Texas schools are losing 12 students per hour

Nationally, our schools are losing one of every four students.

This lack of school holding power affects every one of us.

With the magnitude of this loss, what is needed is a seismic shift from dropout prevention to graduation for all. And all must mean all.

“Since this problem is systemic, the solutions must address schools as systems.”
– Dr. María “Cuca” Robledo Montecel, IDRA executive director

Communities and their neighborhood public schools can turn the tide. Together we can and must guarantee that every child graduates from high school!

IDRA’s Quality School Action Framework guides communities and schools in identifying weak areas and strengthening public schools’ capacities to graduate and prepare all students for success. IDRA’s book, Courage to Connect: A Quality Schools Action Framework™ shows how communities and schools can work together to be successful with all of their students. The book’s web page provides a table of contents, excerpt, related podcasts and other resources.

Can’t Wait to Celebrate 100% Graduation in Texas
In a Statement on TEA’s latest dropout study, IDRA President Dr. María "Cuca" Robledo Montecel stated, “Schools are not underperforming because children in them are poor or black or brown. Rather, it is poor policies, poor practices and inadequate investments that hold our children back… We at IDRA will not celebrate until all students enrolled in Texas graduate from high school with a college-ready high school diploma in four years.”

Free eBook on Types of Dropout Data
When IDRA first examined the dropout issue in Texas , there was no dropout data or standard method for counting dropouts. Over time, researchers have developed several methodologies in order to see the problem from different angles. We know that it’s easier to ignore a problem and discount students when they aren’t counted in the first place, which is why IDRA has kept the dropout issue at the forefront with its annual studies, related reports and congressional testimony. Though each method described in this eBook has different meaning and calculation methods, each provides unique information that is important for assessing schools’ quality of education and school holding power.

IDRA Policy Issues in 2013 for Texas
Much is at stake as the Texas Legislature convenes in Austin until June 2013. IDRA’s stands regarding student tracking are:

• Students should not be tracked into low-level courses nor into different diploma routes or graduation plans.
• Schools should provide a high quality curriculum that prepares all students to enroll in and complete college, supplemented by optional courses that prepare them to enter the workforce after graduation.

IDRA’s stands regarding teaching quality are:

• All students should have equitable access to quality teaching within and across school districts.
• Teacher preparation programs should be updated to prepare educators to serve a diverse student population.

Find out why and see more on IDRA’s other policy issues for this session in Texas.

A Policy Shift From Preventing Dropouts to Graduation for All, by Dr. Albert Cortez, Ph.D., calls for a new graduation-for-all goal that will require major re-tooling of an education system that was designed to produce just enough graduates to get by.