(November 21, 2008) What happens in the classroom powerfully impacts students’ perceptions of science. When worksheets are the order of the day, every day, students are likely to miss out on the joy of discovery, problem solving and critical thinking that science activities can bring. Veronica Betancourt, M.A., an IDRA education associate and developer of IDRA’s Science Smart! model, describes the purposes of using worksheets in the classrooms and engaging alternatives to their overuse. Veronica is interviewed by Christie Goodman, APR, IDRA’s communications manager. Send comments to podcast@idra.org or fill out form online at www.idra.org/Podcasts. Sign up to receive free e-mail notices when new episodes are available.
Families and Teachers Communicating – Episode 43
(November 7, 2008)After recently serving as a high school principal for five years, Dr. Rogelio López del Bosque shares how he created a culture of engagement among teachers and parents that welcomed and even expected dialog for student success.
Action for School Change – Episode 42
(October 21, 2008) With schools losing one-third of their students on average, dropout prevention programs, even the most effective ones, cannot solve the persistent large scale problem we face. In the first of a set of podcast episodes on this topic, IDRA president and CEO, María “Cuca” Robledo Montecel, Ph.D.,describes the four elements in the Quality School Action Framework that must be in place for schools to be successful.
College Access for Low-Income and Minority Students – Episode 41
(October 14, 2008) Aurelio Montemayor, M.Ed., director of the IDRA Texas Parent Information and
Resource
Center , gives examples of how K-12 schools can actively support college access for their students.
Fostering Student Questions – Espisode 40
(September 15, 2008) Dr. Juanita García, an education associate at IDRA, discusses ways to foster student questions and describes a specific group memory strategy teachers can use right away.
Supporting First Year Teachers – Episode 39
(September 2, 2008) Dr. Adela Solís, an IDRA senior education associate, gives practical examples of ways schools can support their new teachers and of strategies for new teachers during their first days with their students.
Effective Parent Outreach – Episode 38
(July 23, 2008) Aurelio Montemayor, M.Ed., director of the IDRA Texas Parent Information and
Resource
Center , describes a new model for building a network of parent leaders and how it can transform the school-parent connection.
Gender Equity at 36 – Episode 37
(July 9, 2008) Bradley Scott , Ph.D., director of the IDRA South Central Collaborative for Equity, discusses where we are now in terms of the advancement of girls as well as gender equity challenges affecting boys today and what the school’s responsibility is under the law.
Transformational Teaching in Math – Episode 36
(June 18, 2008) Kathryn Brown, an IDRA education associate and developer of IDRA’s Math Smart! model, describes how teachers are building on what they know to transform their teaching to better guide and empower student mathematical thinking.
Communities Using Data to Improve their Schools – Episode 35
(June 3, 2008) Anna Alicia Romero and
Hector Bojorquez describe components of IDRA’s School Holding Power Portal, challenges families and others face in accessing useful data, and how communities are using data to improve their schools.
Teaching Opportunities through Discovery in Science – Episode 34
(May 19, 2008) Veronica Betancourt, M.A., an IDRA education associate and developer of IDRA’s Science Smart! model, discusses how letting students of all ages facilitate their own learning through discovery to make science more meaningful to them.
Student and Parent Math Conversations – Episode 33
(April 29, 2008) Aurelio Montemayor, M.Ed., director of the IDRA Texas Parent Information and
Resource
Center , shares how students who have not been succeeding in math have opened a powerful collaborative dialog with parents and educators.
Latino Parent Engagement in High School Math – Episode 31
(April 3, 2008) Aurelio Montemayor, M.Ed., director of the IDRA Texas Parent Information and
Resource
Center , tells the story of how a group of parents is affecting student success in math education.
Creating Leadership Opportunities for Students - Episode 30
(March 13, 2008) As his school’s teacher coordinator for the Coca-Cola Valued Youth Program, Jerry de la Garza discusses how giving leadership opportunities to students who are considered at risk of dropping out leads to great transformations.
Six Goals of Educational Equity - Episode 29
(February 29, 2008) Bradley Scott, Ph.D., director of the IDRA South Central Collaborative for Equity, gives an overview of the Six Goals of Educational Equity and discusses how school personnel and communities can use them as a yardstick to measure their progress and as a lightening rod to galvanize change.
Court Ruling on Compliance with NCLB Mandates - Episode 28
(February 15, 2008) IDRA’s school policy director, Dr. Albert Cortez, gives an overview of the recent NCLB-focused court ruling and its implications for states, school districts as well as for NCLB reauthorization.
