The "IDRA Newsletter" serves as a vehicle for communication with educators, school board members, decision-makers, parents, and the general public concerning the educational needs of all children across the United States. The focus of this issue is "Teaching Quality." Contents include: (1) Using Project-Based Learning and STEAM…

The "IDRA Newsletter" serves as a vehicle for communication with educators, school board members, decision-makers, parents, and the general public concerning the educational needs of all children across the United States. The focus of this issue is "School Leadership." Contents include: (1) Superintendent Dr. Daniel King…

Educational Interventions for Students with Autism offers educators a vital resource for understanding and working with autistic students. Written by nationally acclaimed experts in the field and published in collaboration with the world-renowned UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute, the book aims to deepen educators' appreciation of the challenges…

A growing body of evidence suggests that family engagement matters for student success. Research shows that family engagement improves school readiness, student achievement, and social skills. Furthermore, an increasing number of innovative approaches to education leverage and connect the many settings and times in which children learn and grow to…

Each of the chapters in this unique book was written expressly for each major stakeholder group in a school, tailored to their varied needs and experiences. Each chapter contains a set of inter-related practical activities so that each group focuses on the same goals and supports the others. No other book on school improvement includes a chapter…

Each edition of the IDRA Newsletter strives to provide many different perspectives on the issues in education topics discussed and to define its significance in the state and national dialogue. This issue focuses on Enlightened Public Policy and includes: (1) Texas Education Policy: Prospects for 2009 (Albert Cortez); (2) Bilingual Education in…

A food-safe school takes the steps to minimize the risk of foodborne illness throughout the school's environment and has procedures in place to identify and manage outbreaks if they occur. This booklet introduces the Food-Safe Schools Action Guide, which helps schools identify gaps in food safety and develop an action plan for becoming food-safe.…

Students' test scores are influenced by their subject matter knowledge, their physical and emotional health, and their skill in the mechanics of test taking. Designed for use in the Detroit (Michigan) Public Schools, this document focuses on improving skills in the mechanics of test taking. The first section overviews strategies for…

Three checklists help parents, teachers, and school administrators think about what constitutes a good elementary school science program and about their respective roles in promoting and supporting such a program. The lists focus on home and classroom environment, professional commitment, philosophy, curriculum and assessment, outside support,…

This book offers an in-depth understanding of the unique challenges and contributions of urban primary schools. The authors set urban education in the wider social context of structural disadvantage, poverty, oppression and exclusion, and reassert some critical urban educational concerns. Recognizing that practice needs to be informed by theory,…

Despite the administrative leadership that most principals receive in university courses, their most useful learning doesn't occur until they are on the job. The new knowledge--much of it the result of trial and error, success and failure--is gained in relative isolation. This book focuses on the critical work of school principals, offering…

One of the best guarantees of a child's success in school is his or her parents' involvement in education. This resource guide provides information in the following areas: (1) family types; (2) expectations of parents, teachers, and administrators; (3) barriers encountered by parents and teachers; (4) home environment improvements through family…

This set of six videotapes provides a comprehensive guide to meetings to develop Individualized Education Programs (IEP) for students who are blind. The tapes include reenactments of IEP meetings, conferences with experts, and the views of a variety of participants. Emphasis is on requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act…

This teacher resource manual is designed to guide development of a high school curriculum in Canadian Native languages. It outlines the main features of such a program, clarifies the responsibilities of partners (teachers, administrators, community, native elders) in the implementation of a community-based curriculum, presents pedagogical…