Podcast: Tools for Schools Dealing with Bullying – Podcast Episode 222
Classnotes Podcast (April 19, 2022). Bullying and harassment undermines students’ abilities to learn and hinders the establishment of safe spaces in schools. The IDRA EAC-South‘s Interrupting Bullying & Harassment in Schools online toolkit gives teachers and school leaders tools that to prevent bullying and harassment by fostering a positive school climate.
In this episode, Dr. Paula Johnson, Aurelio Montemayor, M.Ed., and Michelle Vega give an overview of the toolkit while discussing specific strategies from the perspective of teachers and a parent whose son was bullied. Dr. Paula Johnson is an IDRA senior education associate and director the IDRA EAC-South. Aurelio M. Montemayor, M.Ed., is IDRA’s family engagement coordinator and directs IDRA Education CAFE work. Michelle Martínez Vega is IDRA’s chief technology strategist.
Article: Lessons Learned from Principals on Valuing, Safeguarding and Healing Students
School principals balance many skills, demands and stakeholders. Powerful school leadership involves structure, modeling and deliberate action to create a school environment that is valuing (each student feels special and perceived through their assets), safe (students feel protected) and healing (hurts and painful experiences are dealt with over time).
The valuing principal is rooted in a deep understanding of the many assets each student has and the gifts that come from students’ families. These leaders reject social prejudices and myths attached to families, their neighborhood or class and replace them with celebration and inclusion of everything a student is, represents and brings from home.
Last summer, IDRA convened a panel of principals who served diverse student populations (IDRA, 2021). Dr. Timothy Vaughn from Edgewood ISD, Rawan Hammoudeh from San Antonio ISD and Jorge Cruz of Southwest ISD, and IDRA’s Dr. Nilka Avilés attested to the power of modeling high expectations for all students and considering each individual student as having high potential both academically and socially.
Article: Four Leverage Points for Culturally Sustaining Practices
In our work, particularly through the IDRA EAC-South, IDRA has framed current research around culturally sustaining education into four quadrants that represent practices at the following critical levels: (1) culturally sustaining schools, (2) culturally sustaining leadership, (3) culturally sustaining educators, and (4) culturally sustaining pedagogy.
These four leverage points represent components of the educational ecosystem that can be transformed by culturally sustaining practices to better serve marginalized students of color. Defining what culturally sustaining practices look like in these four levels also aids in identifying data points, situating student outcomes through an equity lens, identifying capacity building needs, and creating spaces for continuous community input and support. Simply, framing leverage points as critical levels gives educational stakeholders a way to quantify steps for successfully implementing culturally sustaining practices.
Article: Why Emergent Bilingual Education Needs Equity-Centered Pedagogies
As I worked toward earning my education administration certificate at a university in Chicago, I reflected on how my leadership efforts serve emergent bilingual students (English learners). Because I had been a bilingual educator for many years, I had established ways to help my students be successful. Also to stay current, I regularly reviewed research on the latest methods, strategies and systems for educating emergent bilingual students.
I noticed that the content of many of my educational leadership classes did not include information about serving emergent bilingual students. Ways to serve these students’ specific linguistic needs and embrace their culture received no attention in any of my courses’ case studies or lectures presented by the faculty. They were not mentioned in discussions about how we could help all students receive an equitable and excellent, high-quality education.
Article: The Innovation of Translanguaging Pedagogy Enables Students to Use All of Their Tools
On a rainy Monday morning in Chicago in 2004, I took the day off from my auditing job to observe my niece Lolita in kindergarten because she’d been crying and begging not to go to school every morning. I wondered what was happening to cause Lolita to hate kindergarten.
Upon entering the bilingual education classroom, I heard the teacher declare, “We don’t speak Spanish during our science period!” This happened during circle time. Lolita was sitting on the rug listening to her classmate explain the butterfly lifecycle in Lolita’s native Spanish. Lolita and her classmate were smartly using the resources of their different languages with very little regard for any artificial boundaries between English and Spanish. I watched with fascination as both languages allowed for more effective communication about the butterfly lifecycle.
Article: Let the Youth Speak for Themselves – Fostering Substantive Conversations and Advocacy in the Classroom
Our goal as educators, parents and community members is to provide the best for the next generation. We make decisions with the best intentions. From conception on, there are a million choices that influence a student’s life. Some are minor. Some are huge. Take a moment to consider how many of them are informed by the students themselves. Our youth are telling us what they want and what they need. It is time that we listen.
