American Latino National Summit to be Held in San Antonio Next Week

The American Latino National Summit is designed to set a platform for convening leaders across sectors in business, policymaking and actions affecting the American Latino community and the nation. 

IDRA is a supporting organization for the summit that will take place on August 5-6, 2014, in San Antonio. Topics will focus on:

• Innovation in Promoting Achievement in K-12: Getting to the Finish Line
• Higher Education: Access & Equity in Preparing America’s Workforce to Meet New Global Industry Demand
• Investing in Education & Funding Our Future
• The American Latino Vote
• Reforming Immigration & Harnessing Our Power
• Healthcare: Impact on Workforce and the U.S. Economy
• Journeys of Entrepreneurial Success & Contribution in Forging a Stronger America

See the full schedule of events. 

Get registration details.

Courage to Connect: A Quality Schools Action Framework – IDRA Book Frames School Change for Student Success

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 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.”

Visit the book’s web page to get a table of contents, excerpt, related podcasts and other resources related to this book.

Courage to Connect: A Quality Schools Action Framework™ is available from IDRA and via Amazon ($15 +s/h).

How the Common Core Must Ensure Equity by Fully Preparing Every Student for Postsecondary Success

The national network of equity assistance centers is urging educators and other stakeholders to examine how implementation of the Common Core impacts all diverse leaners. Of particular concern are those students who traditionally have been underserved by our education systems and underrepresented in positive outcomes, including students of color, ELL students, students with disabilities, and economically disadvantaged students. This brief outlines recommendations to help educators meet the Six Goals of Educational Equity to ensure that every student is equally well served by the Common Core.

Listen to IDRA’s Classnotes podcast episode: A Civil Rights Look at the Common Core.