IDRA Classnotes

Classnotes Podcast (May 30, 2017) There is no doubt that diverse classrooms have significant benefits for students both socially and academically, while segregated learning settings are not just benign but detrimental to students and their communities. School integration, then, is critical. Regrettably, many schools across the country have re-segregated along racial and ethnic lines. David Hinojosa, J.D., director of the federally-funded IDRA EAC-South, discusses how some school districts in the South have turned to using students’ socioeconomic backgrounds to help integrate schools.

David is interviewed by Hector Bojorquez, associate director of the IDRA EAC-South.

Show length: 13:59

Send comments to [email protected]

Sign up for Classnotes e-mail alerts.

Using Socioeconomic Indicators as a Tool for School Diversity and Integration

A New Wave of School Integration: Districts and Charters Pursuing Socioeconomic Diversity

The Complementary Benefits of Racial and Socioeconomic Diversity in Schools

The Problem We All Live With, This American Life

We welcome your comments and questions to the podcast. Send an e-mail to [email protected].

To ensure you don’t miss a single episode of IDRA Classnotes, subscribe to the podcast in iTunes, (download iTunes free if you don’t have it) or sign up to receive an e-mail alert as soon as a new show is published.

The post Using Socioeconomic Status for School Integration – Podcast Episode 172 appeared first on IDRA.

Classnotes Podcast (April 13, 2017) Project based learning is not new. But more and more schools are seeing its benefits in changing the culture of instruction, increasing test scores and increasing student engagement. IDRA’s Chief IT Strategist, Mark Barnett talks in this episode about the conditions that need to be in place for project based learning to have these results. The key is for a strong leader to facilitate schoolwide implementation across content areas while giving teachers the support they need to apply PBL to the standards they are focused on.

Mark is interviewed by Aurelio M. Montemayor, M.Ed., IDRA senior education associate.

Show length: 13:52

Send comments to [email protected]

Sign up for Classnotes e-mail alerts.

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

Project Based Learning – Changing Learning Paradigms One Lesson at a Time, by Nilka Avilés, Ed.D., and Nadiah Al-Gasem, Ph.D.

Infographic on the 8 elements of PBL lessons

Get info on IDRA’s PBL professional development

See our photo slideshow with highlights from the students’ PBL work

Getting Smart Podcast – Features student stories about their experiences with project-based learning (PBL), an interview with the teacher of Flight by Design and interviews with education leaders Bob Lenz and John Larmer of Buck Institute for Education (BIE) about project-based learning and the impact PBL has on student achievement.

Podcast: A Teacher Tells How Project-Based Learning Has Impacted Her Teaching, by Drew Perkins, Director of TeachThought Professional Development

12 Timeless Project-Based Learning Resources, July 6, 2013

We welcome your comments and questions to the podcast. Send an e-mail to [email protected].

To ensure you don’t miss a single episode of IDRA Classnotes, subscribe to the podcast in iTunes, (download iTunes free if you don’t have it) or sign up to receive an e-mail alert as soon as a new show is published.

The post Taking Project Based Learning Schoolwide – Podcast Episode 171 appeared first on IDRA.

Classnotes Podcast (February 21, 2017) Most teacher preparation programs fall short in equipping teachers to use culturally responsive practices with their diverse students as they enter the profession. Dr. Elizabeth Kozleski chairs the special education program at the University of Kansas, where she leads the specialization on the intersecting oppressions of disability, race, ethnicity, language, gender and sexuality in education and society. She is one of the authors of the journal that was published in 2016, Essential Approaches for Excellence & Sustainable School System Transformation, that was developed by a group of experts who came together to pull together capacity-building approaches for school and system change.

The chapter by Dr. Kozleski and co-author Molly Baustien Siuty, The Complexities of Inclusive Education: How Cultural Histories Shape the Ways Teachers Respond to Multiple Forms of Diversity, discusses how inclusive education can transform educational policies, structures and agencies. This has major implications for how teachers are “socialized into the profession, including a curriculum that encompasses critical, contextual and technical knowledge and application.”

Elizabeth is interviewed by Bradley Scott, Ph.D., former director of the IDRA South Central Collaborative for Equity, who also contributed a chapter in the ECCBN journal.

