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November-December 2017 IDRA Newsletter – Principal Leadership
“IDRA research and work with schools has demonstrated that the principal is the nucleus of a school’s instructional leadership team. The current shortage of principals in urban and rural districts serving diverse students, highlights the importance of excellent principal preparation.” – Dr. María “Cuca” Robledo Montecel, IDRA President and CEO
Researchers are identifying an empirical link between school leadership and improved student achievement, with the central role resting with the school principal. Effective principal leadership builds a school culture that is dedicated to equity and excellence for the success of all students. This issue of the IDRA Newsletter has stories on partnerships for leadership development, developing a growth mindset for student success, ESL teacher recruitment, what people are saying about IDRA’s STAARS Leaders project, and our new scholarship endowment in Honor of Dr. Ricardo R. Fernández, Lehman College President Emeritus.
Articles
The Power of Partnerships in the Pursuit of Leadership Development to Transform Schools, by Nilka Avilés, Ed.D., Joanelda De León, Ed.D., and Jesse Jay McNeil, Ed.D.
How Transformational Leaders Develop a Growth Mindset for Student Success, by Nilka Avilés, Ed.D., Gerald Sharp, M.A., and Kristin Grayson, Ph.D.
Leadership for ESL Teacher Recruitment and Retention, by Kristin Grayson, Ph.D.
What People are Saying about IDRA’s STAARS Leaders Project
Extras
Annual IDRA La Semana del Niño Parent Institute – April 6, 2018
Listen to our two-part Classnotes Podcast interview with a STAARS Leaders principal:
- A Principal on Leadership for a Turnaround School – Part 1 – Podcast Episode 168
- A Principal on Leadership for a Turnaround School – Part 2 – Podcast Episode 169
October 2017 IDRA Newsletter – Push Outs – Children of Color
“It is high time that Texas take a new course. Investment in change must go beyond discrete dropout prevention programs. Investment must reflect our full commitment to providing for quality public schools in all neighborhoods for children of all backgrounds.” – Dr. María “Cuca” Robledo Montecel, IDRA President and CEO
Schools continue to lose and push children of color out of schools through a variety of practices and behaviors (low expectations, inappropriate disciplinary referrals, in-grade retention, watered down curriculum). This issue of the IDRA Newsletter has stories on how collaboration is critical to dealing with disparities, highlights from IDRA’s latest Texas public school attrition study, supporting LGBTQ students faced with sexual & gender harassment and commemoration of Delgado vs. Bastrop case that ended legal segregation of Mexican Americans in Texas.
Articles
Partnerships, Not Push Outs – Collaboration is Critical to Dealing with Disparities, by Paula Johnson, M.A.
Texas Public School Attrition Study, 2016-17 – High School Attrition Returns to 24 Percent After One Year Bump, by Roy L. Johnson, M.S
Supporting LGBTQ Students Faced with Sexual & Gender Harassment, by Susan Shaffer and Phyllis Lerner
Commemoration of Delgado vs. Bastrop Case that Ended Legal Segregation of Mexican Americans in Texas
Extras
Texas Public School Attrition Study, 2016-17, and related resources
Classnotes Podcast Episode “Supporting LGBTQ Students Faced with Harassment”
Resources on Student Discipline Policy and Practice, by IDRA
September 2017 IDRA Newsletter – Culture of Poverty Myths
“We can pursue shared prosperity by keeping our eyes on the goal of quality education for every child in every school, understanding that education matters, community voices matter in education, and much is known about what to do.” – Dr. María “Cuca” Robledo Montecel, IDRA President and CEO
In the culture-of-poverty perspective, the traits (and deficits) of students are the focus. But IDRA’s culture of possibility frame recognizes the assets of students and focuses on the responsibility of the institution. This issue of the IDRA Newsletter has stories on school finance and cost studies, the importance of quality early childhood education, a winning essay by a high school student on how the IDRA Coca-Cola Valued Youth Program helped her, and highlights of IDRA’s Semillitas de Aprendizaje bilingual early childhood curriculum.
Articles
Tying the Knot Between School Finance Policy and Serving All Students, by David G. Hinojosa, J.D.
Investing in Early Childhood Education Programs Yields High Returns, by Paula Johnson, M.A.
Coca-Cola Valued Youth Program Winning Essay – Ana Luisa Valenzuela
Semillitas de Aprendizaje – Early Childhood Bilingual Literacy Development
Extras
Visit our Semillitas de Aprendizaje website to see a sample classroom lesson, scope and sequence (two), and sample video clips from the Storytelling DVD.
