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TITLE Organizing for Schooling. IDRA Focus.INSTITUTION Intercultural Development Research Association, San

Antonio, Tex.REPORT NO ISSN-1069-5672PUB DATE Aug 96NOTE 22p.

PUB TYPE Collected Works Serials (022)

JOURNAL CIT IDRA Newsletter; v23 n7 Aug 1996

EDRS PRICE MFO1 /PCO1 Plus Postage.

DESCRIPTORS *Affirmative Action; Court Litigation; EducationalChange; Elementary Secondary Education; *EqualEducation; Federal Courts; Grade Repetition;*Inclusive Schools; *Nontraditional Education;*Professional Development; Reading Instruction;*School Restructuring; Special Education

IDENTIFIERS *Intercultural Development Research Association

ABSTRACTThis newsletter focuses on schoolwide approaches to

issues of major concern to educators, from the perspective ofproviding equal education for all children. "Supporting SchoolImprovement in Reading through Professional Development" (Rogelio

Lopez del Bosque, Abelardo Villarreal) describes a professionaldevelopment program that empowers administrators and teachers to takeownership of a student-centered curriculum that, in turn, motivatesstudents to adopt new reading strategies. The program also buildscapacity in the school district to initiate and sustain positivechange. "Desegregation to Inclusion: Embricing a Full Spectrum ofDiversity" (Laura Chris Green) discusses a full inclusion program inwhich teacher support teams and regular, bilingual, and specialeducators merge their expertise to help individual students andrestructure their classrooms as needed for all students. "AlternativeSchools: Short-term Solution with Long-term Consequences" (NorthCarolina Education and Law Project) summarizes the qualities thatalternative schools need to succeed, the features that make themfail,.and the unintended impact of alternative schools on regularpublic schools. "The Hopwood Case: What It Says, What It Doesn't Say,The Future of the Case and 'The Rest of the Story" (Albert Kauffman)

analyzes a Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that struck down theUniversity of Texas law school's admissions policy and that is beinginterpreted as the death of affirmative action. "High Failure Rates:Quality or Ineffectiveness?" (Abelardo Villarreal) proposes a processthrough which a task force of parents, administrators, and teacherscan address high failure rates in their school. "School

Restructuring: A Continuing Imperative" (Roy Johnson) presentsvarious elements, steps, tasks, and stages of school restructuringthat have been identified by reform experts, and calls for a systemicstrategy that combines the involvement of all stakeholders. (TD)

******************************.*****************************************

Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made* from the original document.

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Points of view or opinions stated en this donsment do not necessarily represent officialOERI polution or policy.

IDRA Focus:ORGANIZING FOR SCHOOLING

ISSN 1069-5672 Volume X:X111, No. 7 August 1996

"PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THISMATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY

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TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCESINFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)."

BEST COPY AVAILABLE

2

;14 IDRA Newsletter

R ell

IDRA is an independent

nonprofit advocacy organization

dedicated to improving educational

opportunity. Through research,

materials development, training,

technical assistance, evaluation,

and information dissemination,

we're helping to create schools

that work for all children.

I

IDRA Focus:ORGANIZING FOR SCHOOLING

ISSN 1069 -5672 Volume XXIII, No. 7 August 1996

SUPPORTING SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT IN READING

THROUGH PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

YJ Rogelio Lopez-del Bosque;Ed.D::antkAbelardo =Villarreal; Ph.D..

IDRA' s Reading ImprovementProject is about accessing what you alreadyknow, providing answers to questions thatyou may have about effective readingstrategies across the curriculum andsupporting you in your efforts to implementthese reading strategies that address butare not limited to performance objectivesmeasured through standardized tests. It is aprofessional development program thatempowers teachers and administrators tomake informed choices and take ownershipof a student-centered curriculum that, inturn, empowers students to select and usestrategies to acquire meaning from text. Inother words, students acquire strategies tofind meaning in words that they do notknow. They monitor comprehension of textand apply a variety of techniques to addressa faltering comprehension.

Conferences and "one-shot" or short-term professional development sessions playan important role in our efforts to update ourknowledge base in particular topics ofinterest. They have a role in creatingawareness in people of alternatives toexisting ways of doing things. They generateinterest in change and inspire people to seeksupport from peers and administrators. As aconsequence, we venture and begin to tinkerwith related ideas and become aware of theneed for additional training and support togain the full impact of those alternatives.

Cognizant of the need fora long-termeffort to support curricular and instructionalchange in many of our campuses, IDRAcreated the Reading Improvement Projectthat, when implemented with fidelity andintegrity, produces dramatic academic gains,particularly in the reading area.

Various school districts that haveparticipated* in this project have reportedsubstantial gains not only in standardizedtests but also in student attendance andparticipation in learning activities. The gainsin one particular school district indicate ajump from 31 percent to 60 percent passingthe reading portion of the Texas Assessmentof Academic Skills (TAAS) test from oneyear to the next. The writing portion showedan increase of 27 percent. Limited-English-proficient (LEP) students taking the testshowed a similar result. LEP students showedgains of 23 percent in reading, 32 percent inwriting and 27 percent in mathematics(Cantu, 1996; Robledo Montecel, et al,1994).

Just as dramatic as the gains instandardized tests has been the affirmationby teachers who implemented the teachingstrategies in the Reading ImprovementProject. Below are excerpts from someteachers' comments:

It has been very exciting. The childrenare very motivated, and I feel it was theattitude of the consultants that broughtthis forth because if he or she had comeand given the information impersonally,it would not have worked.

[IDRA trainers] have been greatmotivators. Their attitude toward whatthey are doing, their expertise andknowledge were immediately availableto us. Any time we needed to call, theywere there. Many times, we have pilotprograms. [The trainers] come and trainyou and then they say good-bye. We'veseen so many of those people, and they

Supporting School - continued on page 14

IN THIS ISSUE

6

Fa10

ra

ALTERNATIVE SCHOOLS: SHORT-

TERM SOLUTION

THE HOPWOOD CASE WHAT

IT SAYS, WHAT IT DOESN'T SAY

REFLECTIONS & COMMENTARY

NEWSLETTER EDITORIAL PAGE

SCHOOL RESTRUCTURING:

A CONTINUING IMPERATIVE

11SCHOOL OPENING ALERT:

IMMIGRANT STUDENTS' RIGHTS

. The Intercultural Development Re-

seurehAssociation tIDRAt is a non-protitorganization with a 501(c)(3) tax exemptstatus. The purpose of the organization isto disseminate information concerningequality of educational opportunity. TheIDRA Neivslenert I SSN 1069-5672. copy-

right 1 996) serves as a vehicle for com-munication with educators, school boardmembers, decision-makers. parents. andthe general public concerning the educa-tional needs of all children in Texas andacross the United States.

Publication offices:5835 Callaghan Road. Suite 350San Antonio, Texas 78228-1190Tel. 210/684-8180Fax 210/684-5389

Maria Robledo Montecel, Ph.D.IDRA Executive Director

Newsletter Executive Editor

Christie L. Goodman. APRIDRA Communications Manager.

Newsletter Production Editor

Sarah H. AlemanIDRA Data Entry Clerk

Newsletter Ttpesetter

Permission to reproduce material con-tained herein is granted provided the ar-ticle or item is reprinted in its entirety andproper credit is eiven to IDRA and theauthor. Please send a copy of the materialin its reprinted form to the IDRA Newslet-ter production offices. Editorial submis-sions. news releases. subscription re-quests. and change-of-address data shouldbe submitted in writing to the NewsletterProduction Editor. The IDRA Newsletterstaff welcomes your comments on edito-rial material.

Popularized in the early 1970s by author Thomas Kuhn, "paradigms" are our modelsor patterns of reality, shaped by our understanding and experience into a system ofrules and assumptions about the world around us. The call for restructuring ineducation, emerging from a profound sense that education is not working for allchildren. requires a transformation in how we see schools, students, and their families.If we are to find a new and equitable vision of what education can and should be. newlenses are required to change the way we look at schools and the populationsin them

as demonstrated by our "Now" thinkers below.

THAT IS THEN . . . THIS IS NOW...,

"Power is often in our feet: We walk

out of bad restaurants. bad moviesor bad retail stores. When we aretaken for granted by a for-profitenterprise, we take our business tothe competition. It is time toenfranchise low-income parents in

education.-

Senator Orrin G. Hatch (R-Uath). Quoted in "To Choose

or Not to Choose a School" byKenneth J. Cooper in TheWashington Post. August 7,

1992

"The problem with our education

system is not that parents do not have

a choice. The problem is that

inequities continue to exist."

Honorable Patsy T. Mink (D-Hawaii) U.S. House of Repre-sentatives, House floor debateof October 13, 1993. on HR1804, the Goals 2000: EducateAmerica Act. Quoted inCongressional Digest, January

1994

"In no case is it appropriate toconsider race or ethnicity withregard to admissions decisionseither at the University of Texas or

any other institution of higher

education in our state. We also think

it would be a troubling policy tocontinue considering race and

ethnicity with regard to the award of

financial aid and scholarships."

Texas Attorney General DanMorales, in response to theHopwood. et. al. vs. Texas. et.al. Fifth Circuit Court ofAppeals decision. Quoted inThe Dallas Morning News. July

3, 1996

"If [college officials] do followMorales' advice, and I certainlythink most of them will. I don't thinkit's good for the state. The year 2000is coming. and we'll be back to theold days where the UT law school.

medical school and business school

are graduating 2 to 3 percentminority graduates in a state that's

about to have 50 percent minoritypopulation... [The Fifth Circuit'sruling] does not require the end ofaffirmative action policies at public

colleges or universities, let alone

private colleges that are recipients of

federal funds.-

Albert Kauffman, seniorlitigation attorney, MALDEF.

Quoted in The Dallas Morning

News, July 3, 1996 and the SanAntonio Express News, July

1996

August 1996 U IDRA Newsletter 4

DESEGREGATION TO INCLUSION:

EMBRACING A FULL SPECTRUM OF DIVERSITY

Inclusion can be viewed as thelogical culmination of a trend toward theappreciation of diversity in our nation'sschools. This trend began in 1954 withthe Brown vs. Topeka Board of j

Education decision. As educators, we ..///8;have moved beyond learning to toleratethe presence of those who are different

Ls_

toward learning to value those who walk and,

talk differently, those who learn differentlyand even those who break the usual socialrules because of their emotional handicaps.

We have also moved beyond askingonly that the schools place students ofdifferent races on the same campus towardrealizing that the interactions betweenstudents of different races, cultures,languages and abilities need to be genuineand sustained if true communication andunderstanding are to occur.

