With support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, IDRA established the Texas Education CAFE Network of community-based family and educator groups that help inform public education policies and practices related to implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act. This is an expansion of the Education CAFE model (developed by IDRA in South Texas), to Dallas, Houston, El Paso and San Antonio region. Below are materials and tools that were created for the project in 2017 to 2019. Let us know if you are interested in learning more about bringing an Education CAFE to your community.
Tools and Materials for Technical Assistance
- Online Tool: Sources of Education Data
- ESSA ESSA Action Pack – Family and Community Engagement Opportunities in the Every Student Succeeds Act
- ESSA Task Sheet
- Considerations for Community Feedback on the Texas ESSA Plans (English, Spanish)
- How to Comment on the Texas ESSA Plan (PowerPoint Slides) (English, Spanish)
- Texas Association for Bilingual Education (TABE) Parent Institute flier and participant materials (English/Spanish)
- School-level achievement data developed for Education CAFE meetings
Start-Up Materials
IDRA developed materials to support potential Education CAFEs as they express interest and begin the process to form (see attachments).
Bilingual flier (More than 100 downloads of the PDF plus hundreds disseminated at events)
Infographic: 5 Steps on How to Start an Education CAFE (More than 130 downloads of the PDF plus hundreds disseminated at events)
Booklet: IDRA Education CAFE Start-Up Packet (two versions: English, Spanish) with the following contents:
- IDRA Education CAFE Description
- Family Leadership in Education Principles
- Action Steps
- Roles
- IDRA Education CAFE Model Elements
- Ensuring Education CAFE Success
- 5 Steps to Start and IDRA Education CAFE
- Hosting Superintendents, Quizzing Candidates and
- Marking Maps – A Fully Engaged Education CAFE
- Treating All Students as College Material – Family Leadership in Action
- Families and Curriculum – Supporting Preparation of Students for College and Post-secondary Education
- How to Use Actionable Education Data to Strengthen Your School
Dissemination Tools and Materials
IDRA Website
The IDRA website has a section dedicated to family and community engagement. It is the hub for online resources for the Texas Education CAFE Network.
IDRA-produced Podcasts
IDRA Classnotes is a free award-winning podcast series for teachers and administrators that explores issues facing U.S. education today and strategies to better serve every student. Podcast episodes on the Texas Education CAFE Network include the following:
- Stronger Parent Involvement through Family Leadership in Education Projects – Podcast Episode 185, Aurelio M. Montemayor, M.Ed., September 19, 2018
- Authentic Family Engagement through Education CAFEs – Podcast Episode 174, Aurelio M. Montemayor, M.Ed., September 8, 2017
IDRA Newsletter
IDRA has also produced various newsletter articles focused on family engagement and early childhood education (examples listed below). During this period, the IDRA Newsletter was mailed to an average of 5,800 people per issue and disseminated via email to an average of 5,750 people per issue. The newsletter and individual articles were disseminated via social media as well (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn). Articles on the Texas Education CAFE Network include the following:
- Family Leadership in Education Projects… and the Data that Drives Them, by Aurelio M. Montemayor, M.Ed., IDRA Newsletter, January 2019
- Texas Graduation Requirements and Opportunities – IDRA’s New Parent Involvement Tool for School Districts, by Aurelio M. Montemayor, M.Ed., IDRA Newsletter, April 2018
- Latest IDRA Parent Involvement Tool Focuses on Keeping Public Money in Public Schools, by Aurelio M. Montemayor, M.Ed., IDRA Newsletter, March 2018
- Second Installment of IDRA’s New Parent Involvement Tools for School Districts, by Aurelio M. Montemayor, M.Ed., IDRA Newsletter, February 2018
- ESSA Requirements for Schools and Parent Involvement – New Tool for School Districts, by Aurelio M. Montemayor, M.Ed., IDRA Newsletter, January 2018
- IDRA Education CAFE – A Structure for Families Transforming Schools in their Communities, by Aurelio M. Montemayor, M.Ed., IDRA Newsletter, May 2017
- How to Use Actionable Education Data to Strengthen Your School, by Christie L. Goodman, APR, IDRA Newsletter, May 2017
- Community Projects, Youths and Academic Learning – Student Voice in Solutions to Challenging Problems, by Aurelio M. Montemayor, M.Ed., Bronce Yahir Márquez, Andrea Guadalupe Guzmán and Litzy Castro, IDRA Newsletter, March 2017
Parent Involvement Training Kits
IDRA developed a series of kits for use in training and technical assistance for school districts to strengthen family engagement.
- #1 – ESSA Requirements for Schools and Parent Involvement – Training Kit, 2018
- #2 – Community-Based Parent Involvement – Training Kit, 2018
- #3 – Public Money for Public Schooling – Training Kit, 2018
- #4 – Texas Graduation Requirements and Opportunities – Training Kit, 2018
- #5 – Career Awareness for College Planning – Training Kit, 2018
Media Coverage
- Advocates push back against myth in low-income schools, Emily Baucum, News 4 San Antonio, September 5, 2018
- Destacan el trabajo de CAFE de IDRA, Edelia Hernández, El Mañana, March 21, 2018
Videos
Set of five family engagement videos were produced by IDRA during 2018-19 and launched online in 2019 (see descriptions below):
- Chapter 1: Introduction to Family Leadership in Education
- Chapter 2: Authentic Outreach
- Chapter 3: The Six Principles of Family Engagement
- Chapter 4: School Strategies for Family Engagement
- Chapter 5: Education CAFE Overview
Videos from the livestreams of the Annual IDRA La Semana del Niño Parent Institute in 2017, 2018 and 2019 on our YouTube channel to extend the reach of the event beyond the event date. (More than 589 views combined on YouTube.)
- 2017 IDRA La Semana del Niño Parent Institute (4:37:51)
- 2018 IDRA La Semana del Niño Parent Institute – Part 1 of 3 (2:21:48)
- 2018 IDRA La Semana del Niño Parent Institute – Part 2 of 3: ARISE Presentation (27:50)
- 2018 IDRA La Semana del Niño Parent Institute – Part 3 of 3 (1:15:36)
- 2019 IDRA La Semana del Niño Parent Institute (4:54:52)