Article: Families Celebrate Excellent Biliteracy Programs
While biliteracy enhances students’ career options for a stable economic future in an increasingly globalized economy, its value extends far beyond material and economic benefits. Self-concept, self-value and family connections blossom when a student’s home language and culture are maintained in tandem with English fluency and literacy. When schools support students to graduate fully biliterate, they build individual student self-worth, familial connections and economic utility.
Podcast: Nurturing Courageous Critical Conversations in the Classroom – Podcast Episode 221
Classnotes Podcast (March 23, 2022). Teachers understand the need for students to have substantive conversations to develop their vocabulary and connect to the subject matter. They build into their lesson plans, specific strategies to generate critical thinking, dialogue, problem-solving. And when students want to talk about tough subjects, like social issues that are very relevant to them, we cannot shut it down.
Dr. Paula Johnson and Dr. Lizdelia Piñón discuss the importance of giving students think time, tools for communication and safe spaces to speak and be heard. Dr. Paula Johnson is an IDRA senior education associate and director the IDRA EAC-South. Dr. Lizdelia Piñón is an IDRA education associate with expertise in bilingual and ESL education.
Article: An Introduction to Culturally Sustaining Practices in the Classroom
Culturally sustaining instruction is a research-based approach that links students’ cultures, languages and life experiences within the classroom environment. These connections help students access rigorous curriculum and develop higher-level academic skills.
When using culturally sustaining practices, educators deliberately create a classroom environment that acknowledges all students, connecting cultural experiences within daily instruction, embracing students’ native language and their families as assets to learning at school and home, and communicating clear high expectations for all students.
Podcast: STEM Journeys of Two Young Women of Color – Part 2 – Podcast Episode 219
Classnotes Podcast (February 7, 2022). In this second of two podcast episodes, Dr. Stephanie Garcia talks with two young women of color who are passionate about their pursuit of STEM.
CSO Alumna Isela, who identifies as a Chicana, is a sophomore at the University of Texas at San Antonio. She describes her transition from a senior graduating high school during the pandemic to a first-generation student at a large Hispanic-serving university. She describes her experience with virtual and in-person learning and offers advice to incoming college students, first-generation students.
IDRA’s STEM intern, Adriana, describes her current experiences as a Hispanic female in male-dominated STEM courses in high school. She asks Isela questions including how she stayed connected with peers and mentors during virtual learning due to COVID.
Article: Playing Defense is Not Enough – Let’s Recommit to a Vision of Public Schools that Values Every Child, Every Educator, Every Community
Since January 2021, we have seen at least 37 states introduce laws that seek to ban “divisive” content in classrooms and school libraries (Schwartz, 2022). Legislation to censor classroom learning has evolved into a call for “parents’ rights” and “curriculum transparency,” with some states now targeting words like diversity, equity and inclusion (Schwartz & Pendharkar, 2022). While we are busy playing defense, we must not lose sight of the long game and articulate clearly a vision for public education that values every single student.
Podcast: STEM Journeys of Two Young Women of Color – Part 1 – Podcast Episode 218
Classnotes Podcast (January 24, 2022). In this first of two podcast episodes, Dr. Stephanie Garcia talks with two young women of color who are passionate about their pursuit of STEM.
CSO Alumna Isela, who identifies as a Chicana, is a sophomore at the University of Texas at San Antonio. She describes her transition from a senior graduating high school during the pandemic to a first-generation student at a large Hispanic-serving university. She first planned to major in math but has recently decided to explore more coursework and consider going into STEM education.
IDRA’s STEM intern, Adriana, describes her current experiences as a Hispanic female in male-dominated STEM courses in high school. She is determined to push through the barriers she is facing to pursue a career in biomedical engineering. She is currently applying to multiple universities that have strong engineering programs.
Article: Parents Urge Schools to Enrich, Not Exclude
News stories in recent months have shown parents shouting at school board meetings angry about topics and materials used in classrooms or about something they heard through the grapevine (aka social media) about a particular teacher or principal. The volume of these media stories and the addictive videos shared online give the impression that these voices represent the majority. But they do not.