This article describes a very specialproject co-sponsored by the IDRADesegregation Assistance Center SouthCentral Collaborative (DAC-SCC), theUniversity of Texas at Austin and a specialeducation advocacy group known as theAssociation of Retarded Citizens (ARC) ofTexas. After exploring the philosophicaland historical foundations of the project, thearticle describes the elementary school,Powell Elementary in San Antonio, Texas,that has taken on the challenge of creating amodel for the effective inclusion of allstudents that will embrace African American,White and Hispanic; poor and middle class;bilingual and monolingual; regular andspecial education.

From Desegregation to InclusionWhen desegregation efforts began in

the late 1950s, bussing and racial ratioswere the primary tools used to establishparity between White and African Americanstudents. The goal was to have members ofboth races in every school. This goal waslargely accomplished, but it became evidentthat less overt forms of discriminationcontinued to hamper the education of AfricanAmerican students. Ability grouping,tracking and low teacher expectationsresulted in over-retention in grade, over-representation in special education andcompensatory programs, under-representation in gifted and talented and

(

\\\ 772

other accelerated programs andhigher dropout rates.

Meanwhile, other minority groupsbegan observing similar trends for theirchildren. The Lau vs. Nichols decision in1974 supported Chinese parents in SanFrancisco, agreeing that an English-onlycurriculum without modificationsdiscriminated against their non-English-speaking children. Hispanic Americans alsoadvocated for bilingual programs, and aMexican American parent brought tonational attention the gross inequities causedby the system used to fund public schools inthe San Antonio Independent School Districtvs. Rodriguez case.

Bilingual and English as a secondlanguage (ESL) programs became commonin schools attended by linguistically diversestudents throughout the country, but wereespecially prevalent in California, Texas,New York, Florida and other states withlarge immigrant populations.

Most of these programs providedservices either on a pull-out basis or in self-contained classrooms.

Charles Cornell tells us that pull-outspecial language programs are the mostcommon and the least effective programs(1995). Self-contained classrooms at thesecondary level provide typically a maximumof 90 minutes of ESL instruction withstudents spending two-thirds or more oftheir day in regular classroom settings. Self-contained classrooms at the elementary levelare usually full-day programs. But, in bothkinds of self-contained classrooms, studentsare largely segregated from their English-speaking peers.

Special education students, likeminority and language minority students,also have been the targets of programs thatseparate them from so-called "normal"students. Depending on the perceivedseverity of the disability, some special

education students spend one or two periodsa week outside the regular classroom. Others

attend special schools and thus are totallyisolated from the regular program.

Students who are culturally andlinguistically diverse and also are eligiblefor special education services pose

additional challenges to educational systems.The over-representation of minority andlanguage-minority students in specialeducation continues despite concerted effortsto identify fairly and assess these students.Leonard Baca and J.S. De Valenzuela state:

Bilingual special education is at acrossroads. Though it is apparent thatchanges must occur, it is not so clearwhat should be changed or how changesshould be implemented (1994).

Recognition of the negativeconsequences of the labeling andstereotyping that results from specialeducation placement, from the over-representation ofculturally and linguisticallydiverse students and from increasing researchproving the general ineffectiveness of specialeducation pull-out programs led to thecurrent emphasis on inclusion.

The National Information Center forChildren and Youth with Disabilities definesinclusion as:

the practice of providing a child withdisabilities with his or her educationwithin the general education classroomwith the supports and accommodationsneeded by that student (1995).

This is based on the principle of leastrestrictive environment as required by theIndividuals with Disabilities Education Act(IDEA) which means that, to the greatestextent possible, the student is educated withnon-disabled children. A continuum ofplacement options must be available, rangingfrom instruction in regular classes, specialclasses, special schools, home instructionand instruction in hospitals and institutions.

Like other general principles designedto protect children, the principle of leastrestrictive environment has been interpretedand practiced very differently depending ondifferent attitudes and belief systems. Thereare schools where the mere idea of movinga self-contained special education unit fromthe hinterlands of the portables and into the

Desegregation to Inclusion - continued on page 4

August 1996 IDRA Newsletter

5

Desegregation to Inclusion - continued from page 3 (TESA), active, student-centered learning,main building is taboo. There are other accelerated learning, curriculum integration

schools where all special education students, and parental involvement.including those who were severely If we are serious about providing anemotionally disturbed, are mainstreamed excellent education to all studentsincluding

for all, or at least part, ofthe day. Fortunately, minority, language-minority and specialthe latter seem to be becoming more common education students then we must move

than the former. away from a deficit model in whichAs in the beginning days of "disabilities are physiologically based and

desegregation, it is not enough to place located within the individual" and movediverse students together physically in order toward a model in which general and special

to obtain the maximum social and academic education systems are seen as dysfunctional

benefits for all students. The provision of because they deny the strengths and abilities

"supports and accommodations needed by of specific individuals (Baca and Valenzuela,

that student" must include regular classroom 1994). We must question the underlyingteachers trained in how to meet the needs of assumptions that say there is somethingspecial students without neglecting those of wrong with the student (and his or herothers in the classroom. parents) and learn to restructure schools so

Many ofthe solutions used to improve that they accommodate and even celebrate

achievement for economically diversity.disadvantaged, minority and language-minority children can also be applied to Project Site Descriptiondisabled students, e.g., cooperative learning, Powell Elementary, located in theteacher expectations student achievement Northside Independent School District in

FACULTY INPUT RELATED TO THE CHILD PROCESS

Grade Level:

I have used the CHILD process with one or more of my students: Yes_ No

Assignment: Regular Classroom Teacher Bilingual/ESL TeacherSpecial Education Teacher Other:

1. What do you see as the primary purpose of the CHILD process? (Check one):

Fulfilling legal requirementsReducing the number of special education referralsIdentifying students who should be referred to special educationSupporting teachers in resolving classroom difficultiesMeeting the needs of students with disabilities within the regular classroomDeveloping modifications for Section 504 studentsOther:

2. How successful do you feel the process has been in helping you solve classroom

problems on a scale of one to five (five being the highest)?

3. What types of problems has the CHILD process helped you resolve?

4. What do you see as the most beneficial part of the process?

5. Which level do you feel has been the most useful? Why?Level I Level II Level III

6. If you could improve the process in any way, what would you change?

San Antonio, was selected by staff from theIDRA Desegregation Assistance CenterSouth Central Collaborative (DAC-SCC),the Department of Special Education at theUniversity ofTexas at Austin, and InclusionWorks (a program of the ARC of Texas) toparticipate in a collaborative projectdesigned to improve and broaden itsinclusion efforts. The school was chosen forits demographic characteristics and becauseit had a district-wide reputation for itsgenuine commitment to inclusion. Uponbeing contacted about the project, itsprincipal, Rebecca Mitchell. enthusiasticallyaccepted the challenge, on behalf of herstaff, to create a model for the effectiveinclusion of all students.

With an enrollment of approximately500 students, Powell Elementary has thefollowing demographics:

EthnicityHispanicWhiteAfrican American

74%17%

6%

Special PopulationsSpecial Education 20%LEPGifted and Talented 4%Economically Disadvantaged 74%

5%

The percentage of students in specialeducation programs is high because theschool receives many students from otherneighborhood schools not offering programsfor students with some of the more severehandicaps.

Each grade level has one bilingualteacher, who teaches the identified LEPstudents in that grade, and about three regularprogram teachers. Six special educationteachers and several paraprofessionalsprovide special education support. The staffalso has reading, math, art, music andphysical education specialists.

Project DescriptionThe three-member team from IDRA

(myself), the University of Texas (Dr.Shernaz Garcia) and ARC of Texas (Dr.Randy Soifer) began the project with afocus on ways that teachers used a problemsolving process to meet the needs of"hard toteach" students. We knew that many schoolshave been successful in improvingachievement for special education studentsthrough teacher assistance teams or othersystems designed to build teacher support

Desegregation to Inclusion- continued on page 5

August 1996

11FRiCoOY AVABLABLE

IDRA Newsletter

Desegregation to Inclusion - continued from page 4

teams for solving the educational problemsof individual students.

We envisioned a school where teachersupport teams helped each other withclassroom management, instructionaltechniques and curriculum content for thebenefit of regular, bilingual and specialeducation students. Regular. bilingual andspecial educators would merge theirexpertise to help individual students andrestructure their classrooms as needed forall students.

Dr. Soffer, Dr. Garcia and I agreedthat our first step would be to collect datafrom the campus on how their pre-referralsystem for the identification and placementof special education students (the CHILDprocess) worked and how well they perceivedthat it worked. We met with the principal inthe early spring of 1996 to discuss the overallgoals of the project and decide how tointroduce it to all of the faculty. She sharedwith us the district-mandated forms used toguide the CHILD process as well as hercampus improvement plan and her ChapterI school-wide improvement plan for the1995-96 school year. She also informed usthat each grade level had regular inclusionteam meetings in which regular and specialeducation teachers discussed modificationsbefore and after special education placement.

We decided to spend a few days oncampus interviewing teachers and observingclassrooms and inclusion team meetings.'Interviews and interactions with teachersfocused on the. following questions.

1. If you have a problem with a particularstudent, whether it be a learning or

WE MUST QUESTION THE

UNDERLYING ASSUMPTIONS THAT

SAY THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG

WITH THE STUDENT AND HIS OR

HER PARENTS) AND LEARN TO

RESTRUCTURE SCHOOLS SO THAT

THEY ACCOMMODATE AND EVEN

CELEBRATE DIVERSITY.

behavior problem, who or what group doyou turn to first for help and advice?

2. Is there a second source you would turnto ifthe first source proves unsuccessful?Is there a third source?

3. [If the school-wide problem solvinggroup is not mentioned] Are you awarethat there is a school-wide problemsolving group that you can turn to forhelp?[I f no] Would you use it to help you ifthe

need arises in the future or wouldyou continue to use your othersources of help? Why or why not?

[If yes] On a scale of one to five (fivebeing the highest), how would yourate the effectiveness of the currentgroup? What do you like about it?Why don't you use it? What ifanything would need to change foryou to start using it?

4. [If the school-wide problem solvinggroup is mentioned] On a scale of one tofive (five being the highest), how wouldyou rate the effectiveness of the currentgroup? What do you like about it? Whatwould you need to happen for you to rate

it higher? In other words, how could it beimproved?

5. Ideally, what would you like to seeincluded in the school-wide problemsolving system or process? (For example,how quickly should the group respond toproblems, who should be a part of thegroup, etc.)

