how student leadership groups like the "Tekies" in
South Texas , much like IDRA's Coca-Cola Valued Youth Program, give students a chance to succeed in an environment where they're not considered "college material." Hector shares the story of a particular girl who planned to drop out of school, in spite of her obvious technology and leadership abilities.
* Hector talks about an IDRA project in
San Antonio , where five community centers were set up in 2004 with funding from the U.S. Department of Education. The centers helped make up for lack of access to technology, and put the teaching onus squarely on the schools.
* Hector shares his key learning from one technology center project in
San Antonio : "Regardless of what a kid thought of themselves, they could perform and shine."
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(March 29, 2010) The Internet has brought a deluge of education information to parents across the country. For the first time ever, parents have instant access to information that is vital to transforming public education. Yet, parents in “distressed” communities lack convenient access to technology and training to take advantage of available resources. 