Show length: 17:16

Send comments to [email protected]

Sign up for Classnotes e-mail alerts.

Essential Approaches for Excellence & Sustainable School System Transformation

The Complexities of Inclusive Education: How Cultural Histories Shape the Ways Teachers Respond to Multiple Forms of Diversity

Courage to Connect: A Quality Schools Action Framework 

Six Goals of Education Equity 

Equal Access to a Quality Education – The Civil Rights Issue of Our Generation

We welcome your comments and questions to the podcast. Send an e-mail to [email protected].

To ensure you don’t miss a single episode of IDRA Classnotes, subscribe to the podcast in iTunes, (download iTunes free if you don’t have it) or sign up to receive an e-mail alert as soon as a new show is published.

The post How Inclusive Education Shapes Teaching in Diverse Classrooms – Podcast Episode 170 appeared first on IDRA.

Classnotes Podcast (January 23, 2017) The school principal has a critical role in leading staff to educate every student on the campus. IDRA’s STAARS Leaders project has been guiding principals in San Antonio to view their work through a social justice lens by cultivating leadership competencies that lead to successful outcomes for all students, as described by the Chicago Public Education Fund. In this episode, we continue our conversation with Principal Gregory Rivers as he describes how he has brought these competencies to life in his school.

In Part 2, he focuses on competencies of problem solving and building in others the confidence to lead.

Gregory is interviewed Nilka Avilés, Ed.D., an IDRA senior education associate and director of IDRA’s STAARS Leaders project.

Show length: 17:21

Send comments to [email protected]

Sign up for Classnotes e-mail alerts.

Fostering Excellence through Social Justice Principles in Schools Serving English Learners

School Turnaround Leaders: Competencies for Success

What Every Principal Needs to Know to Create Equitable and Excellent Schools, First edition

Reaching and Teaching Students in Poverty: Strategies for Erasing the Opportunity Gap

The New Meaning of Educational Change, Fifth edition

“Leaders Turn Around Schools – Transformational Equity Focus Makes College Readiness a Priority,”

“What a Principal Can Do to Create a College-Going Culture,”

Courage to Connect: A Quality Schools Action Framework

Video: Contagious College-Going Culture in Elementary School, Interview with Principal Rebecca Sánchez

“Professional Development in the 21st Century – Nine Structures for Coaching and Mentoring,”

“Community Engagement Tool for Educators,”

We welcome your comments and questions to the podcast. Send an e-mail to [email protected].

To ensure you don’t miss a single episode of IDRA Classnotes, subscribe to the podcast in iTunes, (download iTunes free if you don’t have it) or sign up to receive an e-mail alert as soon as a new show is published.

The post A Principal on Leadership for a Turnaround School – Part 2 – Podcast Episode 169 appeared first on IDRA.

Classnotes Podcast (December 2, 2016) The school principal lays the critical foundation for an effective school. Not surprisingly, research shows that there is an empirical correlation between the quality of school leadership and greater student achievement. It’s a tough job. IDRA’s STAARS Leaders project has been guiding principals in San Antonio to view their work through a social justice lens by cultivating leadership competencies that lead to successful outcomes for all students, as described by the Chicago Public Education Fund. In this episode, Principal Gregory Rivers describes how he has brought these competencies to life in his school.

In Part 1, he focuses on competencies of talent management, connecting with students and families, measurement and using data, serving English learners and influencing for results.

Gregory is interviewed Nilka Avilés, Ed.D., an IDRA senior education associate and director of IDRA’s STAARS Leaders project.

Show length: 20:01

Send comments to [email protected]

Sign up for Classnotes e-mail alerts.

Fostering Excellence through Social Justice Principles in Schools Serving English Learners

School Turnaround Leaders: Competencies for Success

What Every Principal Needs to Know to Create Equitable and Excellent Schools, First edition

Reaching and Teaching Students in Poverty: Strategies for Erasing the Opportunity Gap 

The New Meaning of Educational Change, Fifth edition

“Leaders Turn Around Schools – Transformational Equity Focus Makes College Readiness a Priority,” 

“What a Principal Can Do to Create a College-Going Culture,” 

Courage to Connect: A Quality Schools Action Framework

Video: Contagious College-Going Culture in Elementary School, Interview with Principal Rebecca Sánchez

“Professional Development in the 21st Century – Nine Structures for Coaching and Mentoring,” 

“Community Engagement Tool for Educators,” 

We welcome your comments and questions to the podcast. Send an e-mail to [email protected].