Leading a Diverse Campus to Success - Episode 27
(January 25, 2008) Elementary principal, Sandy Dolan, shares how she has transformed her campus to succeed during a time of dramatic population changes.
Dropout Prevention for Students with Special Needs - Episode 26
(December 11, 2007) Josie Danini Cortez, M.A., and Lee Ramos talk about the dramatic impact of a pilot project that adapted the Coca-Cola Valued Youth Program to serve students with special needs.
Professional Learning Communities in Schools - Episode 25
(November 26, 2007) Josie Danini Cortez, M.A., and Dr. Juanita García join Aurelio Montemayor, M.Ed., to describe a successful professional learning community in a middle school in south Texas.
Coaching and Mentoring New Teachers - Episode 24
(November 9, 2007) Dr. Linda Cantu and Dr. Adela Solís, developers of IDRA’s coaching and mentoring model, discuss how coaching and mentoring programs can give new teachers the peer support and trusted advice they need to succeed from day one.
The Watch on Racism Cannot Stop - Episode 23
(October 26, 2007) Dr. Shirley Nash Weber, former chair of the Department of Africana Studies and Professor of Africana Studies at San Diego State University, presents a keynote on the challenge African American women face in balancing gender and equity.
Science is a Key to Life - Episode 22
(October 15, 2007) Veronica Betancourt, M.A., an IDRA education associate and developer of IDRA’s Science Smart! model, discusses how minor tweaks in teaching practices can open giant doors for students, particularly for girls, minority students and English language learners.
Engaging Parents in Education - Episode 21 (September 28, 2007) Aurelio Montemayor, M.Ed., director of the IDRA Texas Parent Information and Resource Center, describes how a new guide from the U.S. Department Education can provide ideas and specific strategies for engaging parents in schools.
Science in Early Childhood Bilingual Classrooms - Episode 20
(September 14, 2007) Dr. Rosalinda Barrera, dean of the College of Education at Texas State University in San Marcos, draws a vivid picture of the need for schools to actively integrate science instruction into the earliest grades for second language learners.
Fostering Student Engagement English Language Learners - Episode 19
(August 29, 2007) Kristin Grayson, M.Ed., an IDRA education associate outlines the engagement-based sheltered instruction model that she developed at IDRA that is helping teachers learn, reflect and adapt instructional strategies so that all their students are engaged and learning the content and academic language.
Access to Higher Levels of Mathematics - Episode 13
(May 30, 2007) Kathryn Brown, an IDRA education associate and developer of IDRA’s Math Smart! model, discusses how all students should have access to quality instruction in math that ensures success on all assessments, and enrollment and completion in higher-level mathematics courses.
Reflections from Early Childhood Institute Attendees - Episode 12 (May 18, 2007) Three participants at the Annual IDRA La Semana del Niño Early Childhood Educators Institute talk about their experience there, what is happening at their schools and what they learned at the institute that will help them.
The Need for Cross-Race, Cross-Sector Dialogues - Episode 6
(January 24, 2007) Learn how this cross-sector and multiracial dialogue approach is creating lasting partnerships between African american and Latino communities, using education as common ground for collaboration. Dr.Rosana Rodríguez and Frances Guzmán join Dr. Bradley Scott, director of the IDRA South Central Collaborative for Equity, in this conversation.
The Power of IDRA’s Parent Leadership Model - Episode 3 (November 10, 2006) Aurelio Montemayor, M.Ed., describes the four dimensions of the IDRA’s model for parent engagement and how it can unleash powerful transformations for school success.
Using the New High School Allotment in Texas - Episode 2 (October 26, 2006) Dr. Albert Cortez, director of IDRA’s Institute for Policy and Leadership, is outlines ways the new high school allotment can strengthen your school’s holding power, the importance of measuring results and opportunities the new funds present.
Increasing School Holding Power for All Students
(Dec. 9, 2005) Dr. María "Cuca" Robledo Montecel, executive director IDRA led this teleseminar, hosted by the National Dropout Prevention Center for Students with Disabilities, on how communities and schools can work together, which school factors are key to student success based on research and IDRA experience, and an example of the power of shifting from a deficit view to one of valuing youth. More
© Intercultural Development Research Association · 5815 Callaghan Road, Suite 101 · San Antonio,Texas 78228
(November 21, 2008) What happens in the classroom powerfully impacts students’ perceptions of science. When worksheets are the order of the day, every day, students are likely to miss out on the joy of discovery, problem solving and critical thinking that science activities can bring.