"We must connect school outcomes - graduation and college readiness - with who and what produces those outcomes - connecting actionable knowledge to support engaged citizens, accountable leadership and enlightened public policy that leverages change." - Dr. María "Cuca" Robledo Montecel, IDRA President & CEO
This issue of the IDRA Newsletter has stories on using data to strengthen college readiness and postsecondary success, using data to measure an effective instruction for secondary level newcomers and English learners, student data privacy and winning Coca-Cola Valued Youth Program tutor essays.
Using Data for Action
Community and School Use of Data for College Readiness and Postsecondary Success
by Karmen Rouland, Ph.D., Susan Shaffer and Phoebe Schlanger
We collect data on students in all aspects of learning and teaching and throughout all parts of school operations. Data can indicate what teachers are teaching and what students are learning, and data can inform how we can improve teaching and other factors that influence learning.
But collecting data does not always translate into using data. When data uncover low performance in schools, we hesitate to analyze it for underlying causes of achievement problems. This article walks through three strategies for using data to help ensure that students are on track for high school completion, college entry, and college completion and success. - Keep reading
Data to Measure an Effective Instructional Context for Secondary Level Newcomers and English Learners
by Kristin Grayson, Ph.D.
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.
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. - Keep reading
Student Data Tracking - Taking a Closer Look at Privacy
by Mark Barnett
According to the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), one-third of all K-12 students in the United States are issued devices like laptops or tablets to use in school (Frida, et al., 2017). Almost all of these devices require a user account from Google, Microsoft or Apple in order to use the device. Are schools, students and families aware of data that are being tracked with these accounts and what technology companies are doing with the data?
This article reviews some laws that are in place that are meant to protect the rights and privacy of student data, steps you can take to protect your student's data and privacy, and resources to learn about student data privacy. - Keep reading
Six Young Tutors Win 2017 National Essay Contest Awards
IDRA Coca-Cola Valued Youth Program Tutors Share Stories of the Program's Impact on Their Lives
Six students received prizes in a national competition among participants in the Coca-Cola Valued Youth Program, a nationally-recognized cross-age tutoring program of the Intercultural Development Research Association. Coca-Cola Valued Youth Program tutors wrote about how the program helped them do better in school and how they had helped their tutees to do better.
There were competitions at both the middle school and high school levels in the United States. Winners from each competition are being awarded $200 for first place, $150 for second place and $100 for third place along with commemorative certificates and trophies. This article features excerpts from the winning essays. - Keep reading
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Learn more about the IDRA Coca-Cola Valued Youth Program (pdf)
The Intercultural Development Research Association is an independent, non-profit organization. Our mission is to achieve equal educational opportunity for every child through strong public schools that prepare all students to access and succeed in college. IDRA strengthens and transforms public education by providing dynamic training; useful research, evaluation, and frameworks for action; timely policy analyses; and innovative materials and programs.
We are committed to the IDRA valuing philosophy, respecting the knowledge and skills of the individuals we work with and build on the strengths of the students and parents in their schools.