Website: Coca-Cola Valued Youth Program – Learn more about the program and how to bring it to your school
Video: Dropout Prevention that Works – Overview of how the Coca-Cola Valued Youth Program impacts students and schools [12 min.]
Winning Essays: Booklet with full text of the six winning essays
Video clip: María “Cuca” Robledo Montecel, Ph.D., on the benefits of early childhood education
August 2017 IDRA Newsletter –Teaching Quality
“The best, high-impact innovations do not involve stop-gap, slap-dash or silver bullet solutions. Rather, successful innovations include a set of key features that assure student access to quality teaching and a high-quality curriculum.” – Dr. María “Cuca” Robledo Montecel, IDRA President and CEO
Students need competent caring teachers who are well prepared, placed in their field of study and informed by continual professional development. This issue of the IDRA Newsletter has stories on critical areas of professional development for teaching in 21st century classrooms, how assessment impacts teaching and learning, IDRA’s new three-day literacy learning series for strengthening teachers’ knowledge of the mental processes in inferencing and our annual school opening alert on immigrant students’ rights to attend public schools.
Articles
Three Critical Areas of Professional Development for Teaching in 21st Century Classrooms, by Paula Johnson, M.A.
Backward Planning – How Assessment Impacts Teaching and Learning, by Nilka Avilés, Ed.D., and Kristin Grayson, Ph.D.
Immigrant Students’ Rights to Attend Public Schools – School Opening Alert
Extras
Get a copy of the alert on immigrant students’ rights in English and Spanish to share with others
See our eBook on Supporting Immigrant Students’ Rights to Attend Public Schools – PDF • Slideshare • Issuu
See our story with samples: School Districts Pass Resolutions on Responding to ICE
Listen to our podcast episode on Immigrant Children’s Rights to Attend Public Schools
June-July 2017 IDRA Newsletter – Using Data for Action
“We must connect school outcomes – graduation and college readiness – with who and what produces those outcomes – connecting actionable knowledge to support engaged citizens, accountable leadership and enlightened public policy that leverages change.” – Dr. María “Cuca” Robledo Montecel, IDRA President and CEO
This issue of the IDRA Newsletter has stories on using data to strengthen college readiness and postsecondary success, using data to measure an effective instruction for secondary level newcomers and English learners, student data privacy and winning Coca-Cola Valued Youth Program tutor essays.
Articles
Community and School Use of Data for College Readiness and Postsecondary Success, by Karmen Rouland, Ph.D., Susan Shaffer and Phoebe Schlanger
Data to Measure an Effective Instructional Context for Secondary Level Newcomers and English Learners, by Kristin Grayson, Ph.D.
Student Data Tracking – Taking a Closer Look at Privacy, by Mark Barnett
Extras
Download the one-page tool: Asking Questions of Student Data
Good Schools and Classrooms for Children Learning English ~ A Guide
Booklet with all the winning essays from 2017 (pdf).
May 2017 IDRA Newsletter – Family Leadership in Education
“Effective family engagement is based on respect and a shared goal of academic success for every child. Effectiveness depends on the meaningful integration of community members and parents into the decision-making processes of schools.” – Dr. María “Cuca” Robledo Montecel, IDRA President and CEO
This issue of the IDRA Newsletter has stories on IDRA’s Education CAFE model (the next generation of our Comunitario model), which is a structure for families transforming schools in their communities, preventing and addressing cyberbullying, and how to use actionable education data to strengthen your school.
Articles
IDRA Education CAFE – A Structure for Families Transforming Schools in their Communities, by Aurelio M. Montemayor, M.Ed.
Preventing and Addressing Cyberbullying through Equitable State and Local Policies, by David Hinojosa, J.D.
How to Use Actionable Education Data to Strengthen Your School, by Christie L. Goodman, APR
Extras
See a video on communities using data
See Steps on How to Start an Education CAFE
See Resources on Preventing and Responding to Cyberbullying in Schools
April 2017 IDRA Newsletter – School Integration
“There can be no doubt: We need an excellent education for all our children. And where there is no equity, there can be no excellence.” – Dr. María “Cuca” Robledo Montecel, IDRA President & CEO
This issue of the IDRA Newsletter has stories on using socioeconomic indicators as a tool for school diversity and integration, preparing teachers for working in diverse classrooms, strategies for recruiting and retaining a diverse, high-quality teacher workforce and IDRA’s new scholarship endowment in Honor of Dr. Max Castillo, University of Houston-Downtown President Emeritus.
