A Quality Schools Action Framework™
New IDRA Book Frames School Change for Student Success

San Antonio (July 13, 2010) – At a time when public education makes a world of difference to our students, communities and economic success, many are looking for strategies that will work for them and that will last. Courage to Connect: A Quality Schools Action Framework, shows how communities and schools can work together to strengthen their capacity to be successful with all of their students.

“The Quality Schools Action Framework helps people hone in on what’s important and needed in their local school context,” said Dr. María “Cuca” Robledo Montecel, IDRA president and editor of the new book. “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.”

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,” said Dr. Robledo Montecel. “And this is a goal I believe we can achieve.”

Courage to Connect: A Quality Schools Action Framework is available for purchase from IDRA ($15 plus s&h).

Contents Include: Foreword; The Framework; 1 The Framework Explored; 2 Levers of Change – What do we need?; 3 Change Strategies – How do we make change happen?; 4 School System Fundamentals – Which fundamentals must be secured?; 5 School System Indicators – Where do we focus systems change?; 6 Outcome Indicators – What outcomes will result?; 7 Closing – Taking action.

To learn more about IDRA’s Courage to Connect – A Quality Schools Action Framework™, visit www.idra.org/couragetoconnect to view the framework, see the detailed table of contents, read an excerpt and listen to related podcasts.

IDRA is an independent, private non-profit organization, directed by María Robledo Montecel, Ph.D., dedicated to creating schools that work for all children. As a vanguard leadership development and research team for more than three decades, IDRA has worked with people to create self-renewing schools that value and empower all children, families and communities. IDRA conducts research and development activities, creates, implements and administers innovative education programs and provides teacher, administrator, and parent training and technical assistance.

Share