History of IDEA
Jeannie Oakes, Founder and Former Director
Education Week: Multiple Pathways Bringing School to Life
Coalition for Multiple Pathways
Resources, Conditions, and Opportunities
November 20, 2009: IDEA director John Rogers quoted in New America Media in a story about class-size increases
IDEA News
November 20, 2009: IDEA director John Rogers quoted in New America Media in a story about class-size increases
- 11-20-2009
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For African-American Students, Class Size Matters
by Gail Berkley
As school districts across the state struggle to meet the challenges of providing a quality education with fewer resources during the economic downturn, state subsidized small class sizes--with 20 students to 1 teacher in grades K-3--are in jeopardy.
According to a survey of the state’s 30 largest school districts released this week “many schools are pushing class sizes to 24 in some or all of the early grades.” Some classes were increasing to as many as 30 students, the survey conducted by California Watch, a nonprofit journalism organization in Berkeley, found.
The increases in the 20-1 ratio in K-3 classes do not bode well for African-American students.
Recent studies have found that small classes in kindergarten through third grade can have a lasting impact on the educational achievement of African-American students. A study completed in 2001 by Princeton University economics professors Alan Krueger and Diane Whitmore found smaller class size can significantly improve the academic performance of African-American students. The study also found that smaller classes in the early years have lasting benefits for students. The study found a decrease in high school drop out rates overall and increased college entrance exam-taking rates for those who were in small classes in K-3.
To read full article, please visit:
http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=56ed418d8b2f92befa9edac862fee28f
October 1, 2009: IDEA Researcher Jane Margolis receives NSF grant to improve Computer Science instruction in LAUSD
- 10-14-2009
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Partnership with LAUSD addresses need for high-quality computer science instruction.
October 2009: IDEA researchers co-author new research brief for UCLA’s Institute for Research on Labor and Employment
- 10-29-2009
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"Unions and Education Justice: The Case of SEIU Local 1877 Janitors and the “Parent University”
The third brief in the UCLA Institute for Research on Labor and Employment's (IRLE) series of Research and Policy Briefs highlights the work of the Service Employees International Union Local 1877, the UCLA Institute for Democracy, Education, and Access, UCLA School of Law’s Program in Public Interest Law and Policy, and the UCLA Labor Center in understanding and addressing the educational issues facing union members’ children. SEIU Local 1877 has sponsored “Parent University” workshops which teach members about topics that will help them to support their own children’s academic success and advocate for school improvements. SEIU Local 1877 is also working with a collaborative of unions and community groups to expand upon the Parent University work and stay involved in children’s education.
For more information, visit IRLE's website:
http://irle.ucla.edu
Also, you can download a PDF of the research brief by clicking the link below:
http://irle.ucla.edu/publications/pdf/ResearchBrief3.pdf
October 6, 2009: IDEA director John Rogers quoted in La Opinión in a two-part story about drop out rates
- 10-29-2009
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War against the high school dropout rate
Drop out rates have been high for years. A prevention program attempts to try and reduce it.
By Rubén Moreno (text in Spanish)
If drop out rates in Los Angeles would take a human form, they'd likely have brown or black skin and they would live in the poorest areas of the city. Latinos and African American youth make up the great majority of students, who for various reasons, abandon Los Angeles schools and never graduate. In the last few decades, the drop out problem in Los Angeles Unified School District has turned into a crisis that instead of improving, remains unremitting. Latino and African American students add nearly nine of every 10 new cases of school abandonment in a district where for one out of every three students drops out.
To read full article, please visit:
http://www.impre.com/laopinion/noticias/primera-pagina/2009/10/5/guerra-al-abandono-escolar-152558-1.html
The drop out rate is a national ill
Each year 1.3 million students abandon school, putting at risk the country's economic welfare
By Rubén Moreno (text in Spanish)
More than 3.3 million students will be graduating from high school this school year in the United States, according to the National Center on Education Statistics. By the time you finish reading this story, at least six young people will have dropped out. At the end of the day, there will be 7,200; and tomorrow these statistics will repeat again. On average each year 1.3 million students drop out of school, one every 26 seconds, according to statistics provided by the Alliance for Excellent Education (AEE). The dropout rate goes beyond many of the challenges the individual student faces or the district he attends.
To read full article, please visit:
http://www.impre.com/laopinion/noticias/2009/10/6/la-desercion-es-una-mal-nacion-152693-1.html
August 20, 2009: Youth Research Presentation covered by Intersections
- 08-24-2009
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August 20, 2009 - IDEA's 'Council of Youth Research' covered in a two-part series in Intersections
Exploring a community's needs, students vow to "change this place"
by Evelyn Padilla
LOS ANGELES - When Isaac Jimenez, a Wilson High School senior, finished the school year last May, he could have chosen to enjoy his summer break. But instead he opted to spend five weeks learning about and doing research in the communities of Greater Los Angeles.
