The English learner (EL) population, specifically Spanish-speaking ELs, has more than doubled in the last decade in the United States. Bilingual education programs seek to prepare ELs to master grade-level content and improve their English proficiency. English learners who demonstrate English proficiency by meeting state criteria can be…

This report concerns actions taken by the administration of Collin College to terminate the services of Professors Lora Burnett, Suzanne Jones, and Michael Phillips. The investigating committee found that the administration's actions involved "egregious violations" of all three faculty members' academic freedom to speak as citizens and…

Governing boards of universities and colleges are facing an unprecedented tidal wave of change that is creating new opportunities, risks, innovations, and disruptions within and beyond the confines of their campuses. A board's ability to be both reactive to these changes and proactive in response will require that they not only have the right…

The "IDRA Newsletter" serves as a vehicle for communication with educators, school board members, decision-makers, parents, and the general public concerning the educational needs of all children across the United States. The focus of this issue is "Education Policy." Contents include: (1) Texas Legislature Concentrates on…

Each edition of the IDRA Newsletter strives to provide many different perspectives on the issues in education topics discussed and to define its significance in the state and national dialogue. This issue focuses on Family Leadership in Education and includes (1) IDRA Education CAFE--A Structure for Families Transforming Schools in their…

This phenomenological case study addressed gaps in the literature related to successful implementation of Response to Intervention (RtI) in rural settings by exploring the experiences of educators in a rural Texas school district that has implemented a successful RtI program. Ten educators involved with the RtI process were interviewed about their…

The Director of Library and Textbook services for the Northside Independent School District (NISD) Jana Knezek, had long wanted to create a Friends group and she realized how beneficial it would be to have an organization in place that could serve as an advocate for school library issues. Jana temporarily put aside that desire and participated in…

The decision to leave a successful career and great earning potential to start over as a novice with new surroundings and expectations is not made without consideration of a wide array of variables. Making the transition to higher education was not an easy one and the transition itself has presented various other challenges and joys that I have…

With the implementation of site-based decision-making occurring in schools, an understanding of the views of secondary school principals and of secondary school teachers would provide valuable information. In the study, six principals and six teachers, from either high performing or low performing schools, were purposefully selected for their…

The standing committee system of a college is important to both its organizational and its administrative structure. This brochure presents in detail the composition, organization, schedule of meetings, preparation of agenda, recording procedures, functions, and mission of the College of the Mainland's administrative council, its standing…

In 1989, in an effort to prepare the Texas economy for successful global competition, the Texas legislature mandated regional Quality Workforce Planning for vocational-technical education, calling on educators and employers to form training partnerships to strengthen the state's work force. In response to this legislation, 9 of Texas's 24 planning…