Article: Stop the Bad; Do the Good – Hurting and Excluding Students Feeds the School-to-Prison Pipeline
By Morgan Craven, J.D. • IDRA Newsletter • September 2021 •
I have worked on school discipline and policing issues for more than a decade as an attorney representing young people in schools and courts, as an advocate supporting local campaigns, and as a collaborator on state and national policies. In these roles, when I talk to people about strategies to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline, I often frame the solution as “Stop the Bad, Do the Good.”
I admit that may seem overly-simplistic, particularly for an issue that so profoundly impacts the lives of and limits opportunities for so many young people. But I use this framing precisely because the lived experiences, data, and academic research on school discipline and policing are clear about what works and what doesn’t to create safe and welcoming schools for all students.
Podcast: Students Want Schools to Teach Inclusive Truth – Podcast Episode 213
Classnotes Podcast (October 29, 2021) Concerned about the impact of the new classroom censorship bill in Texas, 88 public school students described their experiences with racial discrimination in school. Their stories show why diversity, equity and inclusion training are needed for teachers across Texas public schools and why Texas students need culturally-sustaining schools.
In this podcast episode, we feature two students who spoke at a recent press briefing held by IDRA and the TEACH Coalition. Thomas Marshall III, IDRA policy communications strategist, talks with high school senior, Autumn, and high school junior, Emaan, as they describe their experiences with discrimination and bias. They also discuss how classroom lessons in history and other courses already exclude people of color and other groups. Students’ last names and schools are kept confidential.
Podcast: Digital Inclusion is Vital for Students and Families – Podcast Episode 212
Classnotes Podcast (September 27, 2021). The digital divide affects millions of Texas households that cannot get broadband Internet access. When schools moved instruction online due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this country’s simmering digital divide reached a boiling point. Millions of students were unable to access schoolwork or their teachers.
In this episode, Christina Quintanilla-Muñoz, M.Ed., IDRA research analyst, and Thomas Marshall III, IDRA policy communications strategist, discuss the issue of digital inclusion and their work as IDRA Education Policy Fellows to advocate broadband access during the Texas Legislative session. They also highlight other advocates and organizations who partnered to secure affordable, dependable Internet connection for families. Christina and Thomas were interviewed by Michelle Martínez Vega, IDRA chief technology strategist.
Article: Schoolwide Restorative Justice Practices – A Guided Tour
By Paula N. Johnson, Ph.D. • IDRA Newsletter • September 2021 •
Public schools are increasingly adopting a restorative approach for building community and relationships. Restorative justice practices involve developing welcoming learning environments that are inclusive of all students and foster relationships within the school community. Studies show that using restorative justice practices positively impacts student behavior (Johnson, 2019).
Successful implementation relies heavily on understanding that behavior is not the primary focus. IDRA encourages schools and districts to implement restorative justice as a means of addressing issues of equity schoolwide.
Here, I provide a guided tour of the implementation process and share expectations, challenges and benchmarks for the first two to three years.
Article: Culturally Sustaining Instruction Requires Culturally Sustaining LeadershipB
By Paula N. Johnson, Ph.D. • IDRA Newsletter • May 2021 •
The pandemic reminded us very quickly that relationships are important for effective student and family engagement. Millions of students found themselves disconnected from the school community when COVID-19 forced schools to go online. Teachers and school leaders have relied on these relationships to keep students engaged.
But disengagement did not start with the pandemic and it will not end when schools reopen this fall. There is growing concern about the continued disengagement that disproportionately affects high percentages of Black students and Latino students.
Article: Anti-Racist Schooling for All Students of Color
By Bricio Vasquez, Ph.D., & Altheria Caldera, Ph.D. • IDRA Newsletter • May 2021 •
Anti-racist schooling occurs as a result of an explicit stance against racism accompanied by purposeful, strategic actions that affirm students of color. It humanizes all students by respecting their cultural backgrounds and exemplifies cultural pluralism rather than cultural homogeneity.
All levels of racism historically have existed in education: interpersonal, internalized and institutional. Interpersonal racism is racial discrimination that occurs between individuals and groups. Internalized racism is racial bias held by people of color against their own racial group. Institutional racism is race-related oppression embedded in institutional policies and practices. Anti-racist educators reject all three.
