November-December 2015 IDRA Newsletter – Student Voices
“In an effective school, all students feel welcomed, valued and above all achieve both academically and socially. Student engagement, then, is integral – not a sideline – to learning.” – Dr. María “Cuca” Robledo Montecel, IDRA President and CEO
Students must have a voice that is listened to by the adults who teach them and who make decisions that affect their lives. This issue of the IDRA Newsletter includes articles on building college intention into dropout prevention, college students describe what a school’s college-going culture really means, the Coca-Cola Valued Youth Program in New York City, and the White House naming of the IDRA Coca-Cola Valued Youth Program a Hispanic Ed “Bright Spot.”
See PDF of the November-December 2015 issue
Articles
Raising Expectations – Building College Intention into Dropout Prevention, by Linda Cantu, Ph.D.
“Our children could get lost” – Rio Grande Valley Parents Gather to Discuss Policy Implications, by Sofía Bahena, Ed.D.
College Students Describe What a School’s College-Going Culture Really Means
Transforming a New York City Public School in the Bronx Through the IDRA Coca-Cola Valued Youth Program, by Nilka Avilés, Ed.D.
Extras
See the RGV-EVN Education Working Group survey results infographic
See the Bright Spots in Hispanic Education online catalog
See our Pinterest board: What tutors have to say about the Coca-Cola Valued Youth Program
The Power of Student Voices in Dropout Prevention – Episode 125
High School Youth Tekies on College Access – Episode 74
Youth, Technology and College Access – Episode 70
Student Voices on Being Valued – Episode 54
What Students Need their School Counselors to Hear – Episode 45
Video: IDRA Coca-Cola Valued Youth Program – Dropout Prevention that Works [12 min]
October 2015 IDRA Newsletter- Push Outs: Children of Color
“So while some Texas schools are making progress, we need to continue to look at multiple, transparent measures and to take action to ensure that all students graduate prepared for college.” – Dr. María “Cuca” Robledo Montecel, IDRA President and CEO
See PDF of the October 2015 issue
Articles
Texas Public School Attrition Study, 2014-15; School Holding Power Holds Constant in Texas – At 24 Percent, by Roy L. Johnson, M.S.
IDRA’s Transformational Research on the Dropout Issue – A Personal Reflection!, by Josie D. Cortez, M.A.
For School and College Success – The Power of Non-cognitive Skills, by Nilka Avilés, Ed.D.
Coca-Cola Valued Youth Program Winning Essay, by Seventh-Grader, Agustina García
Meet Roy Johnson, M.S., IDRA Director of Support Services and Evaluation
Extras
Classnotes podcasts on School Holding Power- Episode 5
Building Parent Voice for Action – Episode 146
Counting Dropouts – Episode 62
The Power of Student Voices in Dropout Prevention – Episode 125
Continuities with Lessons in Dropout Prevention – Episode 63
Tracking vs. High Quality Education for All Students – Episode 124
Classnotes Podcasts on the Coca-Cola Valued Youth Program- Episode 15
Tutor’s Success Surprises Elementary Teacher – IDRA Classnotes Podcast Episode 145
An Elementary Teacher on Having Tutors in Her Classroo – IDRA Classnotes Podcast Episode 142
Infographic: One district cut its dropout rates in half.
Look Up Your Texas County for Attrition and Dropout Data
Video: IDRA Coca-Cola Valued Youth Program Featured for American Graduate Day
Video: Dropout Prevention that Works
September 2015 IDRA Newsletter- Teaching Quality Preparedness
“A vital nation must have educational parity for all students and not parcel out one set of opportunities for some and minimal expectations for others. Schools and educators, especially teachers, must be supported with the tools they need to ensure their students’ success, including technology, mentoring programs, and high quality curriculum.” – Dr. María “Cuca” Robledo Montecel, IDRA President and CEO
See PDF of the September 2015 issue
Articles
The “Win-Win” of Quality – Accelerated Teacher Certification, by Linda Cantú, Ph.D.
Quality Instruction for English Learners – Getting it Right in Writing!, by Kristin Grayson, Ph.D.
Considering Multiple Intelligences Theory for English Learner Classrooms, by Sulema Carreón-Sánchez, Ph.D.