The classroom observations focusedon observing how students with severehandicaps were included in classroomactivities and the implementation of thebilingual program. Only one day could bedevoted to these observations such that onlyone classroom per grade, two of which werebilingual classrooms, were observed. Wealso observed meetings of the fourth gradeinclusion team and the prekindergarten-kindergarten-first grade inclusion team.Teachers at all grade levels were interviewed.

The next step was an introduction tothe entire faculty and staff and the collectionof more data. The three-member team ofconsultants presented an overview ofteacherassistance teams and distributed a survey toall present (see box on Page 4).

Data on the number of children whowent through one or more levels of theCHILD process were also collected for the1994-95 school year and the 1995 springsemester (see box below).

The project consultants created a jointreport that summarized all of the datacollected at that time and provided a list ofrecommendations for improving the problemsolving system at Powell Elementary. Thisreport was shared with all faculty and staffby the campus principal who later receivedDesegregation to Inclusion continued on page 16

SPECIAL EDUCATION CHILD PROCESS DATA FORM

Campus: Powell Elementary District: Northside ISD Date:

Number of CasesGrades Ethnicity . Language Program

PK/K 1st-2nd 3rd-5th Hispanic! Black Anglo Other BE/ESL Regular

Referred to Level I

Referred to Level II

Referred to Level III

Ending in Special Ed.Assessment

Ending in Special Ed.Placement

August 1996 El IDRA Newsletter

07 BEST COPY AVAILABLE

ALTERNATIVE SCHOOLS: SHORT-TERAI SOLUTION WITH LONG-TERAI CONSEQUENCES

Since 1990, the number of alternativeschools in North Carolina has more thanquadrupled, and state and local schoolsystems have invested millions of dollars insuch programs. Now, the governor and theState Board of Education are asking thelegislature to appropriate millions moretoward alternative schools in 1996-97.

Increasingly, the target population foralternative schools is students who presentbehavior or discipline problems. It is easy tounderstand the appeal of removing thesestudents from the classroom. But in isolating"problem" students rather than trying toimprove the culture and climate of our regularschools, are we giving up too easily on thepromise of equal educational opportunityfor all? Given the expense and risks ofestablishing alternative schools, policy-makers and educators need to consider

RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Exercise caution in committingresources to development ofadditionalalternative schools until we betterunderstand their impact andeffectiveness.

2. Adopt statewide minimum standardsfor alternative schools.

3. Adopt uniform due process proceduresto be followed by school systems thatinvoluntarily place students inalternative schools.

4. Ensure that statistics are kept onplacement of students in alternativeschools.

5. Reduce class size in regular schools toallow teachers a better opportunity tocontrol student behavior anddiscipline.

6. Fund and conduct training for teachersin effective discipline and behaviormodification techniques.

7. Promote recruitment of minorityteachers into the work force.

8. Encourage regular schools to createplans to reduce the likelihood ofdiscipline problems, through suchmeans as mediation and conflictresolution programs, social andbehavior support services and trainingin cross-cultural relationships.

Source: North Carolina Education and Law Project

North Carolina Education and Law Project

ALTERNATIVE SCHOOLS BECOME A

DUMPING GROUND FOR UNWANTED

STUDENTS...BEFORE WE CREATE

SEPARATE SCHOOLS FOR THESE

STUDENTS, WE NEED TO ASK

WHETHER WE ARE DOING ALL WE

CAN TO PREVENT VIOLENCE AND

DISCIPLINE PROBLEMS IN OUR

REGULAR SCHOOLS.

whether these schools really offer the besthope for reducing discipline problems andkeeping at-risk students in school.

The report, Alternative Schools:Short-Term Solution with Long-TermConsequences, summarizes the qualitiesalternative schools need in order to succeed,the features that make them fail and theunintended consequences they can have. Italso recommends other actions we can taketo reduce violent and disruptive behavior inour schools before resorting to the use ofalternative schools for "problem" students.

How is North Carolina UsingAlternative Schools?

The term "alternative school" has beenapplied to various types of programs. Themost successful alternative schools arevoluntary programs that stress innovativeapproaches to education and serve studentsof all types. In contrast, many of thealternative schools in North Carolina areintended for students who present disciplineproblems, especially those at risk ofsuspension or expulsion. Their approach ispunitive, and placement often is compulsory

or the only alternative to being put out ofschool.

Unfortunately, no comprehensivestatistics are being kept on the state'salternative schools. We do know that theirnumber is increasing dramatically, havingreached 200 in 1996. At least three-quartersof our school systems have alternativeschools. Furthermore, according to a 1995survey of some North Carolina alternativeschools, a substantial number ofplacementsresult from suspension, expulsion or courtorder.

North Carolina law allows widelatitude to local school systems that wish to

develop alternative schools. Few (if any)guidelines control which students are placedin the school, who the teachers are, what istaught or what the class size is. In short,North Carolina's alternative schools arevirtually unregulated. The absence ofstatewide minimum standards for alternativeschools raises serious concern about fairand uniform treatment of students across thestate.

We can use statistics on out-of-schoolsuspensions as an indicator of the studentpopulation targeted for placement inalternative schools. In 1993-94, more than80,000 North Carolina students receivedout-of-school suspensions about one ofevery 13 students. African American studentsare more than twice as likely to be put out ofschool than are White students in NorthCarolina, so there is every reason to believethey are at greater risk of being sent toalternative schools.

What Makes an AlternativeSchool Effective?

To plan effective alternative schoolprograms, policy-makers and educators needto draw on lessons learned through researchand the experience of other school systems.The most important quality of an effectivealternative school is that placement isvoluntary. Individualized learning is stressedwith small classes, highly skilled andmotivated teachers and additional staff toprovide developmental support. The schoolis in or near a regular school facility, has awell-defined mission and provides a programthat is both therapeutic and academicallychallenging. The school climate ischaracterized by a well-defined disciplinesystem, mutual respect, high expectationsand a sense of a community. When studentsare placed for disciplinary reasons, the goalis to return them to their regular school.

What Harmful Effects Can AlternativeSchools Have?

Alternative schools cost considerablymore per student than do regular schools.Moreover, if alternative schools fail toincorporate the qualities described above,they may have serious adverse consequences,unanticipated by local educators and theircommunities. Regular schools reduce theirefforts to address discipline and behavior

Alternative Schools continued on page 8

August 1996 6 IDRA Newsletter

THE HOPWOOD CASE WHAT IT SAYS, WHAT IT DOESN'T SAY,

THE FUTURE OF THE CASE AND "THE REST OF THE STORY"

Albert Kauffman

Editor's Note: The U.S. Supreme Court recently let stand a Fifth Circuit Court of Appealsruling in a case that challenged the legalityof the University of Texas admissions procedures related to the use of race as a basis for its law school admissions. Arguing that the

law school had already changed the policies being challenged, the Supreme Court chose not to review the legal issues brought forth in

Hopwood, et. al., vs. State of Texas, et. al. This left open the door to future consideration of other challenges involving practices that

are currently in place. Albert Kauffman, senior litigator for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF),presents a summary of the majorfindings in the Fifth Circuit 's Hopwood decision, summarizing what the ruling holds (says), what it does

not hold and some related issues in "the rest of the story." A statement on the implications of the case and the Supreme Court's action

follows.

In Hopwood, et al. vs. State of Texas,et al., four students claimed that they were.denied admittance to the University ofTexas(UT) law school in 1992 because of theirrace, while less-qualified African Americanand Mexican American students wereenrolled. The four students one womanand three men sought admission to the lawschool, changes in the school's admissionpolicy, and actual and punitive damages.

After federal Judge Sam Sparks ruledin favor of the university saying law schoolpolicies conformed with Supreme Courtguidelines on affirmative action programs,the plaintiffs filed an appeal. The federalappeals court the Fifth Circuit Court ofAppeals struck down UT law school'sadmissions policy. The U.S. Supreme Courtannounced recently that it will not hear anappeal of this ruling because the school'sadmission policy in question is no longer inuse there.

What Hopwood HoldsThe Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals

ruled that the state's interest in having adiverse student body is not a sufficient"compelling interest to support the use ofrace as a factor in admissions." This is notconsistent with the U.S. Supreme Courtruling in the famous 1978 Regents of theUniversity ofCalifornia vs. Bakke case, thatheld that diversity constitutes a compellinginterest for higher education institutions toconsider race and national origin in theiradmissions procedures. Most cases haveheld that an affirmative action plan can besupported if the state shows an interest indiversity in the student body or wishes toaddress the present effects of pastdiscrimination. Hopwood said that thediversity interest is never sufficient to supportaffirmative action.

Redressing the present effects ofhistorical discrimination is a sufficient

UNFORTUNATELY, THE UNIVERSITY

SYSTEMS IN TEXAS AND THE

TEXAS ATTORNEY GENERAL

HAVE INTERPRETED HOPWOOD

TO BE THE "DEATH-KNELL "

OF AFFIRMATIVE ACTION.

THIS INTERPRETATION IS NOT

AT ALL REQUIRED BY THE

HOPWOOD CASE.

compelling interest to support an affirmativeaction plan. For example, Hopwood did notsay you could never rely on history to supporta plan that seeks to address the presenteffects of such past discrimination.

The particular institution involved canlook only to its own history to supportaffirmative action, not to a larger institutionto which it belongs or to a whole statesystem of education. Specifically, UT lawschool could only look to its own history ofdiscrimination and the present effects ofdiscrimination at the UT law school, not atthe history or present effects at UT Austin,the UT system, the A&M system or theTexas educational system as a whole.

There was insufficient evidencepresented at the trial of the present effects ofdiscrimination at the UT law school againsteither African Americans or MexicanAmericans. The defendants (eg., the stateattorney general) presented very weakevidence of the school's history ofdiscrimination against Mexican Americans.

The UT law school cannot use race ornational origin as a factor in admissions.Officials of the UT law school could beliable for actual and punitive damages ifthey use race or national origin as a factor inthe future.

What Hopwood Case Does Not HoldThe decision does not say that other

parts of the University of Texas system orother public or private institutions of highereducation cannot use race or national originas a factor. The opinion was specificallyabout the UT law school not UT Austin,A&M or UT system of the CoordinatingBoard. The Supreme Court's refusal toreview the case makes it applicable only tothe states in the fifth circuit's jurisdictionTexas, Louisiana and Arkansas.

The Hopwood opinion talks about theadmission process, not about giving outscholarships or loans, recruiting or otherprocedures at a university (thus, only aboutadmissions, and again, only at the UT lawschool). However, ifother institutions cannotuse diversity as a "compelling interest,"then they will have a harder time justifyingthe use of race or national origin. Eachinstitution will have to look at its own historyand its own present effects of pastdiscrimination.

