Change Model

Courage to Connect: A Quality Schools Action Framework

“The Quality Schools Action Framework helps people hone in on what’s important and needed in their local school context. A number of our partner schools and coalition organizations have used the framework to assess baselines, plan and implement strategy, and monitor progress in educating all students to high quality.”
– Dr. María “Cuca” Robledo Montecel, IDRA president and co-editor of the new book

The Quality Schools Action Framework™ is based on experience and empirical evidence that emerges from existing theories of change. It gives a model for assessing a school’s conditions and outcomes, for identifying leverage points for improvement, and for informing action.

Courage to Connect: A Quality Schools Action Framework™ gives you a useful tool to:

  • Conceive, design and manage sustainable change at the school or district level;
  • Encourage thoughtful and coherent selection of transformative practices that are grounded in the reality of the school and its community;
  • Focus on particular strategies and/or instructional approaches (e.g., bilingual education) without losing track of the contexts that matter (e.g., teaching quality, school/district leadership, funding);
  • Inform evidence-based community collaboration and oversight in productive ways; and
  • Inform meaningful comparisons across schools and districts.

“Our future depends on us having an excellent public educational system, where all students graduate from high school prepared for college or the world of work, no matter what the color of their skin, the language they speak, or where they happen to be born. And this is a goal I believe we can achieve.”
– Dr. María “Cuca” Robledo Montecel, IDRA president and co-editor of the new book

Purchase Courage to Connect – A Quality Schools Action Framework

Price per unit (piece): $15.00 (ISBN 978-1-935737-35-3; 272 Pages; Paperback; 2010; $15.00)

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Table of Contents

Foreword The Framework “Holding On to the Goal of Quality Education for Every Child,” by María “Cuca” Robledo Montecel, Ph.D....

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Hear Podcasts about the Framework

DRA’s Classnotes Podcast produced a series of three episodes about the Quality Schools Action Framework™, featuring IDRA president and CEO,...

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Quotes from Courage to Connect

“I believe it is time to dream together – to dream about education not for a lucky few but for...

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About the Contributors

About the Editors María “Cuca” Robledo Montecel, Ph.D., is president and CEO of IDRA. A nationally-recognized expert on the prevention...

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IDRA Review Copy Policy

Request Inspection Copy IDRA is happy to provide inspection copies of our materials for individuals who wish to consider them...

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