Jimenez is one of 25 high school students from Los Angeles Unified School District hired to participate in a youth research seminar sponsored by the UCLA Institute for Democracy, Education and Access, an institute that brings together scholars and community representatives to improve the number of students of color in colleges and universities. The seminar teaches students college-level research to motivate them to address social issues in their communities.
"Young people need to be major players in conversations about educational reform," said Ernest Morrell, the institute's associate director.
Morrell has been involved with the project since it was established in 1999 as a way to determine why there was such a high academic failure among students of color. Over the years the project has grown and explored several research topics.
To read full article, please visit:
LA students to City Council: Fix our schools, neighborhoods
by Evelyn Padilla
LOS ANGELES - A group of 25 high school students, dressed in their Sunday best, prepared to present the findings from a busy summer of research conducted across the city. Their message was simple to the assembled city leaders, parents and others who gathered recently Los Angeles City Hall: Pay attention to youth and their communities.
The presentations from students from several high schools across greater Los Angeles was the culmination of a weeks-long summer research program during which the students studied ways the economic crisis has affected their communities. In South Los Angeles, students reported on the impact of poverty.
From East Los Angeles, students discovered the economic crisis had helped boost the high school drop out rate. The high school students, presenting their findings to the Los Angeles City Council and other city officials, were sponsored by UCLA's Institute for Democracy, Education and Access.
To read full article, please visit:
August 18, 2009: IDEA director John Rogers quoted in AP story about the release of the 2009 STAR test results
- 08-24-2009
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California test results show solid academic gains
By Terence Chea
California students made solid gains on standardized tests for English and math over the past year, but the state showed little progress in narrowing the achievement gap between racial groups, according to data released Tuesday by the state Department of Education.
For the first time, half of students scored at the proficient or advanced level in English-language arts on the Standardized Testing and Reporting Program in 2009, up from 46 percent in 2008. The number of students meeting those levels in math rose to 46 percent, a three-point gain over the previous year.
The 2009 STAR test results show that California students have made steady academic progress since the state's standardized tests were aligned to reflect its academic standards seven years ago. Only 35 percent of students scored at the proficient level or above in both math and English in 2003.
To read the full article, please visit:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/08/18/state/n093330D21.DTL
August 12, 2009: IDEA's 'Council of Youth Research' presentation at Los Angeles City Hall covered by UCLA Magazine
- 08-24-2009
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K-12, Underserved and Overburdened
By Melanie Bertrand
California's education funding has been cut by $17 billion in the last two budget deals and schools are suffering. But some students are hurting more than others, according to a group of high school-aged researchers who presented their findings at Los Angeles City Hall earlier this month.
The group - the Council of Youth Research, sponsored by UCLA's Institute for Democracy, Education, and Access - spent the last five weeks researching educational opportunities in Los Angeles-area schools and neighborhoods and found that the economic crisis is hitting students of color especially hard.
"The economic crisis is biased, which means that it impacts everyone differently," said council member Gabriela Dominguez.
Under the direction of Professors Ernest Morrell and John Rogers, UCLA's Institute for Democracy, Education, and Access (IDEA) has held research seminars with urban high school students for the past 10 years. The students examine education conditions in Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) and present their findings to the public.
To see full article, please visit:
http://www.magazine.ucla.edu/exclusives/k-12-underserved-youth-study
August 8, 2009: IDEA's 'Council of Youth Research' presentation at Los Angeles City Hall covered by La Opinión
- 08-24-2009
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The crisis distracts students
Many wonder if they should leave school to help out their families
By Rubén Moreno (text in Spanish)
One of every two LAUSD high school students wonders whether they should stay in school or drop out to look for work and help their family pay their bills. This is one of the findings of an investigation undertaken by 25 students from LAUSD in a joint project with UCLA's Institute for Democracy, Education and Access about how the economic crisis is affecting students. It's common students for students who are distracted to be worried about their family's situation. "Just as you can see with the economy as it is, we can't be 100% focused, knowing that jobs are not safe and things are getting more and more expensive all the time," said Gabriela Dominguez, daughter of a single mother, who attends Manual Arts High.
To see full article in Spanish, please visit:
http://www.impre.com/noticias/nacionales/2009/8/8/la-crisis-distrae-a-los-estudi-140335-1.html