The decision did not say that no presenteffects ofdiscrimination at the UT law schoolcould be proved, only that it was not provedin this case. In other words, the failure tofind the present effects of discriminationmight be based on the particular judges onthe panel or on the failure of the UT systemto put on a sufficient record of history ofdiscrimination. (Note: The UT law school'srecord of hi story ofdiscrimination was basedmainly on references to court cases andsummary testimony by a few witnesses.Contrast that with the two weeks of testimonythat MALDEF produced in the LULAC vs.Richards case on the history ofdiscrimination against Mexican Americansin higher education.)

The opinion did not grant any damagesto the Anglo plaintiffs but surely wouldmake it easier for them to get damages on

The Hopwood Case - continued on page 8

August 1996 111 IDRA Newslettff

"THE AFTERMATH OF HoPWOOD: DEVELOPING POSITIVE SOLUTIONS"

The severe decline in minority enrollment in higher education anticipated in the aftermathof Hopwood has the potential to negatively and critically impact the economic health of thiscountry and the personal welfare of millions of minority citizens. Well-known scholars willdiscuss the legal implications, educational and psychological aspects, and the economicimpact of Hopwood. Legal strategies and public policy recommendations will be discussedand developed.

September 23-24, 1996

Hosted by the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU)together with:

Intercultural Development Research Association (IDRA)Mexican American Bar Association (MABA)

Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF)Texas Association of Chicanos in Higher Education (TACHE)

Texas Association of Mexican American Chambers of Commerce (TAMACC)

Be a Part of the Solution!Call HACU for further information on registration at 210/692-3805.

The Hopwood Case - continued from page 7

remand (further review by the court).

The Rest of the StorySeven of the 17 judges on the fifth

circuit have filed a dissent in the case sayingthat the panel opinion went too far in"overruling Bakke," being a very activistcourt, failing to follow precedent and"threatening" the defendants with aninjunction when that would be inappropriate.The state did not ask for a rehearing, i.e.,these judges did this on their own motionwithout a suggestion to do so from the state.

African American law students sought

to participate in the case and were not allowedto do so by the district court, even though thestate agreed. At the end ofthe trial, they triedto put on evidence about the weakness ofusing test scores in admissions processes.The state did not agree to put on that evidence,and the court did not allow it. The AfricanAmericans again sought to intervene, andthey were again denied intervention by thedistrict court and by the fifth circuit. Theyare going to appeal this issue to the U.S.Supreme Court.

At the trial, the law school denied thatit had used separate standards for minoritiesand Whites. Defendants said that they did

have separate committees but that this wasto make sure that they had uniform ways ofconsidering race and national origin. Theydid not have a quota, and the same peoplewere involved in reviewing all theapplications. One person was in charge ofthe overall process. In other words, they aredenying what the Texas Attorney General isnow saying that they used separate dualstandards with lower standards forminorities.

The lawyers involved in the Hopwoodcase have now filed another lawsuit, thistime a class action, regarding the 1994 classat the law school, seeking damages for aclass ofpersons against the state. They allegethat the same admissions standards wereused in 1994 as in 1992 and seek monetarydamages.

Regarding the Supreme Court'sdecision not to hear the Hopwood case, theSupreme Court hears only those cases that itfeels raise extremely important issues andare appropriate for legal review. In 98 percentof the cases, the Supreme Court decides notto hear appeals that are brought to it.

Though the Texas Attorney Generaland university systems have taken this assome sign that the Supreme Court does notsupport affirmative action, in fact, the denialmeans nothing. The Hopwood decisionapplies only to the Fifth Circuit Texas,Louisiana and Mississippi and has notbeen affirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court.In a rare statement by a Supreme Court

The Hopwood Case - continued on page 17

Alternative Schools - continued from page 6

problems by changing the school culture,finding it easier simply to exclude "problem"students. Alternative schools become adumping ground for unwanted students. Adisproportionate number of AfricanAmerican students are placed in alternativeschools, resulting in racial resegregation ofpublic schools. Few students sent toalternative schools ever return to their regularschools, and their likelihood of droppingout may even increase. Ineffective alternativeschools consume resources that would havebeen better spent to improve regular schools.

Alternative Schools Should Be a Last ResortThe perceived need for alternative

schools to deal with "problem" students isas much about the failure of our schools asit is about the failure of parents and students.Before we create separate schools for thesestudents, we need to ask whether we are

doing all we can to prevent violence anddiscipline problems in our regular schools.A variety of school actions, programs andpractices can prevent behavioral anddiscipline problems before they develop.Our 1993 report, Time for Action,recommends steps that should be taken inour regular schools to create a climate andculture conducive to order and learning.School systems should not resort to creatingseparate schools for "problem" students untilthey have implemented other, less-drasticapproaches to promoting discipline andorder.

The Need for State Minimum Standardsand Due Process

Existing state guidelines fordevelopment of alternative schools applyonly toprograms established with state grantfunds, and they do not carry the force ofstandards. Local school systems remain freeto invest state funding in alternative schools

that will serve only as warehouses forunwanted students. Strong state-wideminimum standards for alternative schoolsare essential to protect both our investmentand our children.

Furthermore, if students are to beplaced in alternative schools involuntarily,the state should require the same minimumdue process as is now required for studentswho are to receive long-term suspensions.Placement in an alternative school is a drasticmove that can profoundly affect the student'seducation. Students are entitled to basic dueprocess to ensure that their placement isappropriate and justified.

This article is reprinted from the ExecutiveSummary of "Alternative Schools: Short-TermSolution with Long-Term Consequences by theNorth Carolina Education and Law Project(May 1996) with permission.

For information on the full report, contact theproject at 919/856-2121.

August 1996 8 IDRA Newsletter 10

THE STAR CENTERPRIORITIES FOR SERVICE DELIVERY

Using a comprehensive, integrated-programs approach, the STAR Center provides support and technical assistance servicesto the Texas Education Agency, regional service centers and local school districts that are implementing state and localeducation

reform efforts funded under the Improving America's Schools Act.Services include on-site focused support, materials and other technical assistance. STAR Center support is also available

through technology including videoconferencing, electronic mail and the World Wide Web on the Internet.Due to limited funding levels appropriated by the U.S. Congress, the STAR Center will focus its efforts on the priorities listed

below.

Focusing energy, expertise and commitment to prepare ourchildren for the 21st century.

Priority 1: School-wide Programs Priority 5: Coordination of Funds and Programs* Support the organization and ongoing professional * Support the development and implementation of effective

development of school support teams. strategies for increasing achievement and collaboration among

* Support the identification and development of promising all federal and state programs while decreasing duplicationpractices for creating high-achieving school-wide programs and fragmentation through the coordination of funds andthat promote the academic achievement of all students, programs.including students who have limited English proficiency,students from migrant families, students who experience Priority 6: Instructional Technologyhomelessness, Native American students and other students * Support high quality decision making regarding the selection

in high-risk situations. and use of instructional technology.* Support the exploration of opportunities for distance learning

Priority 2: High-Performing/High-Poverty Schools within the state.* Support the continuous improvement ofhigh-poverty schools

through the dissemination of information about the promising Priority 7: Standards and Assessmentspractices ofhigh-poverty schools that are also high-achieving * Support the use of assessment information to improveschools. academic success.

* Support the understanding of state content and performancePriority 3: Parent, Family and Community Involvement standards and their use.* Support the development of practical products concerning * Support the alignment of state content and performance

school-family partnerships by professionals that communicate standards, instruction, professional development, use ofa wide range of information to client audiences. technology and assessment.

Priority 4: State Policy Priority 8: Safe and Drug Free Schools* Support the development of state policy that encourages and * Develop and implement a recognition program for identifying

facilitates improved academic achievement for all students, and acknowledging schools with effective drug and safetyincluding students who have limited English proficiency, initiatives.students from migrant families, students who experience * Convene state and local leaders to identify priorities andhomelessness, Native American students and other students strategies for assisting schools in preventing violence andin high-risk situations. substance abuse.

Funded by the U.S. Department of Education, the Intercultural Development Research Association (IDRA) heads the STARCenter in partnership with the RMC Research Corporation and the Charles A. Dana Center at the University of Texas at Austin.The STAR Center is one of 15 new comprehensive centers that is replacing the former network of technical assistance providers.

The STAR Center is currently scheduling activities through September 1996. Those interested in acquiring services orwanting more information may reach the STAR Center by calling toll free:

1-888-FYI-STAROr by visiting the STAR Center's site on the World Wide Web via the Internet:

http://www.csn.net/RIVIC/star

For information contact: The STAR Center, Intercultural Development Research Association, 5835 Callaghan Road, Suite 350, San Antonio,Texas 78228-1190.

August 1996 9 IDRA Newsletter

1.1

Abelardo Villarreal

HIGH FAILURE RATES: QUALITY OR INEFFECTIVENESS?

Johnny comes in and talks about how hard Mr. Sabelotodo is in class. He tells his friends that Mr.

Sabelotodo is proud of the fact that he doesn't allow any "bum" to graduate from that high school. Allstudents have to take Mr. Sabelotodo's class, and he will never allow irresponsible students to "tarnish"the good name and reputation of this high school. Mr. Sabelotodo is convinced that the nationwide lowperformance of schools is the result of teachers who make it easy for students. He comes from the schoolof"hard knocks" and believes that students must work hard for their grades. Many students just like Johnny

are the victims of well-intentioned teachers who feel their responsibility is to "save the world."My experience in working with high schools all over the state tells me that in every high school there

are some teachers who think this way to the detriment of many students. This is not meant to be anindictment of all teachers who flunk some students. Many times we do get students who, even aftergenuine

attempts by the teacher to help them, they still fail to "come through."The over-representation of minority students in the percentage of students who fail is unsettling and requires close scrutiny. In its

report, The State Report on Grade Level Retention of Students as of October 1992, the Texas Education Agency claims that even though

ethnic minority students comprise approximately 50 percent of the ninth grade student population in Texas, 75 percent of studentsrepeating the ninth grade were minority (1993). The probability is high that similar situations exist when in individual classrooms with

high failure rates.Are high schools who fail a large percentage of students quality schools? If we measure "quality" by the level of difficulty and

insensitivity that students experience in the classrooms, then a high failure rate will definitely be a sign of a quality teacher or school.

