IDRA Classnotes

Classnotes Podcast (May 10, 2016) Just a few months ago, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) became law, succeeding the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). The new federal education law has significant implications for the education of English language learners. The implications range from entry and exit procedures, to accountability requirements and parent communication. Kristin Grayson, Ph.D., IDRA education associate, discusses implications for schools and resources educators can use to ensure ELs receive an excellent education. Kristin is interviewed David Hinojosa, J.D., IDRA’s national director of policy and director of the IDRA South Central Collaborative for Equity.

Show length: 13:59

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Dear Colleague Letter: English Learner Students and Limited English Proficient Parents

English Learner Tool Kit

The Best Resources For Learning How The Every Student Succeeds Act Affects English Language Learners

New Education Legislation Includes Important Policies for English Learners, Potential Pitfalls for their Advocates

Major Provisions of Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Related to the Education of English Learners

The Every Student Succeeds Act and Dual Language Learners

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 English Learners and the New ESSA Law – Podcast Episode 163 appeared first on IDRA.

Classnotes Podcast (April 19, 2016) Mark Barnett, IDRA’s new chief IT strategist, was a presenter a TEDx talk at TEDx San Antonio on “Everyone is a Maker, but Not Everyone has Access.” Mark is a STEM and Maker education expert who is passionate about equal opportunity technology education. In his time as a teacher and consulting with schools and other youth serving organizations he has been committed to showing that hands-on learning and project-based learning improves education outcomes and excites students.

He also served almost 30,000 students in low-income and rural schools with the high-tech makerspace on wheels called the Geekbus, which has received national recognition and awards. In this podcast episode, he shares highlights from his TEDx talk including the development of “Maker Education” and his early days as a teen building a 3-D printer from a rudimentary kit from the Ukraine before most people had ever heard of 3-D printers.

Mark is interviewed by Laurie Posner, MPA, IDRA senior education associate.

Show length: 13:31

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Resources

Video: Everyone is a Maker, but not everyone has access

Youth Makerspace Playbook

Maker Education Initiative – Every Child a Maker

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 TEDx Speaker on Maker Education – Podcast Episode 162 appeared first on IDRA.

Classnotes Podcast (March 29, 2016) IDRA recently brought together researchers, K-12 educators, policymakers, family and community leaders, higher education faculty, and students to give input on the future of post-secondary education in Texas and the study of HB5 implementation. House Bill 5 was passed in 2013, setting new graduation requirements and removing the more rigorous courses from the standard curriculum. In contrast, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s plan, 60x30TX, sets a goal that 60 percent of the 25- to 34- year-old workforce in Texas will hold a post-secondary credential by 2030.

At IDRA’s Ready Texas: Stakeholder Convening event, Dr. Raymund A. Paredes, Texas Commissioner of Higher Education, shares insights about how Texas students were faring under the previous curriculum plan compared to other states and what stakeholders need to examine now to assure the state is preparing all students for post-secondary success. He is interviewed by Christie L. Goodman, APR, IDRA communication manager with an introduction by Laurie Posner, MPA, IDRA senior education associate and director for the Ready Texas project.

The Ready Texas: Stakeholder Convening is a project of IDRA, hosted in collaboration with the UTeach Program, College of Natural Sciences, the University of Texas at Austin. This project was made possible through a grant from Greater Texas Foundation.

Show length: 06:59

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Ready Texas: A Study of the Implementation of HB5 in Texas

Report: Ready Texas: Stakeholder Convening Proceedings Report

Implementation of New Texas Graduation Requirements Needs Further Study

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 Texas Higher Ed Commissioner on College Access – Podcast Episode 161 appeared first on IDRA.

Classnotes Podcast (February 16, 2016) Each content area in middle school and high school has its own vocabulary and language. So teachers working with English learners are balancing multiple instructional goals with each lesson. Using the sheltered instruction approach, teachers are able to integrate language and content instruction. And by scaffolding instruction, teachers promote a deeper level of learning. Paula Johnson, M.A., an IDRA education associate and former high school math teacher, shares three scaffolding strategies that teachers can use right away in their classrooms. Paula is interviewed by Sofia Bahena, Ed.D., IDRA senior education associate.