Anti-racist education is liberatory only if it counters the specific manifestations of racism that inflict violence upon all racially-minoritized students. Said differently, inter-group analyses of racism help educators recognize and reject the distinct ways schools enact racialized violence (cultural, psychological, physical) against students of color.
Podcast: Teaching that is Culturally-Relevant -Responsive and -Sustaining – Podcast Episode 211
Classnotes Podcast (May 18, 2021). In exploring the role of teachers in bringing about academic success for students of color, three terms are often used interchangeably: culturally responsive, culturally relevant, and culturally sustaining. But understanding the differences in these terms can deepen how educators work with their students in their diverse classrooms.
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Article: Visions and Provisions – Planning for K-12 Ethnic Studies Implementation
By Irene Gómez, Ed.M. • IDRA Newsletter • May 2021 •
As a Latina raised in Texas, I come from a state where 52% of students are Latino and 12% are Black. These figures won’t reflect the full intricacies of ethnic-racial identity – youth who are both Black and Latino, for instance – but they do represent a majority who aren’t primarily of European descent (TEA, 2020).
I think back to my senior year of high school, when our English class read Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man, and I realize that in my 11 years of schooling, we had only covered U.S. racism through two books, both written by white women: Uncle Tom’s Cabin and To Kill a Mockingbird.It’s fitting that my first school-assigned book authored by and centering a Black American and his perspective on racial justice focused on invisibility.
Education CAFE Families Provide Insight on State-Level Education Policies
by Aurelio M. Montemayor, M.Ed. • IDRA Newsletter • April 2021
The Texas Legislature is hearing from a new contingent of families through IDRA’s Education CAFE network. The legislature holds its regular session from January to May every two years. Education CAFE members in the south Texas Rio Grande Valley started preparations in the fall of 2020 with the leadership of ARISE Adelante, which supports family leadership in education through the work of community centers situated in colonias (unincorporated communities with scarce public services).
The Education CAFE network in the area holds community events once or twice per year focused on education issues members raise. Due to COVID-19, they moved their Mesa Comunitaria online in the fall of 2020 to review education issues concerning families, especially those in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods. Participants identified several central issues of concern: inequitable school funding, college preparation and access, the digital divide exacerbated by the COVID-19 isolation, effective dual language programs in their schools, and mental health and wellness concerns aggravated by the pandemic.
Words Matter – The Case for Shifting to “Emergent Bilingual”
by Araceli García • IDRA Newsletter • February 2021
Throughout IDRA’s almost five decades, we have paid close attention to how we speak about people in terms of race or ethnicity, gender, etc. Words matter.
Almost 5 million students in U.S. public schools are learning English as a second language. That’s over 10% of the student population. The number almost doubled over the last 15 years. IDRA recently took another look at the terminology used to identify these students and the implications of using certain labels.
Challenging Colonialism in the Classroom – Part 1 – Podcast Episode 203
Classnotes Podcast (July 15, 2020). Educators across the country are working to make classrooms and instruction culturally responsive and relevant to their students and communities. The task is deeper than a checklist of inclusive terminology and activities. The foundations of settler colonialization have impacted the creation of all of our institutions. And in education, it infiltrates our pedagogy, curricula and policies.
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We Create Hope Within Our Communities – Before and During COVID-19, Texas Chief Science Officers Advocate for STEM
by Elizabeth Alexander, Shreya Chaudhary & Isela Herrera • IDRA Newsletter • June-July 2020
The Chief Science Officers (CSO) program emphasizes student voice across the globe for STEM engagement. CSO students create action plans that encourage STEM throughout their community. These action plans enable students to further their STEM education, bring awareness of future career paths, and advocate for STEM. Alongside the action plan process, CSO students network with many different corporations to further advance our future endeavors in STEM fields.
Watch webinar recording: Student Perspectives on a Changing School Climate
IDRA, Partners Provide South Texas Families Tech Support for Distance Learning During COVID-19 Crisis for Virtual Classrooms
IDRA launched a partnership with two community-based organizations in the Texas Rio Grande Valley to help Spanish-speaking families navigate virtual classrooms while schools are closed due to COVID-19.