To ensure you don’t miss a single episode of IDRA Classnotes, subscribe to the podcast in iTunes, (download iTunes free if you don’t have it) or sign up to receive an e-mail alert as soon as a new show is published.

The post A Principal on Leadership for a Turnaround School – Part 1 – Podcast Episode 168 appeared first on IDRA.

Classnotes Podcast (October 24, 2016) Across the country, educators look for ways to connect their lessons to the “real world,” seeking ideas for engaging their students to support their learning. At the same time, some may be content with traditional parent engagement but others want something more. In this episode, Aurelio M. Montemayor, M.Ed., IDRA senior education associate, tells the story of how intergenerational family leadership that recognizes the contributions of youth in family engagement can also demonstrate how youth projects in their communities can serve academic purposes as well. He references a recent article he coauthored with Dr. Nancy Chavkin of Texas State University for VUE (Voices in Urban Education) magazine entitled, “Liderazgo Familiar Intergeneracional: Intergenerational Family Leadership as a New Paradigm of Family Engagement.”

Aurelio is interviewed by Sofia Bahena, Ed.D., senior education associate.

Show length: 13:05

Send comments to [email protected]

Sign up for Classnotes e-mail alerts.

Liderazgo Familiar Intergeneracional: Intergenerational Family Leadership as a New Paradigm of Family Engagement, Aurelio M. Montemayor, M.Ed., and Dr. Nancy Chavkin

College Students Describe What a School’s College-Going Culture Really Means – Full Interviews

Youths in Action – Intergenerational Leadership, Aurelio M. Montemayor, M.Ed.

Students Become Leaders in their Community to Support Peers on the Path Toward College, Aurelio M. Montemayor, M.Ed.

“Our children could get lost” – Rio Grande Valley Parents Gather to Discuss Policy Implications, Sofía Bahena, Ed.D.

IDRA’s Family Leadership Principles, By Aurelio Montemayor, M.Ed., IDRA Newsletter

We welcome your comments and questions to the podcast. Send an e-mail to [email protected].

To ensure you don’t miss a single episode of IDRA Classnotes, subscribe to the podcast in iTunes, (download iTunes free if you don’t have it) or sign up to receive an e-mail alert as soon as a new show is published.

The post Intergenerational Family Leadership for Schools – Podcast Episode 167 appeared first on IDRA.

Classnotes Podcast (September 19, 2016) In order for educational equity to take hold in a school, it is critical that it be in an environment where the district level governance structure provides leadership for systemic equity. A former superintendent in three school districts, Dr. Larry Leverett is executive director of Panasonic Foundation that supports efforts of school systems to improve academic and social outcomes for all students. In this episode, he describes how the Panasonic Foundation has shifted its focus to school board leadership in advancing system-wide equity strategies.

He is one of the authors of the journal that was published earlier this year, Essential Approaches for Excellence & Sustainable School System Transformation, that was developed by a group of experts who came together to pull together capacity-building approaches for school and system change. As he relates in this interview, Larry’s chapter, Systems Change & Governance: School Boards That Lead for Equity, outlines several actions boards should take.

Larry is interviewed by Bradley Scott, Ph.D., former director of the IDRA South Central Collaborative for Equity, who also contributed a chapter in the ECCBN journal.

Show length: 15:29

Send comments to [email protected]

Sign up for Classnotes e-mail alerts.

Essential Approaches for Excellence & Sustainable School System Transformation

Panasonic Foundation Toolkit

“School Boards Come of Age with a 21st Century Vision,”

“Tyranny of Old Ideas About School Board Responsibilities,”

“A Guide for School Board Members to Assess District Effectiveness,”

Courage to Connect: A Quality Schools Action Framework

Six Goals of Education Equity

Equal Access to a Quality Education

We welcome your comments and questions to the podcast. Send an e-mail to [email protected].

