Despite recruitment efforts, San Antonio community college was experiencing a marked decrease in Latino enrollment, particularly from neighborhood high schools that traditionally had been their feeder schools. The Intercultural Development Research Association examined the problem and found that the college, like many two- and four-year…

A severe and persistent national shortage of teachers has greatly compromised the quality of teaching in today's schools. This is especially troublesome at a time when students face an ever-growing demand to master challenging standards. Many students are being taught by teachers who are not certified or who are teaching in subjects outside their…

Texas Governor Rick Perry convened the legislature in a fourth special session in April 2004 for state leaders to address school finance and tax related issues left unresolved in its 2003 regular biennial gathering. As the session opened, there was much uproar about how the system was to be changed dramatically. Some talked about creating a new…

This article describes a research project carried out by the Intercultural Development Research Association (IDRA). IDRA's primary research question for this study was, "What contributed to the success of a bilingual education classroom as evidenced by LEP student academic achievement?" In addition to the student data, qualitative and contextual…

The ExCEL Project, sponsored by the Intercultural Development Research Association (IDRA) is described. The program enlists teachers in directing their own professional learning and practice. [This document originally appeared in the "IDRA Newsletter", however some accompanying charts and graphs may not be provided here.]

The many advantages of preserving the nature of community schools is discussed in light of the development of voucher programs and reasons to oppose the voucher system are outlined. [This document originally appeared in the "IDRA Newsletter", however some accompanying charts and graphs may not be provided here.]

Twenty secondary math and science teachers from a large urban school district in Texas were recently asked: Why don't English language learners succeed in school? Their answers included: students feel isolated because of language, students get mixed up with gangs, and students do not value education. This article compares student-attributed and…

Hispanic students value a college education. Among high school graduates, Hispanic students are second only to Asian students in attendance at colleges and universities. Richard Fry of the Pew Hispanic Center summarizes, "There can be no doubt that Latino families are willing to invest in their children?s education" (2002). Much of what accounts…

Preschool children can learn to read in a way that is developmentally and culturally appropriate if they are presented with the necessary supports. Provocative activities, enrichment centers of excellence, and creating print-rich environments for young children are described. Includes a chart listing the critical elements of centers of…

Some groups that are pressing for changes in the state's school funding system represent the interests of a small number of school districts that see themselves as somehow "unfairly" impacted by the state's recapture provisions. Recapture is the part of the funding system that re-allocates state resources that are concentrated in a small number of…

The teacher wondered how her group of middle school tutors would react to reading predictable children's books to their elementary "tutees." Would they enjoy the books or would they think they were too mature to do the activities in the lesson? She wondered if the tutors would enjoy being read to as she modeled the dramatic reading of a children's…

Americans agree that a child's future should not depend on his or her heritage, parents' income or neighborhood. The U.S. sense of justice insists that America be the land of opportunity where all of its citizens are considered equal. Some people may wonder why funding schools fairly is an issue that needs to be talked about. They may ask: Are…

Relationship problems can destroy an otherwise successful bilingual education program. Administrative problems of this type are difficult to identify and to work with. If the source is identified, the problem may be effectively dealt with. This paper presents a list of administrative problem sources that may cause human relation difficulties in…

Through the Innovative Approaches Research Project (IARP), four research and demonstration projects are being implemented as part of a single research effort in the following topic areas: (1) dropout prevention, (2) literacy instruction, (3) math and science instruction, and (4) education of exceptional limited-English-proficient (LEP) students.…

In the context of increasing criticism of bilingual education and the use of native language instruction, it must be remembered that they are based on a sound rationale. First, they address the need for continued learning as the child moves from one language to the other. Second, they address the need to diminish the alienation which children feel…