Meet Kristin Grayson, Ph.D., IDRA Education Associate
Extras
A Valuing Professional Development Model – Episode 143
A Principal on Supporting Teachers for Student College Readiness – Episode 128
Reflective Teaching – Episode 61
Coaching and Mentoring New Teachers – Episode 24
Key Issues in the Texas School Funding Trial – Episode 155
Video: Ensuring High Teaching Quality to Tap Into Students’ Strengths
August 2015 IDRA Newsletter- College Preparedness
“Our future depends on having an excellent public educational system, in which 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 CEO
See PDF of the August 2015 issue
Articles
Building STEAM – Changing the Equation for College and Career Readiness for All, by Paula Johnson, M.A.
More Comprehensive Advising Needed in the Aftermath of Changes to Texas High School Curriculum Requirements, by Albert Cortez, Ph.D.
Supporting Students and Families for the Transition from High School to College, by Nilka Avilés, Ed.D. (7-15) 5-6
Immigrant Students’ Rights to Attend Public Schools – School Opening Alert
Meet Dr. Nilka Avilés, IDRA Senior Education Associate
New Research and Recommendations for Education of English Language Learners
Extras
Call for Applications for IDRA José A. Cárdenas School Finance Fellows Program
A Principal on Setting Expectations for College – Episode 126
Principal on Creating a College Going Culture – Episode 86
Connecting Every Student to a Meaningful Future – Episode 85
High School Youth Tekies on College Access – Episode 74
Immigrant Children’s Rights to Attend Public School
eBook: Supporting Immigrant Students’ Rights to Attend Public Schools
eBook: What Parents Want to Know about the New Texas Graduation Requirements
June-July 2015 IDRA Newsletter- Accountability and Civic Engagement
“In transforming schools, we must make connections from actionable knowledge to families, to the broader community and to schools through strategic actions that give new life, mobilize and are evidence that change and transformation for the better is possible.”– Dr. María “Cuca” Robledo Montecel, IDRA President and CEO
See PDF of the June-July 2015 issue
Articles
Supporting Undocumented Youth through Community Engagement, by Sofia Bahena, Ed.D.
¿Y Ahora Qué? And Now What? – Community Groups in South Texas Work Together to Improve Education, by Josie D. Cortez, M.A.
Parents from Across Texas Share Ideas and Strategies at Annual IDRA La Semana del Niño Parent Institute, by Felix Montes, Ph.D.
Meet Sofía Bahena, Ed.D., IDRA Senior Education Associate
2015 Martha A. Hernández Scholarship Winner Announced
Extras
Engaging Parents through Powerful Coalition Building – Episode 96
Parent Institutes for Education – Episode 89
Communities Using Data to Improve their Schools – Episode 34
School Change Strategies – Episode 53
School Accountability to Poor Families – Episode 60
Video: Dropout Prevention that Works
May 2015 IDRA Newsletter- Language
“The challenge before us is not that the faces or the languages of our nation’s children are changing. Change is not new. In fact, our challenge is not our children at all, but rather our capacity, commitment and will as adults to achieve excellence in education for all students – every one.” – Dr. María “Cuca” Robledo Montecel, IDRA President and CEO
Articles
English Language Learners and the Future of Texas – An Overview of Symposium Discussions, Policy Implications and Next Steps, by Albert Cortez, Ph.D.
Federal Guidance on Schools’ Civil Rights Obligations for English Learners, by Kristin Grayson, Ph.D.
The Role of Conversation – Engaging Students in Critical Thinking through Dialogue, by Paula Johnson, M.A.
Meet Paula Johnson, M.A., IDRA Education Associate
Extras
Civil Rights Update for English Learners – Episode 150
Substantive Conversation in the Classroom – Episode 130
Building Critical Thinking through Visual Literacy – Episode 140
The Role of Bilingual Ed and ESL in Our Schools – Episode 138
What Parents Need to Know about Bilingual Education – Episode 115
Bilingual Stories for Young Learners – Episode 80
Science Success for English Learners – Episode 93
Video from IDRA’s symposium: School Funding and English Language Learners
April 2015 IDRA Newsletter- Early Learning
“Children need places that are safe, that are nurturing, that welcome their families, that welcome their culture and their language and have them really be able to learn and prepare themselves for life.” – Dr. María “Cuca” Robledo Montecel, IDRA President and CEO
See PDF of the April 2015 issue
Articles
Recalibrating Readiness and Instruction Based on Strengths of English Learners – Implications for Early Childhood Education Research and Practice, by Abelardo Villarreal, Ph.D.
Margarita’s Necklace – Beads, Patterns and Algebraic Thinking for English Learners Matters: The Path to “Equity Literacy,” by Juanita C. García, Ph.D., and Rosana Rodríguez, Ph.D.