Mentors from the College Scholarship Leadership Access Program (CSLAP) provide tech support to members of ARISE, a grassroots organization that promotes empowerment through education and part of IDRA’s Education CAFE network. ARISE volunteers connect families with CSLAP mentors, who are graduates of Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD with computer, software and technical expertise on online learning platforms. Each mentor holds office hours during which they provide support over Zoom or by phone.
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Article: Implications of Texas SB 1882 Patchwork of Partnerships
By Chloe Latham Sikes, Ph.D. • IDRA Newsletter • May 2020
Three years ago, the Texas legislature passed Senate Bill 1882 to incentivize school districts to relinquish local control over campus operations, governance and budgets to an external partner presumably to lead to school improvements. Eligible external operating partners include charters, private schools, private childcare providers, non-profit organizations and institutions of higher education.
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Implications of Texas SB 1882 Patchwork of Partnerships
Article: Ensuring Equity in Online Learning
IDRA Newsletter • April 2020
In the wake of the COVID-19-propelled public health crisis, schools around the nation are turning to online learning for students. Technology presents a huge opportunity to engage students to continue their schooling.
However, online education also brings a host of equity and access concerns, misperceptions around students’ technology abilities, lack of access for students with no home internet access, and unique challenges for some student populations, including special education students and English learners.
This special edition issue brief provides educators ideas on how technology can best serve us during these times. The following suggestions rely on best educational practices, logical conclusions drawn from school district equity audits and classroom observations, research on technology access, and our collective empathy toward families and students.
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Article: The 2020 Census is Here – Schools Should be Active
By Bricio Vasquez, Ph.D. • IDRA Newsletter • March 2020
This spring, families and individuals across the country will complete the 2020 Census form. Every 10 years, the U.S. Census Bureau counts every person living in the United States, including unauthorized immigrants. The results determine how many representatives each state will have in the U.S. House of Representatives for the next decade. And, critically, the census results determine the allocation of $675 billion in federal funding for public schools and universities.
With just a few phrases in the U.S. Constitution, the founders created a monumental undertaking leading to the creation of the Census Bureau. Local untrained U.S. Marshals conducted the first census by hand in 1790. A century later, the 1890 census used a newly-invented electromechanical tabulating machine with punch cards, cutting the tabulation time from eight years to six weeks. The first census by mail did not take place until 1960.
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Article: Racial and Gender Disparities in Dress Code Discipline Point to Need for New Approaches in Schools
By Chloe Latham Sikes, M.A. • IDRA Newsletter • February 2020
Recently, two Black high school students in Barbers Hill Independent School District in Texas were disciplined for violating the district dress code by wearing their hair in dreadlocks (per their families’ cultural custom). As in this case, while supposedly established to minimize disruption in the classroom, dress code policies and their disciplinary consequences can actually disrupt the learning opportunities and school environment for students, and can be discriminatory against students’ gender, religious and cultural expression (NWLC, 2018; Sherwin, 2017), with a disproportionately harmful impact on students of color and girls.
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Article: How Schools Can End Harmful Discipline Practices
By Morgan Craven, J.D., Nilka Avilés, Ed.D., & Aurelio M. Montemayor, M.Ed. • IDRA Newsletter • February 2020
Positive cultures of teaching and learning support students’ attendance, academic achievement, engagement and positive self-concept. These cultures depend on effective discipline, which addresses challenging and unsafe behaviors constructively.
Unfortunately, data show the prevalent overuse of ineffective exclusionary discipline measures, such as suspensions and alternative school placements, in schools across the country. Students of color, students with disabilities, and LGBTQ students are more likely to be punished, even though they are not more likely to misbehave (Rumberger & Losen, 2016).
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Article: Three Guiding Principles for Removing College Readiness Barriers in School Policies and Practices
Nilka Avilés, Ed.D., and Hector Bojorquez • IDRA Newsletter • November-December 2019
In most circles, the importance of college preparation in K-12 schools is obvious. In addition to schools’ public mandate, data on future earnings and life choices leave little doubt that schools need to provide rigorous courses and other supports to prepare students for college and career. But school leaders may struggle with making this a reality.
IDRA has worked with a number of schools in the U.S. South as educators change policies and practices that hinder college preparation, particularly when they reflect issues of inequity.
