Comprehensive Bio of Dr. María "Cuca" Robledo Montecel

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Dr. María "Cuca" Robledo Montecel is president and CEO of the Intercultural Development Research Association in San Antonio, an independent non-profit organization dedicated to equity and excellence in education. IDRA works with school systems, institutions of higher education, and communities across the country to create education that works for all children, particularly those who are minority, poor, or limited-English-proficient. Dr. Robledo Montecel is responsible for creating and managing organizational strategies that further that mission.

Dr. Robledo Montecel's lifetime concern with youth – especially youth who are minority, poor or limited-English-proficient – has provided inspiration and vision for many communities across the country. Going against the current deficit model approaches in schools, she champions the value, integrity and possibilities of all children.

Dr. Robledo Montecel holds a bachelor of social work degree from Our Lady of the Lake University and a master's degree in educational evaluation from Antioch College. She earned a doctorate in research and evaluation from the Urban Education program at the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee. Dr. Robledo Montecel was named a Women and Minorities Research Fellow by the National Institute of Education. She served as a member of the Texas Task Force on Dropout Prevention and as a consultant on The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation's Program in Immigrant Education.

Dr. Robledo Montecel is nationally recognized as an expert on the prevention and recovery of dropouts. Under her leadership, IDRA's Coca-Cola Valued Youth Program, a cross-age tutoring program that successfully stems dropout rates at the secondary school level, was validated under the U.S. Department of Education's National Diffusion Network as a program that works. It was also identified as a Program of Academic Excellence by the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Bilingual Education and Minority Languages Affairs and was selected as a 1992 Star of Texas program and 1993 Best of Texas program. In addition, The Peter F. Drucker Foundation recognized the Coca-Cola Valued Youth Program for excellence in non-profit management.

Dr. Robledo Montecel was principal investigator and project director of the Texas School Dropout Survey Project, the first statewide study of dropouts in Texas. The research examined the scope and economic impact of the dropout problem. The results of the study informed the development of dropout prevention policy and practice in the state. She was a Visiting Scholar at the University of Houston where she studied differences in campus dropout rates with the Houston Independent School District, and was project director of the JTPA-funded evaluation of model programs for young adults without a high school diploma.

Dr. Robledo Montecel is an associate member of Hispanics in Philanthropy, a founding member of CIVICUS World Alliance for Citizen Participation, and on the founding board of directors of the Mexican and American Solidarity Foundation, an organization created to strengthen ties between Mexican citizens and the Mexican American community. She served as co-chair of the San Antonio 2000 Lifelong Learning Council and is a trustee of Our Lady of the Lake University. Dr. Robledo Montecel chairs the San Antonio Community Education Leadership Program and is a board member of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. She serves as an elected trustee of the San Antonio-Mexico Foundation for Education. She also served as an invited expert on the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans. In 1997, Dr. Robledo Montecel was named among the top 100 Hispanic influentials by Hispanic Business magazine. She led IDRA's role as managing partner in building the ENgaging LAtino Communities for Education (ENLACE) initiative, which is designed to strengthen the educational pipeline and increase opportunities for Latino students to enter and complete college. ENLACE is funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the Houston Endowment, Inc.

Dr. Robledo Montecel has authored and co-authored a number of publications including:

• The Undereducation of American Youth, a study of the 16 to 24 year old population in the 50 states;
• The Answer: Valuing Youth in Schools and Families, which presents strategies for communities, educators and parents working to keep young people in school and to educate those who have dropped out; and
• Hispanic Families as Valued Partners: An Educator's Guide, which provides background information about minority families and recommendations for involving them in their children's schools.
• To help others identify successful programs or raise the bar with their own bilingual education programs, Dr. Robledo Montecel co-wrote Good Schools and Classrooms for Children Learning English a rubric designed for people in schools and communities to evaluate five dimensions that are necessary for success as identified by an IDRA research study funded by the U.S. Department of Education.