Show length: 14:16

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Three Teaching Strategies for Scaffolding Instruction for English Learners in the Content Classroom

Visual Interpretation in Science – Strategies for English Language Learners

Science Instructional Strategies for English Learners

Substantive Conversations in the Classroom- Download (PowerPoint)

How’s a Picture Worth 1,000 Words in Math and Science? (PowerPoint)

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 3 ELL Scaffolding Strategies – Podcast Episode 160 appeared first on IDRA.

Classnotes Podcast  (December 17, 2015) The U.S. Supreme Court has twice heard arguments in the Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin court case focusing on use of race as one of many factors in college admissions. In 2015, IDRA filed a friend of the court, or amicus, brief in the case encouraging the court to consider the context for minority students in preK to 12th grade in Texas.

In this episode, David Hinojosa, J.D., IDRA’s national director of policy and director of the IDRA South Central Collaborative for Equity, gives a quick background of the case and outlines IDRA’s amicus brief, which presents research on several challenges facing Latino and African American students in Texas public schools, including under-resourced schools, under-preparation for college entrance exams, disparate student discipline referrals, student mobility, and the importance of diverse experiences.

David is interviewed by Laurie Posner, MPA, IDRA’s Director of Civic Engagement.

Show length: 17:09

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IDRA Amicus Brief in Fisher v. UT

AERA Amicus Brief in Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin

Affirming the Right to Inclusion and Success in Education – June 24, 2013

Higher Education Success – Key System Strategies

College Access and Graduation

Supporting the Dream of Going to College Through Powerful Student Engagement

“Policy Solutions for Better Latino Access and Success in Higher Education” (pdf)

Access at Risk – The Michigan Case

A Stronger Nation through Higher Education

Toward an Understanding of Percentage Plans in Higher Education: Are They Effective Substitutes for Affirmative Action?

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 the Fisher Case Relates to Equity in Public Schooling – Podcast Episode 159 appeared first on IDRA.

Classnotes Podcast (November 30, 2015) Stories of school discipline going too far circulate social media and the news cycle pretty regularly these days, such as the video from Spring Valley High School in South Carolina. Millions of children are being removed from classrooms for increasingly minor behavioral issues. While school officials have a responsibility to keep the school learning environment safe, the data show widespread discrimination in school discipline that puts student civil rights and learning at risk.

According to the Office for Civil Rights, Black students are suspended and expelled at a rate three times greater than white students. Harsh punishments are disproportionately used on children of color, low-income children, children with disabilities, and LGBT youth. These practices discourage children from attending school and increase the risk of students dropping out.

David Hinojosa, J.D., director of the federally-funded IDRA South Central Collaborative for Equity, gives an overview of the civil rights protections that are in place, the negative impact of many school discipline practices and points to resources available to schools and teachers. David is interviewed by Laurie Posner, MPA, IDRA’s Director of Civic Engagement.

Show length: 13:56

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School Discipline Gone South – The Call for Restoration

Data Snapshot: School Discipline

Suspended Childhood – An Analysis of Exclusionary Discipline of Texas’ Pre-K and Elementary School Students

Rethinking Discipline

Disciplinary Alternative Education Programs in Texas – A 2009 Update

Sent Home and Put Off-Track: The Antecedents, Disproportionalities, and Consequences of Being Suspended in the Ninth Grade

Closing the School Discipline Gap: Equitable Remedies for Excessive Exclusion

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 Civil Rights in Student Discipline – Podcast Episode 158 appeared first on IDRA.

Classnotes Podcast (November 9, 2015) Numeracy is the ABCs of math. It is a critical foundation for using math in everyday life. We need numeracy skills to solve problems and make sense of time, numbers, patterns and shapes for activities, like baking, reading a bill or map, and playing games and sports. And just as families help young children learn their ABCs on the path to reading literacy, everyday counting and grouping activities help children their numeracy skills.

Math educator, Paula Martin Johnson, M.A., an IDRA education associate, discusses the importance of supporting numeracy development in early childhood using the home language and everyday activities. She gives several examples and points to resources as well. Paula is interviewed by Aurelio M. Montemayor, M.Ed., IDRA senior education associate.