Articles
Using Socioeconomic Indicators as a Tool for School Diversity and Integration, by David Hinojosa, J.D., and Erica Frankenberg, Ed.D.
School Integration – Preparing Teachers for Working in Diverse Classrooms, by Pamela Higgins Harris, Susan Shaffer & Phoebe Schlanger
Strategies for Recruiting and Retaining a Diverse, High-Quality Teacher Workforce, by Desiree Carver-Thomas and Kristin Grayson, Ph.D.
Extras
See IDRA’s Infographic: Six Generations of Civil Rights and Educational Equity
Listen to our podcast episode “How Inclusive Education Shapes Teaching in Diverse Classrooms”
March 2017 IDRA Newsletter – Student Leadership and Engagement
“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
This issue of the IDRA Newsletter has stories on project based learning for student success, community projects with youths and academic learning, Libre software in education, IDRA’s new literacy learning series on instructional strategies for building inferencing skills, and news about the upcoming Annual IDRA La Semana del Niño Parent Institute.
Articles
Project Based Learning for Student Success – Teaching Across Content Areas for Diverse Learners, by Mark Barnett
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
Libre Software in Education – Affordable Technology that Supports the User’s Freedom, by Mark Barnett
Extras
IDRA professional development series on project based learning
Three-Day Literacy Learning Series: Instructional Strategies for Building Inferencing Skills
February 2017 IDRA Newsletter – College Bound
“A vision of inclusion and success demands that all students of all backgrounds and financial circumstances be prepared to enter and graduate from college. And it demands that our colleges and universities adapt to welcome students and provide the supports needed for them to graduate.” – Dr. María “Cuca” Robledo Montecel, IDRA President and CEO
Schools are responsible for preparing all students for college, regardless of race, income, gender, etc. In other words, schools must not withhold or deny students opportunities for education that prepares them for college. This issue of the IDRA Newsletter has stories on the Texas Top Ten Percent Plan and seven ways we can ensure all qualified students gain access to our public universities, five strategies for creating college readiness for students of color and immigrant students, strategies for schools to protect Muslim students, IDRA’s alert for registering immigrant students for school, and news about the upcoming Annual IDRA La Semana del Niño Parent Institute™.
Articles
Since When are Good Grades and Diversity a Bad Thing? – 7 Recommendations and the Texas Top Ten Percent Plan, by David Hinojosa, J.D.
5 Strategies for Creating College Readiness for Students of Color and Immigrant Students, by DeShawn Preston, Ph.D. Candidate, & Amanda E. Assalone, Ph.D.
Relational Youth Violence – Protecting Muslim Youth in School, by Sofía Bahena, Ed.D.
Immigrant Students’ Rights to Attend Public Schools – Alert for Registering Students for School
Extras
IDRA’s amicus brief for the Fisher v. UT Austin case
IDRA report on ELL secondary education
IDRA report, College Bound and Determined
Podcast: Immigrant Children’s Rights to Attend Public Schools
One-page alert in English and Spanish to share with others
January 2017 IDRA Newsletter – The Promise of Public Schooling
“We can refuse to compromise our expectations for graduating all students. All students enrolled in our schools should be expected – and must be supported – to graduate from high school with a strong high school diploma.” – Dr. María “Cuca” Robledo Montecel, IDRA President and CEO
Public schooling is the cornerstone of freedom, democracy and economic opportunity. Its imperfections are not reasons to give up on public education. Instead, the best way to strengthen public schools is to strengthen public schools – schools that are accountable to us all. This issue of the IDRA Newsletter has stories on how we can improve graduation rates by changing key policies and practices, how families are working together to transform their public schools and IDRA’s six priority policy issues for Texas in 2017 along with news about the upcoming Annual IDRA La Semana del Niño Parent Institute.
Articles
America Does Not Have to Stay Stuck at Losing One in Four High Schoolers, by María “Cuca” Robledo Montecel, Ph.D.
Families Transforming Public Schools – Gathering Data, Informing Policy and Practice, by Aurelio M. Montemayor, M.Ed.
IDRA Priority Policy Issues for Texas for 2017
Extras
Annual IDRA La Semana del Niño Parent Institute™
Learn about the IDRA Education CAFÉ (formerly named “Comunitario PTAs”)
See our Infographic: 6 School Policies that Lead to Higher Dropout Rates
Recent Podcasts 