When asked for reasons to explain the large failure rates, many teachers cite reasons that revolvearound the students' inability to cope

with the demands of the courses they are teaching. Blaming the victim they never do their homework, they play in class, they couldn't

care less has become the modus operandi.In a survey, "Schools and Staffing Survey, 1990-91" conducted by the National Center for Education Studies, teachers were asked

about teaching and school conditions. They were asked to agree or disagree with a list of statements including three student-focused

statements. The survey results revealed that 64.3 percent of secondary teachers feltthat "attitudes and habits my students bring to my class

greatly reduce their chances of academic success;" 25.5 percent agreed or strongly agreed that "many of the students I teach are not capable

of learning the material I am supposed to teach them;" and 36.2 percent agreed or strongly agreed with the statement "level of student

misbehavior in this school interferes with my teaching" (U.S. Department of Education, 1995)IDRA's founder and director emeritus, Dr. Jose A. Cardenas, cites the Massachusetts Board ofEducation study published in 1990

that identifies assumptions that schools make in supporting a retention policy. One of the assumptions was, "Schools that retain high

numbers of students are effective schools because they have high standards for academic achievement, thus ensuring the value of the

district's high school diploma" (1995). Cardenas also summarizes research that suggests the opposite:No evidence suggests that students in high-retaining schools fare better academically than students in lower-retaining schools. The

average standardized achievement test scores in schools with little or no retention are equal to those of high-retaining schools.Students who are retained in grade have an increased chance of dropping out of school; thus high-retaining schools probably have

higher dropout rates than do low-retaining schools.Promotional "gate" tests (or basing promotion on passing a standardized test) may merely result in the inappropriate retention of

students, rather than raising overall academic achievement.Grade retention may in fact be a practice that discriminates according to socio-economic background, race and language.

Grade retention is costly and ineffective practice of addressing the problem of low-achieving students.I have also witnessed quality teaching in teachers who do not fail any students, but challenge them to"rise to the occasion." Quality

is defined in the literature as schools that do the following (Robledo Montecel, et al., 1989).Have a vision and promote academic success for all students;Encourage participation of students, staff and parents in curriculum decision making;Create systems for peer encouragement in the classroom and support mutual validation by students;Measure improvement using both achievement and learning;Use multiple criteria for assessing achievement and learning;Vary instruction, limit the use of rote learning and expand multisensory activities;Employ teachers who consider themselves responsible for student learning;Create an accountability system with input from parents, students and teachers that delineates responsibility for student learning; and

Implement evaluation strategies that monitor learning processes and outcomes.When I read the definition of quality, I feel reassured that we are moving in the right direction. Our schools must remain the hope

High Failure Rates - continued on page 11

August 1996 10 IDRA Newsletter

BEN SARGENT

WPA4c.-:

Reprinted with permission from the artist Ben Sargent. Austin American-Struesman.

High Failure Rates - continued from page 10of a better future for all citizens of this great democracy. The role of the school is to make successful learners of all students regardlessof race, ethnicity, religion or ability.

Therefore, teachers with highpercentages of student failuresbecome a challenge to school PROCESS FOR SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORSadministrators. R.G. Stabile cautions

When should What is our What is the What areus that in trying to address thischallenge, we must be ready to face we get concerned? ...) assessment root of the solutions?

the fact that "teachers and of the teachers? problem?

administrators who fail lots of kidsare more likely to respond to your questions with righteous indignation than sober reflection" (1989). His list of defensive strategies that

may be used include:Your probing will be labeled an insult to hard working teachers everywhere. You'll be accused of not caring about standards, of cavingin to student and parent pressure for political reasons. You'll be charged with not understanding the burdens teachers bear of wantingto pass kids along and give them worthless diplomas (Stabile, 1989).

Recognizing that this problem, if not addressed in a cautious manner, can have serious repercussions in terms of overall studentachievement and faculty-administrator relationships. A useful process for school administrators to use in solving a problem that manifestsitself in high student failure rates is depicted in the box above.

Before initiating a process to address this issue, I have witnessed the usefulness of campus administrators selecting a task force tolook at the issue of high failure rates in the campus. This task force must include parents, administrators and teachers representing the widespectrum of disciplines in the campus.

Step 1: When should we get concerned? When 10 or more percent of students fail the class or when the ratio of minority studentsfailing the class exceeds the ratio of minority to non-minority in the class are such instances. Participants in the task force should respondto two major questions:

How does the campus define "failure" as it relates to school performance?What number or percentages constitute a high enough failure rate for teachers that we must get concerned?

My experience with a group ofadministrators who participated in this process shows that even a 10 percent failure rate in a classroomshould be sufficient reason to question. However, after extensive discussions, they reached a decision to establish 20 percent as the pointwhen school administrators must seriously assess the situation and intervene. In addition, further disaggregation of the data must be madeto find out the number of minority students who failed. Is the ratio of minority to non-minority equal to the ratio in the class? Anydiscrepancy shall be sufficient reason to consider this factor in the decision.

Step 2: What is the classroom performance assessment of the teachers in question? These teachers usually are evaluatedHigh Failure Rates - continued on page /8

August 1996 11 IDRA Newsletter

13

SCHOOL RESTRUCTURING: A CONTINUING IMPERATIVE

The modern movement to reformpublic education in the United States wasinitiated in the early 1980s with thepublication of A Nation at Risk: TheImperative of Educational Reform (NCEE,1983). Nationally viewed as the impetus forthe first wave of education reform, A Nationat Risk outlined the failures of our nation'sschools to produce a well educated citizenryfor an ever-expanding competitive globaleconomy. From the mid-1980s throughoutthe 1990s, commissioned reports havedocumented education reform initiatives bypolicy-makers and educators that aimed atthe improvement of teaching and learning inour nation's public schools.

Over a decade since the start of thefirst wave of education reforms, the quest toimprove the quality of public schooleducation is a continuing imperative for the1990s and into the 21st century. Efforts toimprove the quality of teaching and learningin our public schools have come under manytitles e.g., 'education reform, systemicreform, school restructuring, systemicchange, just to name a few. In the literature,these terms are often used synonymously.For the purposes of this article, however, theterm school restructuring is used because itdenotes the need to reassess, reorder,reassemble and recreate educational systemsthat work for all children. Restructuringdenotes the rebuilding of an educationalsystem that provides quality teaching andlearning for students of all races, sexes,economic backgrounds and the varied otherstudent characteristics.

Critics of the first wave of educationreforms have concluded that the mostly top-down strategies have had less thansatisfactory results in improving teachingand learning. They suggest that many of theinitial reform efforts consisted of isolatedprojects focusing on such issues asgovernance, block scheduling, integratedcurriculum and standardized testing.

Believing that the current educationalsystem was beyond repair and that the firstwave of reforms had minimal impact onimproving teaching and learning, somereformers have called for a completeoverhaul or restructuring of the educationalsystem (Murphy, 1991). Amy Klauke statesthat "restructuring has become the centralissue in the school reform movement"(1989).

IN ADDITION TO EMPLOYING

TOP-DOWN AND BOTTOM-UP

APPROACHES TO EDUCATION

REFORMS, THE SCHOOL

RESTRUCTURING EFFORT MUST

INCLUDE THE ACTIVE

INVOLVEMENT OF

ALL STAKEHOLDERS, INCLUDING

PARENTS AND COMMUNITY

ORGANIZATIONS.

Impetus for School RestructuringFollowing the publication of the

numerous commissioned studies on thequality of education in the early- to mid-1980s, policy-makers and educators,particularly at the state level, "launched themost widespread, intense, public andsustained effort to improve education in ourhistory" (Murphy, 1991). The first wave ofeducation reforms was marked by the passageof state and national omnibus educationbills that focused on teacher licensing,graduation requirements, standardized testsand assessments, accountability standards,curriculum development, decentralizedcontrol, etc. (O'Neil, 1993).

The impetus for school restructuringcame about because many stakeholders, bothinside and outside of schools, perceived thatthe educational system was not working aswell as it should. In his book, RestructuringSchools: Capturing and Assessing thePhenomena, Joseph Murphy lists a numberof reasons policy-makers and educators werecompelled to restructure schools (1991).These motivational reasons for schoolrestructuring include the following:

Political theories about the benefits ofdecentralization;Competitive factors in the worldeconomy;Demands of a changing populationgreater diversity in the student population;Concerns with the standards-raisingmovement;Disgruntlement with the bureaucrat-ization of schools;Crisis in the teaching 'force;

School effectiveness and schoolimprovement research; andLessons from the corporate world.

Irrespective of the reasons for schoolrestructuring, it is clear that externalpressures and demands, coupled with thedesire of some policy-makers and educatorsto improve teaching and learning, haveserved as important motivators for change.It has also become increasing clear thatschool personnel alone cannot bring aboutthe desired improvement in the educationalsystem in isolation the improvement ofthe educational system will require the activesupport and involvement of schoolpersonnel, parents, business and communityorganizations, state education personnel,governmental agencies and others.

What is "School Restructuring?"Generally speaking, the term school

restructuring denotes a comprehensivereworking or rebuilding of the educationalsystem for the purpose of improving teachingand learning. Many definitions have beencoined for school restructuring. Some ofthese definitions are presented below.

As defined by Phil Schlechty,restructuring is "changing the system ofrules, roles and relationships that governthe way time, people, space, knowledgeand technology are used" (Brandt, 1993).Glenn Harvey and David Crandall saythe goal of restructuring should be "topreserve and build upon what has beensuccessful in educating our children andto rethink and redesign those aspects ofthe enterprise that have failed (missionand goals; organization; management;instruction; roles, responsibilities andregulations; external involvement; andfinances) (1988).According to David Conley,"Restructuring activities changefundamental assumptions, practices andrelationships, both within theorganization and between theorganization and the outside world, inways that lead to improved and variedstudent learning outcomes for essentiallyall students" (1993).

Implications for Future SchoolRestructuring

Fundamental restructuring of theSchool Restructuring - continued on page 13

August 1996 ra IDRA Newsletter 4

School Restructuring - continued from page 12

educational system will require thecoordinating of top-down and bottom-upstrategies for education reform. MarshallSmith and Jennifer O'Day summarize theneed for the coordination of restructuringefforts in their statement:

What is needed is neither a solely top-down nor bottom-up approach to reform,but a coherent systemic strategy that cancombine the energy and professionalinvolvement of the second wave ofreforms with a new and challenging statestructure to generalize the reforms to allschools within a state (1991).

In addition to employing top-downand bottom-up approaches to educationreforms, the school restructuring effort mustinclude the active involvement of allstakeholders, including parents andcommunity organizations.