Show length: 14:47

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“Applying Math to Children’s Lives”

Semillitas de Aprendizaje Preschool Math Books

Numeracy Continuum K-10

How do young children learn numerical skills? 

Support Math Readiness Through Math Talk

5 Ways to Build Math into Your Child’s Day

“Dos Pollitas Listas ~ Shaping up with Geometry,”

Advice & Answers for Parents about Supporting their Children in Math

Family Math

Sites to Help Parents Help Their Children – Mathematics Help

Adding It Up: Helping Children Learn Mathematics

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 Building Numeracy Skills in Early Childhood – Podcast Episode 157 appeared first on IDRA.

Classnotes Podcast (September 14, 2015) Community groups, parents and students came together recently with 16 school superintendents from across the Rio Grande Valley to affirm their expectation that all students be put on a path to graduate highly prepared for college.

At this second annual Mesa Comunitaria event, community leaders of the RGV Equal Voice Network Education Working Group presented results from their survey of more than 1,600 parents about their knowledge about Texas’ curriculum tracking policies and new graduation requirements. The survey found that few parents across 24 school districts and 30 cities in the RGV have received information from their children’s schools. IDRA analyzed the survey data and developed a report with the survey’s key findings, implications, and recommended next action steps for communities. In this episode, Aurelio M. Montemayor, M.Ed., IDRA senior education associate, Sofia Bahena, Ed.D., senior education associate, and Hector Bojorquez, IDRA education associate, describe how at this unique event, parents shared personal stories about barriers and successes in getting their children into college prep courses. Then participants met in cross-sector teams (families, educators, etc.) to develop action plans to work together to set college-readiness as the standard graduation plan for all students.

Show length: 13:32

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¿Y Ahora Qué? And Now What? – Community Groups in South Texas Work Together to Improve Education

More Comprehensive Advising Needed in the Aftermath of Changes to Texas High School Curriculum Requirements

Equal Voice Rio Grande Valley Graduation Requirements Community Survey Infographic

Equal Voice Rio Grande Valley Graduation Requirements Survey Results (Bilingual)

IDRA’s Family Leadership Principles

School Days2015: Making Sure Graduation Means Something

New Survey Finds Colonia Parents Know Little About House Bill 5

Education Success Happens When Parents Come Together

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 Community Expects College Prep for All – Podcast Episode 156 appeared first on IDRA.

Classnotes Podcast (August 31, 2015) Texas in the midst of the largest school finance lawsuit in the state’s history. Over 500 school districts enrolling three-fourths of Texas school children, as well as parents, students, the Texas Charter School Association and others, sued the State for failing to ensure a quality education for all students. On the eve of oral arguments before the Texas Supreme Court, David Hinojosa, J.D., IDRA national director of policy, gives a quick outline of key issues facing the court and the state. The hearing comes 369 days after the Texas District Court ruled that the state’s funding system is “constitutionally inadequate, unsuitable and financially inefficient.”

Much is at stake as the court decides whether or not to ensure that the state provides equal educational opportunity not for just some, but for all, of its children. The most recent research shows that increases in school funding have led to increased educational achievement and lifetime circumstances, including increased earnings, and that the effects bear a significant causal relationship for economically disadvantaged students. This study and others were cited convincingly by Texas-based organizations and the Education Law Center in an amicus brief submitted in the current school finance case. David is interviewed by Laurie Posner, MPA, IDRA’s Director of Civic Engagement.

Show length: 08:40

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Texas School Finance News Dashboard 

Amicus brief

Court listing and links to all amicus briefs in the case

Texas Supreme Court has opportunity to improve public education – Constitution requires — and our students deserve — equality

Infographic on the Texas School Funding Equity

IDRA Statement: Court Rules Again: Texas School Funding Must Serve All Students Equitably

50 Most Memorable Quotes in School Finance

Funding Texas Schools: Fair Or Falling Short? 

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 Key Issues in the Texas School Funding Trial – Podcast Episode 155 appeared first on IDRA.