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Article: Texas Higher Education Law Aims to Improve Outcomes for Students in Developmental Education
by Bricio Vasquez, Ph.D. • IDRA Newsletter • November-December 2019
College-level placement in Texas community colleges relies heavily on a single college readiness placement test, the Texas Success Initiative Assessment (TSIA), unless exempt. The state requires most incoming college students to take the TSIA to be assessed in the areas of reading, writing and math. But this practice can lead to higher numbers of students being misplaced into remedial courses.
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Principal Leadership for English Learner Success – Podcast Episode 198
Classnotes Podcast (November 14, 2019) English learners success in many ways depends on strong school leaders, many of whom are adjusting to both the growing numbers of English learners and the growing numbers of languages spoken in their school. Strong leaders innovate, inspire and empower their staff to serve their diverse populations. In this episode, Dr. Nilka Avilés talks with principal David Garcia about his dual language school and his vision of having not only bilingual students but biliterate and multicultural students who excel.
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English Learner Success Depends on Strong Principal Leadership
by Nilka Avilés, Ed.D. • IDRA Newsletter • September 2019
Demographic changes in recent years have affected not just the numbers of English learners but also the communities where they reside. Many schools that once had few, if any, English learners, now have a sizeable English learner population. And other schools that had English learner students with a common home language now have a population speaking multiple languages.
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Article: Five Best Practices for Effective Principals and School Leadership Teams
by Nilka Avilés, Ed.D. • IDRA Newsletter • September 2019
Research shows that, in schools, the principal is second only to the teacher as the individual who impacts student success the most (Leithwood, et al., 2008; Wallace Foundation, 2013). Yet, the country is experiencing a serious shortage of expert principals in schools with diverse student populations (Theoharis & Brooks, 2012). In addition, schools face accountability challenges that require strong leadership with a commitment to address inequities.
As a catalyst for change, IDRA has developed best practices to improve effectiveness of principals and their leadership teams. We focus on equipping principals to be visionary leaders, student advocates, instructional leaders, collaborators and risk-taking innovators to improve student achievement. Coaching is the strategy that brings these practices to life.
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Article: Superintendent Dr. Daniel King Describes How Strong Family Leadership Leads to School Innovation
by Aurelio M. Montemayor, M.Ed., featuring Superintendent Daniel King, Ph.D. • IDRA Newsletter • September 2019
The school principal’s way of working with families ripples throughout the campus. It influences whether the school welcomes parents or merely tolerates them.
Dr. Daniel King, superintendent of the Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District (PSJA), reflected recently on the climate he cultivates among the principals and other faculty at PSJA.
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eBook: Supporting Immigrant Students’ Rights to Attend Public Schools
As schools are opening their doors for a new school year, this alert is a reminder that public schools, by law, must serve all children. The education of undocumented students is guaranteed by the Plyler vs. Doe decision, and certain procedures must be followed when registering immigrant children in school to avoid violation of their civil rights.
See eBook and other resources
Bilingual eBook on Supporting Immigrant Students’ Rights to Attend Public Schools
School Opening Alert flier (in English and Spanish).
eNews School Opening Alert – August 2017.
Alert for Registering Students for School
More resources are on our Education of Immigrant Children web page.
Code-switching as a School Strategy – Podcast Episode 192
Classnotes Podcast (July 1, 2019). In linguistics and language classes, the term “code-switching” describes how speakers mix two or more languages and speech patterns in writing and conversation. But the term has become broader to encompass dialogue that spans cultures, such as how we change the way we express ourselves depending on who’s in the room. In our increasingly diverse schools, many students still do not see themselves reflected in the curriculum or the classroom discussion.
In this episode, special guest, Dr. Martina McGhee talks with Michelle Vega and Hector Bojorquez about how schools can build inclusive curriculum that is more honest and whole and how to use code switching to help students feel encouraged and supported. Dr. McGhee is a doctoral fellow in the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) who is leading a new course on race and identity through pop culture. Michelle Martínez Vega is IDRA’s technology coordinator, and Hector Bojorquez is IDRA’s director of operations.
Show length: 27:23 min
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Classnotes Podcast Episode: Skills Needed for Teaching in Diverse Classrooms – #173
With the quickly-changing dynamics across our communities, teachers often are facing the challenge of incorporating multicultural education without proper preparation. To stay engaged in the learning process, students – like adults – need the school climate and curriculum to reflect their racial and economic backgrounds, languages, religions, funds of knowledge and family structures.
