Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic saw increased loneliness and social isolation among older adults as activities and visitor opportunities for residential communities closed down. Health professional students have limited access to geriatric education in coursework and clinical experiences. The Recreation and Education Network for Elder Wellness…

In university bilingual educator preparation programs, we frequently discuss issues across and around language, culture, and teaching. Topics inevitably emerge regarding the dialogue first generation college students have with their family members about maintaining the 'purity' of a language vis-à-vis navigating the waters of a translanguaging…

The purpose of this study was to identify and assess Texas community orchestras and create a demographic and musical profile of participants. This was accomplished through use of two online questionnaires. A director survey questionnaire determined the organizational status of each orchestra. The directors surveyed were leaders in these…

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 Student Voice and includes: (1) Youths in Action--Intergenerational Leadership (Aurelio M. Montemayor); (2) The Role of Conversation…

Title I schools that serve a large population of low-income students often view families through the lens of an outdated paradigm of family engagement in education, assuming parents are mostly uneducated, ill informed, and much in need of training and support to be good parents. "Comunitario" projects in the Rio Grande Valley of south…

Texas ranks among the top 10 states for school dropouts with an annual dropout rate of about 30%. Some dropout prevention programs are incorporating community service components as a means to counter the alienation and low self-esteem frequently seen among dropouts and at-risk students. Significant adults other than school personnel provide youth…

A project to develop a competency-based curriculum to support implementation of tech prep intergenerational programs throughout Texas was begun in summer 1992. A preliminary career ladder for intergenerational occupations was composed and revised. A task analysis was conducted. A survey to which 285 of the 547 health care professionals, secondary…

Intergenerational activities are any activities planned to be of mutual benefit to more than one age group. This manual concentrates on school-age children and older adults sharing experiences in the library or elsewhere using library materials. The following four models are introduced: (1) Sharing Letters; (2) Sharing Stories; (3) Sharing…

The Llano Grande Center for Research and Development started as an oral history experiment in two of Texas's poorest school districts. Since the 1920s, when this arid region in the southernmost tip of Texas was first transformed into the orchards and farmlands of the "Magic Valley," workers of Mexican descent have worked the land. Over…

The Culebra Road GED/JOBS (General Educational Development/Job Opportunities and Basic Skills) class provides recipients of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) with remedial academic instruction, job preparedness training, and training in parenting skills. At the suggestion of one of its students, the class undertook a project that…

A project was conducted in Texas using an intergenerational approach to literacy instruction. Parents received individualized literacy instruction using the Language Experience Approach, as well as instruction designed to help them encourage literacy skill development in their children. Children and parents also worked together on literacy…

This handbook for tech prep practitioners in Texas consists of loose-leaf documents from the performance assessment areas currently available to tech prep practitioners. The first part of the handbook consists of 10 sample assessment documents that were selected from over 900 performance assessment based on a quantitative rating system. The…