Early Childhood Literacy Connections When Using Cognates, by Sulema Carreón-Sánchez, Ph.D.
Meet Dr. Abelardo Villarreal, Ph.D., IDRA Chief of Operations
Extras
Early Childhood Classrooms of Excellence – April 4, 2007
Good Schools for Children Learning English – June 20, 2007
Early Literacy Development for English Language Learners – April 17, 2008
Supporting Parents of Preschoolers – May 25, 2010
Bilingual Stories for Young Learners – November 16, 2010
Geometry in Early Childhood – May 7, 2014
Video: Early Childhood Education is a Good Investment
March 2015 IDRA Newsletter- Valuing & Asset-Based Solutions
“We must value young people – all young people. We cannot afford to value some schools and not others, some neighborhoods and not others, some ethnic or racial groups and not others, some families and not others.” – Dr. María “Cuca” Robledo Montecel, IDRA President and CEO
See PDF of the March 2015 issue
Articles
Science and Math Are Students’ Favorite Subjects at Judson ISD as a Result of STEM Initiatives, by Felix Montes, Ph.D., and Deborah Rice
Opportunity Matters: The Path to “Equity Literacy” – An interview with scholar and social justice advocate, Dr. Paul C. Gorski, by Laurie Posner, MPA
Valuing Teachers – IDRA’s Approach to Professional Development, by Paula Johnson, M.A.
Meet Ms. Laurie Posner, MPA, Director of IDRA’s Civic Engagement Department
Annual IDRA La Semana del Niño Parent Institute™
Extras
A Valuing Professional Development Model – Episode 143
A Civil Rights Look at the Common Core – Episode 117
Sixth Generation of Civil Rights and Educational Equity – Episode 113
Tool for Building Quality Schools – Episode 81
Busting Myths About Children of Poverty – Episode 50
Framing Systems Change for Student Success – Episode 8
February 2015 IDRA Newsletter- Culture of Possibility
“Schools are not poor because the children in them are poor or black or brown. Schools are poor because we have poor policies, poor practices and inadequate investments.” – Dr. María “Cuca” Robledo Montecel, IDRA President and CEO
See PDF of the February 2015 issue
Articles
Arkansan Parents “Pushing Beyond the Breaks,” by Bradley Scott, Ph.D.
Advancing the Culture of Promise and Possibility, by Nilka Avilés, Ed.D., and Abelardo Villarreal, Ph.D.
Embracing the Culture of Possibility for Student Success – Culture-of-Poverty Thinking Shortchanges Students and Families, by Aurelio M. Montemayor, M.Ed.
Meet Dr. Bradley Scott, Director of IDRA’s Educational Transformation & Innovation Department
Extras
Busting Myths About Children of Poverty – Episode 50
Tool for Building Quality Schools – Episode 81
The Civil Rights Issue of Our Generation – Episode 88
Six Goals of Educational Equity – Episode 29
Framing Systems Change for Student Success – Episode 8
Video: Coca-Cola Valued Youth Program – Valuing Students
January 2015 IDRA Newsletter- School Perseverance & Grit
“We need to shift the conversation from student traits that are deemed by some as hindering student success to helping schools develop their own perseverance and grit in ways that ensure the success of every student.” – Dr. María “Cuca” Robledo Montecel, IDRA President and CEO
See PDF of the January 2015 issue
Articles
Grit and Non-Cognitive Skills – Framing the Narrative, by María “Cuca” Robledo Montecel, Ph.D, and Hector Bojorquez
Institutional Grit and Perseverance – Valuing Students and Supporting Academic Success in the Era of the “Grit Gap,” by Laurie Posner, M.P.A.
Gauging Grit – Gouging the Poor, by Aurelio M. Montemayor, M.Ed.
Coca-Cola Valued Youth Program Winning Essay, by Nicholas Alderete
Meet Hector Bojorquez, Director of IDRA’s Student Access and Success Department
Extras
A Principal on Setting Expectations for College – Episode 126
Continuities with Lessons in Dropout Prevention – Episode 63
Busting Myths About Children of Poverty – Episode 50
Transformational Teaching in Math – Episode 36
Tool for Building Quality Schools – Episode 81
A Valuing Professional Development Model – Episode 143
College Bound and Determined – IDRA Report
Video: Ensuring High Teaching Quality to Tap Into Students’ Strengths
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