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Paula Martin Johnson, M.A., an IDRA education associate, presents three critical areas of professional development that school leaders need to be providing for their teachers to effectively deliver high-quality and inclusive instruction in 21st-century classrooms.
Paula is interviewed by Aurelio M. Montemayor, M.Ed., IDRA senior education associate. Show length: 14:30 min.
Listen now: Skills Needed for Teaching in Diverse Classrooms – #173
Article: Three Approaches for Dismantling Discriminatory Discipline in Schools
by Paula N. Johnson, Ph.D., & José A. Velázquez, M.Ed., March 2019
In recent years, schools across the nation have moved toward resolving behavior issues that do not take the child out of the classroom – focusing on a “whole child” approach to student learning and success built on relationships and community.
The IDRA EAC- South has a three-pronged approach to addressing disparities in school discipline. First, technical assistance builds capacity to increase positive school climates through research-based services; second, revising discriminatory school discipline practices better aligns schools with the district’s tiers of support for behavior; and third, building capacity for effective family and parent engagement to improve relationships between all stakeholders.
As a result, districts we’ve worked with across the IDRA EAC- South region report lower rates of suspension and expulsion each year.
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Article: School Leaders Improve English Learner Literacy with Focus on Inferencing
by Nilka Avilés, Ed.D., September 2018
Inferencing and literacy skills are vital to students’ success. With leaders at five schools, IDRA provided customized teacher professional development focused on inferencing and reasoning skills. Through this program, the schools improved literacy scores and helped close the achievement gap between English learner and non-English learner students.
IDRA found effective implementation practices for improving leader and teacher capacity for educating EL students, improving school climate
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Article: Institutionalized Discrimination… Does it Exist in Your School
by David Hinojosa, J.D., April 2018
This article addresses how schools can identify institutionalized discrimination – discriminatory practices that manifest through behaviors, actions and policies of public institutions that target or exclude based on race, sex, gender, national origin, religion and disability, among others. This kind of discrimination can be difficult to stop because it often has a basis in patterns and practices from historical norms. David Hinojosa pinpoints three critical areas – expectations, school funding and curriculum – as starting points for schools to identify and correct their own discriminatory policies and practices.
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Article: Addressing “Ecological Shock” – Supporting Refugee Students in School
by Kristin Grayson, Ph.D., and Hannah Sung, March 2018
Dr. Kristin Grayson and Hanna Sung address in this article how schools can support refugee students through building connections and fostering understanding. Educators and school stakeholders must understand the effects of trauma and the unique aspects that refugee students bring to the classroom.
Schools can pro-actively create a welcoming and positive learning environment to help these students cope with stress and fear by fostering community – bringing students in fully as members of their schools rather than isolating them. Building this positive learning environment requires a commitment to equity.
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Article: Schools’ Duty to Educate English Learner Immigrant and Migrant Students
by Kristin Grayson, Ph.D., March 2018
English learners in our schools are a vastly diverse group, from the languages they speak to the to the age they began learning English to how they entered the school system. By instilling policies and practices that value their language, multiculturalism, and families and that provide them the tools necessary to succeed, we can help prepare these students for flourish in the global economy.
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Article: Data to Measure an Effective Instructional Context for Secondary Level Newcomers and English Learners
by Kristin Grayson, Ph.D., IDRA Newsletter, June-July 2017
Teachers and administrators may feel overwhelmed by the use and analysis of data for English learners (ELs) as is required by the federal guidelines under Title III of the Every Student Succeeds Act. Yet collecting and conducting data analysis is essential for EL success and is based on strong and seminal research in second language acquisition. Using data is even more critical when students are secondary level newcomers and English learners with interrupted schooling.
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When considering how to collect and use data, the Casteñeda v. Pickard decision of the Fifth Circuit Court,1981, provides an excellent framework (Thomas & Collier, 1997). This article focuses on the data needed to support teachers and English learners who enter U.S. schools as newcomers and as students with interrupted schooling. IDRA’s Good Schools and Classrooms for Children Learning English ~ A Guide (Robledo Montecel, et al., 2002) and its supplement for secondary students also provide a way to collect much of the needed data.
Read article: Data to Measure an Effective Instructional Context for Secondary Level Newcomers and English Learners