Education reform experts haveidentified a number of key steps or stages inthe restructuring process. Some of these keysteps are presented below. Beverly Andersonhas listed six key elements in therestructuring process as the following(1993).

Vision: Stakeholders from differentgroups should be involved in shaping thenew educational system. They should beinvolved in developing a vision andpurpose for this new system.Public and Political Support: The supportfrom public and political leadershipshould be included throughout therestructuring process. Inclusion ofdiversepopulations is critical to building supportfor the restructuring efforts.Networking: Building networks to study,pilot and support the restructuring processis essential for lasting change.Teaching and Learning Changes:Changes in teaching and learning mustbe based on the best available research.Administrative Roles and Responsibil-ities: Classroom and administrative rolesand responsibilities must shift from anhierarchical structure to one of supportand shared decision making.PolicyAlignment: State and local policiesmust be aligned in areas related tocurriculum frameworks, instructionalmethods and materials, studentassessment practices, resource allocation,and inclusion of all types of students(equity).

Ann Lieberman, Linda Darling-Hammond and David Zuckerman suggestthe following steps for school restructuring

(1991).Rethinking curriculum and instruction inorder to promote quality and equality forall students.Developing a rich learning environmentfor teachers as well as for students.Recreating the structure of the school.Increasing and changing the participationof parents and community.Building partnerships, coalitions andnetworks.

Michael Cohen suggests the followingtasks in the restructuring process (1988).

Identify key dimensions of the structureof instruction that affect pedagogicalpractice and student learning.Consider experience and availableresearch as a starting place for structuralchange.Develop an understanding of theintegration of forces within each schoolto facilitate change at the various levels.

Glenn Harvey and David Crandall listthe following restructuring stages (1988).

Creating vision.Establishing goals, priorities andstrategies.Determining resources and obstacles.Anticipating policy conflicts anddeveloping agreement procedures.Preparing for and monitoringimplementation.

Since the publication of A Nation atRisk, policy-makers and educators haveimplemented numerous efforts to restructureschools in order to actualize improvedteaching and learning in our nation' s schools.Much has been learned from these reformefforts that have been documented in themany commissioned studies on educationreform. The first wave of state-led reformsare now being followed by the demands ofinternal and external forces tocomprehensively restructure schools.

ResourcesAnderson, Beverly L. "The Stages of Systemic Change,"

Educational Leadership (September 1993) 51, 1,14-17.

Brandt, Ron. "On Restructuring Roles andRelationships: A Conversation with PhilSchlechty," Educational Leadership. (October1993) 51, 2, 8-11.

Cohen, Michael. Restructuring the Education System:Agenda for the Nineties. (Washington, D.C.:National Governor's Association, Center for PolicyResearch, May 1988).

Conley, David T. Roadmap to Restructuring: Policies,Practices and the Emerging Visions of Schooling.(Eugene, Oregon: ERIC Clearinghouse onEducational Management, 1993).

Harvey, Glenn and David P. Crandall. A BeginningLook at the What and How of Restructuring.(Andover, Mass.: Regional Laboratory for

UPCOMING EVENTS

National Summit on Latino ChildrenLa Promesa de unFuturo Brillante

Hosted byThe National Latino Children's Agenda

September 11-13, 1996San Antonio, Texas

For more information, call 512/472-9971E-mail: nclaRinetport.com

HandsNet ID: hn7071

TexTESOL II Regional ConferenceAn ESL Quilt

Co-sponsored by:University of Texas at San AntonioRegion 20 Education Service Center

IDRA STAR Center

October 5, 1996San Antonio, Texas

Keynote by Dr. Howard Smith.Featuring Dr. Carolyn Kessler.

Also: Policy panel. Hands-on Internet Lab

For more information. callMarilyn Ramirez at 210/222-8626

Educational Improvement of the Northeast andIslands, 1988).

Klauke, Amy. "Restructuring the Schools," ERICDigest Series. (Eugene, Oregon: ERICClearinghouse on Educational Management, 1989)Number EA 37.

Lieberman, Ann and Linda Darling-Hammond andDavid Zuckerman. Early Lessons in RestructuringSchools. (New York, NY: National Center forRestructuring Education. Schools and Testing[NCREST], Teachers College, ColumbiaUniversity, 1991).

Murphy, Joseph. Restructuring Schools: Capturingand Assessing the Phenomena. (New York, N.Y.:Teachers College Press, Columbia University,1991).

National Commission on Excellence in Education. ANation at Risk: The Imperative of EducationalReform (Washington, D.C.: U.S. GovernmentPrinting Office, April 1983).

O'Neil, John. "Turning the System on its Head,"Educational Leadership. (September 1993) 51, 1,8-13.

Smith, Marshall S. and Jennifer A. O'Day. Edited byFuhrman, Susan H. and Betty Malen. "SystemicSchool Reform," The Politics of Curriculum andTesting: The 1990 Yearbook of the Politics ofEducation. (Philadelphia: Falmer Press, 1991).

Roy Johnson is a senior research associate in theIDRA Division of Research and Evaluation.

August 1996 ra IDRA Newsl1ttr

Supporting School - continued from page 1

just leave. This is the first time that therehas been follow through.

IDRA came in, took inventory,formulated what we wanted, put out aprogram with our help, and now it is inplace and is very successful. [Teaching]is more meaningful now compared to thepast because [the IDRA consultants] lit afire under us... We were dormant for somany years, if it weren't for [theconsultants], I don't think I would havechanged my methods ...IDRA hasgenerated a lot of motivation in teachers,and the kids read this (Supik, 1993).

Our ModelIDRA's approach to professional

development emerged from an extensive

search in the literature on what works inreading instruction in linguistically,culturally and developmentally diversesecondary classrooms. Furthermore, wesearched for effective ways of supporting animprovement initiative on campuses thathad experienced failures repeatedly and hadstaff who were on the verge of "giving up."Our experience, supported by research,taught us that any change effort of themagnitude of the IDRA ReadingImprovement Project required four majorphases.

The first phase, articulating areading initiative, is critical. A clearlyarticulated and well understood plan foraddressing reading in the classroom mustdrive the professional development effort.During this phase, the school describes themajor components of the reading program,

the role of the language and content areateachers, and student and program evaluationquestions and methodology. Materials arepurchased, and classrooms are prepared toimplement the innovation. IDRA staff assistsand guides the decision-making anddocumentation processes.

The second phase, staff preparationand support system, involves theidentification ofa cadre of core area teacherswho will constitute the first cycle ofteacherstrained on the implementation of the readinginitiative. This group begins theimplementation of selected reading strategiesand is responsible for setting up a classroomthat will be used as a laboratory for otherteachers starting a new training cycle. Aftera year ofimplementation, the original groupof teachers becomes mentors for other

Supporting School - continued on page 15

MAJOR PHASES AND ACTIVITIES OF IDRA's READING IMPROVEMENT PROJECT

Articulation of Reading Initiative

1. Identify student goals and objectives.2. Identify roles and responsibilities for

language and content area teachers.3. Identify key methods and techniques.4. Select materials.

Monitoring and Evaluation System

1. Provide for reflection and adjustmentactivities.

2. Monitor program implementationefforts periodically.

3. Make necessary adjustments viaprofessional development.

4. Interpret student and programmaticdata.

5. Prepare evaluation report.

( IDRA's( READING

IMPROVEMENT

PROJECT

Staff Preparation and Support System

/1. Identify teaching skills needed toimplement reading initiative.

2. Articulate professional developmentactivities that support teachers' efforts.

3. Present theory and develop skills.4. Model teaching strategy in the

classroom.5. Conduct study group discussions on

the teaching strategy and allowparticipants to create a context underwhich the teaching strategy will betried out.i 6. Assist participants on an individualbasis to prepare the teachingenvironment for implementation ofnew strategies.

7. Support the implementation of the newstrategies. Be available to assist withimplementation problems.

Sustaining the Effort

1. Develop capacity in school district orcampus to nurture the initiative.

2. Create structures within the campus tosupport change.

August 1996 14 IDRA Newsletter 16

Supporting School - continued from page 14

teachers beginning a training cycle. IDRAtrains them to work with teachers and otherschool personnel on the implementation andsupport of this improvement initiative.

The third phase, establishing amonitoring and evaluation system,complements the second phase by providingcontinuous and timely information on theimplementation of the reading initiative.This information also includes student

progress data. Successful professionaldevelopment efforts are anchored on well-thought-out instructional plans and arenurtured and updated by feedback providedthrough the monitoring and evaluationsystems. IDRA provides evaluation servicesto assess the impact of the improvementinitiative on student achievement and onteaching performance in the classroom.

The fourth phase, sustaining theeffort, involves the creation of support

IDRA ROLES AND ACTIVITIES

IDRA Role IDRA Activities and Behaviors

Advisor Listens with interest. Assimilates information. Usesnon-directional techniques to bring more informationto surface and builds relationships of trust. Resists theimpulse to rush in with answers.

Advocate Clarifies and defines the problems and needs ofstudents. Focuses attention and action. Speaks for anddefends change. Champions program; speaks well ofit and for it. Makes effective and articulatepresentations. Defends need for change.

Catalyst Sparks and energizes the process of change. Generatesinterest, involvement and participation.

Connector Works to improve relations between interactinggroups; diplomat.

Supporter Balances need to move toward change (risky andthreatening to many) with encouragement and nurturingof individuals engaged in it.

Problem-solver/ Meets needs with resources and ideas. Has appropriateSolution-giver feasible suggestions addressing needs and problems.

Knows when and how to present them.

Process-helper Trains and assists groups in working together toanalyze problems and needs, find resources, defineroles, map path to change and monitor progress.

Resource-linker Connects with community organizations, agencies,units of government and human services. Works tobring them into effective collaboration with schooland program.

Information-giver Provides best current research and data on effectiveinstructional practices for recent immigrants, onnewcomer centers, on effective staff developmentprocedures, on the introduction and management ofinnovation. Direct instruction, one-on-one or in aworkshop.

structures to sustain and update the readinginitiative once IDRA has completedimplementation of the ReadinglmprovementProject. IDRA staff build capacity amongkey administrative and teaching staffmembers to adjust and sustain the effortperiodically. The box on Page 14 delineatesthe key activities in each of the phases.

Roles and ResponsibilitiesIDRA and each participating school

district establishes a relationship based onmutual respect and understanding andgrounded on specific roles andresponsibilities. IDRA provides consultantservices and acts as a change agent. The boxat left describes the specific roles that IDRAplays as a consultant to the school district orcampus. In addition, school districts agreeto do the following.