To ensure you don’t miss a single episode of IDRA Classnotes, subscribe to the podcast in iTunes, (download iTunes free if you don’t have it) or sign up to receive an e-mail alert as soon as a new show is published.

The post School Boards that Lead for Equity – Podcast Episode 166 appeared first on IDRA.

Classnotes Podcast (July 18, 2016) Seeing the fragmentation of school reform efforts across the country, a group of experts came together to pull together capacity-building approaches for school and system change. This network offers a lens, skills and specific strategies to support school systems, communities and states to address issues of power, race, poverty, special education status, gender and other dynamics of difference, as well as historical community, cultural and political tensions as they relate to the healthy functioning of school systems. Sheryl Petty, Ed.D., of the Movement Tapestries and Management Assistance Group, gives an overview of this new network and the journal that was published earlier this year, Essential Approaches for Excellence & Sustainable School System Transformation. She also describes three capacity building communities of practice that need to be connected in this work. Sheryl is interviewed by Bradley Scott, Ph.D., former director of the IDRA South Central Collaborative for Equity, who also contributed a chapter in the ECCBN journal.

Show length: 18:11

Send comments to [email protected]

Sign up for Classnotes e-mail alerts.

Essential Approaches for Excellence & Sustainable School System Transformation 

Courage to Connect: A Quality Schools Action Framework 

Infographic on the Six Generations of Civil Rights and Educational Equity 

Six Goals of Education Equity 

Equal Access to a Quality Education – The Civil Rights Issue of Our Generation

We welcome your comments and questions to the podcast. Send an e-mail to [email protected].

To ensure you don’t miss a single episode of IDRA Classnotes, subscribe to the podcast in iTunes, (download iTunes free if you don’t have it) or sign up to receive an e-mail alert as soon as a new show is published.

The post Equity-Centered Capacity Building for Stronger Schools – Podcast Episode 165 appeared first on IDRA.

Classnotes Podcast (June 6, 2016) We have high expectations for our teachers. IDRA’s Quality Schools Action Framework points to teaching quality as one of the four critical components that must be addressed in any comprehensive school reform effort that will be sustained over time. But teaching quality cannot happen in isolation. The structure of the school, the school leadership and valuing climate also are essential to teaching quality. Former teacher Judith Urdiales describes how her principal, Nilka Avilés, Ed.D., (now an IDRA senior education associate) built a system of support for teachers in their school that resulted in dramatic success for students.

Judith is interviewed Nilka Avilés, Ed.D., an IDRA senior education associate.

Show length: 14:01

Send comments to [email protected]

Sign up for Classnotes e-mail alerts.

“Leaders Turn Around Schools – Transformational Equity Focus Makes College Readiness a Priority,”

“An Elementary School’s STEM Success Story – IDRA Technical Assistance Empowers Teachers with Strategies to Impact Student Learning,”

“What a Principal Can Do to Create a College-Going Culture,”

“Defining Teaching Quality Beyond the Certificate,” 

Courage to Connect: A Quality Schools Action Framework

Contagious College-Going Culture in Elementary School, Interview with Principal Rebecca Sánchez: Video

Ensuring High Teaching Quality to Tap Into Students’ Strengths, Interview with Principal Jean Dalton Encke: Video

“Professional Development in the 21st Century – Nine Structures for Coaching and Mentoring,”

“Ensuring Teaching Quality in a Civil Rights Context,” 

“An Unspoken Culture Clash – The Deeper Culprit of Teacher Beliefs,”

“Community Engagement Tool for Educators,” 

IDRA Research for Teaching Quality

“What Do We Know about Teacher Leadership? Findings from Two Decades of Scholarship,”

We welcome your comments and questions to the podcast. Send an e-mail to [email protected].

To ensure you don’t miss a single episode of IDRA Classnotes, subscribe to the podcast in iTunes, (download iTunes free if you don’t have it) or sign up to receive an e-mail alert as soon as a new show is published.

The post How Principals Can Support their Teachers – Podcast Episode 164 appeared first on IDRA.