Identify the participants who willimplement the changes.Provide assurances to participants thatthe district and campus administrativeteam supports the effort.Provide release time for participants toparticipate in planning and study groupdiscussions.Ensure that the administrative teambecomes involved in the design andimplementation of the activities.Provide the financial support to invest inteacher visitations of successfulclassrooms within and outside the schooldistrict.

Professional Development ApproachKey components of IDRA's

professional development approach for theReading Improvement Project include thefollowing.

Participatory decision making. Teachersand administrators participate in thedesign of the improvement initiative andstaff development activities.Workshops and work sessions. Mostgroup staff development consists ofworkshops with a limited number ofparticipants and of work sessionsdesigned to solve specific implementationproblems.Technical assistance techniques.Techniques that are the most successfulare one-on-one sessions during whichthe consultant demonstrates the use ofthe techniques and works with the teacherin preparing the teaching environment.Study groups. Using small groupactivities, teachers meet to discuss an

Supporting School - continued on page 16

August 1996 uji IDRA Newsletter1i

Supporting School - continued from page 15

article or series of articles prior to aworkshop.

ConclusionThis model has worked by creating

learning environments that promoteacademic achievement gains, byempowering administrators, teachers andstudents with strategies to improve reading.instruction and by building capacity in theschool district or campus to initiate andsustain change that has a positive impact.This model works for all campuses regardlessof 'student population profile or pastacademic performance level. In IDRA's.Reading Improvement Project everybody

wins teachers, administrators, studentsand parents.

School districts and campuses can getadditional information about IDRA'sReading Improvement Project by contactingDr. Rogelio Lopez at 210/684-8180.

ResourcesCantu, Linda. "TAAS Math Performance," IDRA

Newsletter (San Antonio, Texas: InterculturalDevelopment Research Association, June-July1996) pp. 1, 12-14.

Robledo Montecel, Maria and Mercedes Ramos andJose Cardenas. "Rio Grande City: A Case Study inTAAS Performance," IDRA Newsletter (SanAntonio, Texas: Intercultural DevelopmentResearch Association, August 1994) pp. 4-5.

Supik, Josie D. "Creating Successful Interactions:Lessons from the Reading Project," IDRA

COMING UP!

In September, theIDRA Newsletter

focuses on lifelong learning.

Newsletter (San Antonio, Texas: InterculturalDevelopment Research Association, August 1993)

pp. 1, 8-9.

Rogelio Lopez del Bosque is the coordinator for

the IDRA Division ofProfessional Development.Abelardo Villarreal is director of the IDRADivision of Professional Development.

Desegregation to Inclusion - continued from page 5

written feedback from several grade levelteams. Of particular concern was the shortamount of time devoted to classroomobservations and some confusion about thepurposes of the project.

We then held a three-way phoneconference between the principal and a smallgroup of teachers. The first part of themeeting was devoted to clarifying andcorrecting the data that had been collectedand in reviewing the goals and objectives ofthe project. Next, the group discussed therecommendations for improvement andidentified additional areas of concern. Itbecame clear that three areas were seen bythe principal and the teachers as targets fordesired improvement: (1) parentalinvolvement; (2) curriculum alignment,especially of the language arts curriculum;

and (3) the strengthening of systems forteacher support.

Next StepsPowell Elementary is now ready to

spend a year improving these three areaswith the ultimate goal ofincreasing academicachievement for all students. A pre-serviceday of training will be devoted to examiningbest practices in the three areas and formingcampus-wide teams who lead efforts tochange current practices. The three teamswill include representation from all gradelevels and from special and bilingualeducation programs. Teacher specialists,paraprofessionals and parents will also serveon all three teams. To the greatest degreepossible, faculty and staff will be allowed tochoose their team assignments. Each teamwill then develop a set of objectives and

DESEGREGATION ASSISTANCE MODULE AVAILABLE

Civil Rights Compliance: An Updateby Alva E. McNeal, M.A.

This training module is designed for trainers to assistclassroom teachers and school administrators with thelegal intent, procedural requirements and employmentpractices requirements contained in Title VI of the CivilRights Act of 1964 and Section 504 of the RehabilitationAct of 1973. Use this tool to help participants becomefamiliar with the civil rights movement activities thatoccurred between 1954 and 1965 in the United States. Participants can also learnabout the race desegregation services available through Title IV DesegregationAssistance Centers. This 68-page module comes with session outlines, a pre/posttest, handout and transparency masters, and. background readings (ISBN 1-878550-18-7; 1996 Second Edition; $8.50).

Available from 1DRA at 5835 Callaghan Road, Suite 350, San Antonio, Texas 78228-1190; 210/684 I

8180; fax 210/684-5389; E-mail: cgoodman@txdirect.net.

activities for their assigned area (curriculum, .parental involvement and teacher support).These will be incorporated into the campusimprovement plan.

Teams will meet at least monthlythroughout the school year to plan andimplement improvement activities. Meetingsin which all three teams come together toensure consensus and plan compatibilitywill occur every two or three months. Thecombined resources of the IDRA DAC-SCC, the Department of Bilingual SpecialEducation at the University of Texas atAustin, and ARC of Texas will be availableto provide the teachers with customizedtraining and team building activitiesthroughout the year as needed.

This ambitious and exciting projectshould begin to bear fruit by the end of the1996-97 school year. An update next fallwill be provided to IDRA Newsletter readers.Until then, you can contact Dr. Laura ChrisGreen, IDRA project coordinator, by phone(210/684-8180) or by E-mail(cgreen@txdirect.net).

ResourcesBaca, Leonard andJ. S. De Valenzuela. "Reconstructing

the Bilingual Special Education Interface,"NCBEProgram Information Guide Series (Washington,D.C.: National Clearinghouse for BilingualEducation, Fall 1994) Number 20.

Cornell, Charles. "Reducing Failure of LEP Studentsin the Mainstream Classroom and Why it isImportant," Journal of Educational Issues ofLanguage Minority Students. (Boise. Idaho: BoiseState University, Winter 1995) Volume 15.

NICHCY. "Planning for Inclusion," NICHCY NewsDigest. (Washington, D.C.: National InformationCenter for Children and Youth with Disabilities,July 1995) Volume 5, Number I.

Dr. Laura Chris Green is an education associate

in the IDRA Division of ProfessionalDevelopment.

August 1996

RiPST nnpv AVM ATh F

16 IDRA Newsletter 1 -s

SCHOOL OPENING ALERT ISSUED

The National Coalition of Advocates for Students (NCAS) has launched its annual School Opening Alert campaign toreaffirm the legal rights of all children who reside in the United States to attend public schools, regardless of immigrationstatus. The one-page fliers provide information for immigrant parents about the rights of their children to attend local publicschool this fall, despite various state and federal legislative proposals intended to eliminate these rights. IDRA is workingwith NCAS to make this alert available. NCAS can also provide a camera-ready copy of the School Opening Alert in Englishand Spanish to be reproduced and distributed by schools and community groups. The copy of the alert below in English maybe reproduced and used as well.

. -

IMMIGRANT STUDENTS' RIGHTS TO ATTEND PUBLIC SCHOOLS

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled in Plyler vs. Doe[457 U.S. 202 (1982)] that undocumented children andyoung adults have the same right to attend public primaryand secondary schools as do U.S. citizens and permanentresidents. Like other children, undocumented studentsare obliged under state law to attend school until theyreach a mandated age.

As a result of the Plyler vs. Doe ruling, publicschools may not:

Deny admission to a student during initial enrollmentor at any other time on the basis of undocumentedstatus.Treat a student disparately to determine residency.Engage in any practices to "chill" the right of access ofschool.Require students or parents to disclose or documenttheir immigration status.Make inquiries of students or parents that may exposetheir undocumented status.Require social security numbers from all students, as

this may expose undocumented status.Students without social security numbers should be

assigned a number generated by the school. Adults withoutsocial security numbers who are applying for a free lunchor breakfast program on behalf of a student need onlyindicate on the application that they do not have a socialsecurity number.

Additionally, the Family Education Rights andPrivacy Act (FERPA) and various state privacy actsprohibit schools from providing any outside agencyincluding the Immigration and Naturalization Servicewith any information from a child's school file that wouldexpose the student's undocumented status without firstacquiring permission from the student's parents. Schoolsshould note that even requesting such permission fromparents may act to "chill" a student's Plyler vs. Doe rights.

Finally, school personnel especially buildingprincipals and those involved with student intake activities

should be aware that they have no legal obligation toenforce U.S. immigration laws.

To order free copies of this flier or to report incidents of school exclusion or delay, call: NCAS at 1-800-441-7192 (English-EN/Spanish-SP).

The Hopwood Case - continued from page 8

justice, two Supreme Court justices notedthat they were not hearing the case becausethe plaintiff White students and the defendantlaw school agreed that the procedure atissue in Hopwood would no longer befollowed by the law school and is not beingdefended by the law school.

ImplicationsOf most importance to the education

community is how institutions willimplement the Hopwood decision.Unfortunately, the university systems inTexas and the Texas Attorney General haveinterpreted Hopwood to be the "death-knell"of affirmative action; more particularly thatHopwood specifically proscribes any use ofrace or national origin in decision onadmissions, scholarships or loans at public

or even private universities. Thisinterpretation is not at all required by theHopwood case. It is an extremely broad andconservative interpretation of this case. It isa matter of discretion by these officials andis not required by the law. One danger is thatmany will hear official interpretations as if itwere the law.

Universities are reassessing theiradmissions policies and the role that raceand ethnicity should play in them. Severalschools have already announced theirintention to change their policies to reflectthis broad interpretation. Other schools willtend toward caution until a Supreme Courtruling provides clearer parameters aboutwhat practices are acceptable to addresspresent effects of past discrimination.

Because the universities and theattorney general together are interpreting

the decision so broadly, we must then findsome way to continue to improve diversityin our university graduate and professionalschool student bodies. We must, as acommunity especially as a community ofpersons dedicated to improvement of accessto education for low-income and minoritystudents participate actively andaggressively in the development of futureadmissions policies at universities. We mustbring our expertise to bear to make sure thatadmission systems rely on valid factors inadmissions and choose factors that will leadto qualified student bodies and also increasethe diversity of those student bodies.

Albert H. Kauffman is a senior litigation attorneyfor the Mexican American Legal Defense andEducation Fund (MALDEF) in San Antonio.

August 1996 El IDRA Newsletter

19

High Failure Rates - continued from page 11

periodically and maintain a file with allassessments. Administrators must studythese assessments to establish teachers'performance on the following indicators:

Establish and communicate highexpectations to all students.o Maximize use of academic learning

time.o Provide regular feedback and

reinforcement.o Use appropriate instructional

materials, methods and approaches.o Closely monitor student progress.Recognize and reward academicexcellence.

Once administrators are convincedthat the teacher meets classroomperformance expectations, they must visitwith the teacher to explore reasons for thehigh student failure rate. Make a "force-field" analysis to determine forces that hinderand foster student achievement in that class.Encourage teachers to promote the fosteringforces and neutralize the hindering forces,monitor student achievement and discussprogress at the end of the ensuing threeweeks.

Step 3: What is the root of theproblem? After administrators haveestablished how classroom performance ofthese teachers ranges from satisfactory tounsatisfactory, the next task is to take a moreserious look at the root of the problem. Whyare these teachers consistently failingstudents? Two questions emerge: What isthe root of the problem as these teachersperceive it? What factors should beconsidered in defining the root of the

problem? Some of the independent factorsthat contribute to the problem may be:

Inconsistent grading procedures at thedepartment level creating an unfairgrading system for students;Low teacher expectations on students'ability to succeed academically; andLack of an accountability system thatmakes teachers, students and parentsaccountable for the teaching and learningthat occurs in school and at home.

The task force should elaborate onhow these and other factors contribute to ahigh failure rate and propose short- andlong-term measures to address this issue.

Step 4: What measures should weplan for teachers whose classroomperformance assessment is notsatisfactory or who consistently have ahigh failure rate? The task force considerslong-term measures that address the threemajor factors listed above, The campusimplements professional developmentactivities that address students' highexpectations and teachers' low expectationsof students and provides activities thataddress the diverse learning needs ofstudents.

In defining failure, another issueemerges: how consistent are gradingprocedures among teachers in the campusand particularly among teachers in the samediscipline. This "spin-off' issue can promptthe creation oftask forces within disciplinesto begin the grading alignment movement.The box below shows an example of astructure that can be employed to addressthis issue.

I wish to extend special thanks to Mr.

Richard Marquez, Dr. Velma Villegas andall secondary school principals from theHarlandale Independent School District whoprovided "food for thought" in thedevelopment of this process. Theirknowledge, sensitivity and experience wereinvaluable.

The issue of high student failure ratesis criticallt must be addressed immediately,and must be addressed consistently acrossthe school district. The challenge is tough,but the rewards can have a re-energizingeffect on parents, students and teachers as awhole.

ResourcesCardenas, Jose A. "Massachusetts Focuses on Grade

Retention," Multicultural Education: AGeneration ofAdvocacy. (Needham Heights. Mass:Simon and Schuster Custom Publishing, 1995)pp. 345-352.

Robledo Montecel. Maria, and Aurelio Montemayorand Armando Trujillo. Successful Schooling forEconomically Disadvantaged At-Risk Youth. (SanAntonio, Texas: IDRA in conjunction with theTexas Education Agency, 1989).

Stabile, R.G. "Whose Fault is Student Failure?" The

American School Board Journal. (January 1989)pp. 28-29.

Texas Education Agency. The State Report on GradeLevel Retention of Students as of October 1992.(Austin, Texas: Texas Education Agency. May1993) pg. 20.

U.S. Department of Education. Digest of EducationStatistics, 1995. (Washington, D.C.: U.S.Department of Education, October 1995) pg. 32.

Abelardo Villarreal, Ph.D. is the director oftheIDRA Division of Professional Development. Hehas just returned to IDRA after a one-yearsabbatical during which he served as the directorof secondary curriculum for the HarlandaleIndependent School District in San Antonio.

A STRUCTURE TO ASSIST TEACHERS WITH HIGH FAILURE RATES

Step 1: Acquire feedback from students on what needs to happen inorder to improve the grades in the class.

What does the student need to do differently?What does the teacher need to do differently?

Step 2:

Step 3:

Step 4:

Confer with the teacher to acquire his or her feedback on thesame two questions. Share with the teacher the feedback fromstudents and plan strategy to enhance student achievement.

After three weeks, check with the teacher and students to findout if grades are getting better. Continue this practice everythree weeks.

If the percentage of failing grades is still high, ask a contentspecialist to visit the teacher for the entire period and observethe following teacher-student interactions: pacing ofinstruction; reinforcement strategies; reteaching strategies;

checking for understanding; teaching strategies; testing andretesting; grading procedures; and time on task.

Step 5: Upon completion of the observation, the content specialistand teacher should meet to discuss findings. Together theyshould prepare a plan for improving the learning environmentand opportunities. The plan may involve observations ofother teachers, working with a mentor teacher, readings andparticipation in particular training sessions.

Step 6:

Step 7:

The academic dean or designee should monitor theimplementation of the plan by observing and providingsupport to the teacher.

If the situation does not improve by the following gradingterm, the principal must note this in the formal evaluationand take appropriate action.

August 1996

BEST COPY AVAILABLE

18 IDRA Newsletter 0

COCA-COLA VALUED YOUTH PROGRAM

TUTORS CARRY OLYMPIC FLAME

Jorge Maldonado, a tutor in IDRA'sCoca-Cola Valued Youth Program, was oneof two Valued Youth tutors who carried theOlympic Flame on its way to Atlanta. Jorgeattends San Gabriel High School inAlhambra, California, and has been an activeparticipant in the school's migrant program.

Jorge says that his involvement in theCoca-Cola Valued Youth Program was avery important learning experience: "It hastaught me to be more responsible and moreaware of my self-image. It allowed me tobecome not only a good tutor, but mostimportantly a good role model."

Jorge has worked hard to improve hisgrades to a 3.8 grade point average and nextyear will attend the University of SouthernCalifornia in electrical engineering onscholarship. He will be the first member ofhis family to attend a university.

The Coca-Cola Company, organizerofthe 1996 Olympic Relay, contacted IDRAto identify students in the Coca-Cola ValuedYouth Program to be considered forparticipation in the relay. Jorge Maldonadowas selected to carry the Olympic Flame forabout 1 kilometer (5/8th of a mile) in SantaMonica on April 27 the first day it was inthe United States.

After passing the Olympic Flame tothe next torchbearer, Jorge was told he couldkeep the torch he had carried for $275.When he explained that he was saving hismoney for college, a woman in the crowdanonymously covered the fee so Jorge couldhave the torch.

A few weeks later, a Valued Youthtutor from Houston, Texas, also served as atorchbearer. Jorge Maldonado Coca-Cola Valued Youth

Program tutor in Alhambra, California. carriesthe Olympic Flame

HIGHLIGHTS OF RECENT IDRA ACTIVITIES

In May, IDRA worked with 4,674teachers, administrators and parentsthrough 80 training and technicalassistance activities and 72 program MT ND

sites in ten states. Topics included: OR NH

Coca-Cola Valued YouthID SD

WYProgram National Training b' i

NE

44, MAMI 80 RII:1 Elk#NJSeminar and Valued Youth OH glIL 1/4: MD

Conference UTCO

+ Racial Hostility+ WOW (Workshop on ,

Workshops) NM+ Mobilization for Equity Parent

KS

OK,

MO imp/MS

.ka'-'w DE

DCNC

AL11,

and technical assistance

as expert witnesses in policyand court cases

research and professionalbooks, videos and curricula.

I

Conference 11.TX

+ Assessment of ESL Students 1 LA

Participating agencies and schooldistricts include:

+ Harlandale ISD, San Antonio IDRA staff provides services to: Services include:0 Gallup-McKinnley Co. + public school teachers 0 training

Schools, New Mexico + parents 0 evaluation.0. Donna ISD + administrators 0 serving0 Brownsville ISD + other decision-makers in settings0 Houston ISD public education 0 publishing0 Marfa ISD papers,+ Dade County Public Schools,

Florida

For information on IDRA services for your school district or other group, contact IDRA at 210/684-8180.

August 1996 19' IDRA Newsletter

21

DR. Jost A. CARDENAS RECEIVES CHAMPION OF EQUITY AWARD

This month, Dr. Jose A. Cardenas,IDRA founder and director emeritus, waspresented the Champion of Equity award bythe Equity Center in Austin. The EquityCenter is a research and advocacyorganization in Texas that exclusivelyrepresents the interests of low- wealth schooldistricts. It is the largest organization of itskind in the nation.

Below are the remarks made by BruceWood, president of the Equity Center, as hepresented the award.

"Jose A. Cardenas, executive directorof the Intercultural Development ResearchAssociation for over two decades, is nowsemi-retired. He recently authored TexasSchool Finance Reform, a soon-to-be-published book, documenting the history ofadvocacy, legislation and litigation in schoolfinance reform over the 27 years that he hasbeen actively involved in the process.

"Dr. Cardenas is the premier pioneerin school finance litigation strategy, both inTexas and across the nation. It all beganwhen, as superintendent of the EdgewoodISD in the late 1960s, he changed Rodriguez

vs. San Antonio ISD from a suit against localschool districts into a suit against the state ofTexas. He remained a major player inRodriguez all the way up to the U.S. SupremeCourt, where, in effect, school finance reformwas thrown back to state legislatures andstate courts.

"In 1973, Dr. Cardenas foundedIDRA, originally named Texans forEducational Excellence. Among IDRA' sprimary goals were, and still are, thedevelopment and implementation of anequitable system of school finance.

"Over the following decade Dr.Cardenas initiated, organized, hosted or wasa major participant in virtually every activityor event that led up to the filing of theoriginal Edgewood petition in 1983. Throughconsultation with every known nationalexpert on the feasibility and grounds forschool finance litigation, and through hisown research, Dr. Cardenas became theintellectual and philosophical master of astrategy that has been successful in the statecourts of Texas and other states as well.

"During the course of the seeminglyendless Edgewood trials and hearings, Dr.

Cardenas became a pioneer in developingspecific solutions that would fit the generalguidelines handed down by the courts. Heparticipated in the development of theconcept underlying the County EducationDistrict system, which, though ruledunconstitutional, set the stage for the currentfive-option recapture system.

"The highlight of his participation inthe Edgewood litigation came when he wasappointed by State District Judge ScottMcCown to serve as a co-master to developan alternative system of school finance thatthe courts would impose in the event thelegislature failed to meet the court's deadlinefor a legislative solution.

"Finally, Dr. Cardenas has been apioneer in the creation of other advocacygroups to carry on and expand the fight forschool finance reform. Not the least of theseis the Equity Center, and we are most gratefulfor the assistance Dr. Cardenas gave toJimmy Vasquez, James Lehmann and CraigFoster when they were struggling to get thecenter up and running."

Congratulations, Dr. Cardenas!

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