Principal on Creating a College Going Culture

Principal on Creating a College Going Culture – Podcast Episode 86 | Classnotes Podcast 86

Classnotes Podcast (March 29, 2011) Often, the concept of college readiness has meant offering specific courses at the high school level and focusing on students who were likely to do well. Roland Toscano, M.S., a principal at East Central High School in San Antonio, says that while access to those courses is critical, that model has left many students behind. He describes how he and his staff saw transformation when underserved, underperforming students were given access to great teaching, excellent curriculum and strong support systems along with effective communication with parents, those students excelled beyond anyone’s expectations. With this learning, this high school has developed a college-going culture for all of its students rather than for a select few. Mr. Toscano is interviewed by Nilka Avilés, Ed.D., an IDRA senior education associate.

Show length: 16:09.

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Resources

Early College High School Initiative
http://www.earlycolleges.org/

Early College High School Initiative, Texas Education Agency
https://tea.texas.gov/ECHS/

College for All: Get With It – IDRA helps schools create a college-going culture that becomes a model for equity
http://www.idra.org/services_to_educator/college-for-all/

The Global Achievement Gap: Why Even Our Best Schools Don’t Teach the New Survival Skills Our Children Need – And What We Can Do About It
By Tony Wagner
http://www.amazon.com/Global-Achievement-Gap-Survival-Need/dp/0465002293

Results Now: How We Can Achieve Unprecedented Improvements in Teaching and Learning
By Michael J. Schmoker
http://www.amazon.com/Results-Now-Unprecedented-Improvements-Teaching/dp/1416603581

Revisiting Professional Learning Communities at Work: New Insights for Improving Schools
By Richard DuFour, Rebecca DuFour, Robert Eaker
http://www.amazon.com/Revisiting-Professional-Learning-Communities-Work/dp/1934009326

The Power of Professional Learning Communities
Richard Dufour & Rebecca Dufour, National Forum of Educational Administration and Supervision Journal
https://www.amazon.com/Power-Professional-Learning-Communities-Work/dp/1934009091

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Show Notes

Mr. Toscano is interviewed by Nilka Avilés, Ed.D., an IDRA senior education associate.

Mr. Toscano offers an overview of East Central High School and the challenges it has faced in building a college-going culture.

Mr. Toscano explains how the school has worked hard to change the deficit thinking that is often attached to terms such as "academic rigor" and "high expectations."

Mr. Toscano talks about how the school has involved parents and the community at large in preparing students to become college ready.

Mr. Toscano contends that training students to "meet the demands of our 21st Century" is less about using technology and more about building better "habits of mind."

Mr. Toscano discusses the ongoing professional development and awareness for his teachers and staff, and how that plays into creating a culture of college readiness.

Mr. Toscano emphasizes the importance of providing a high-quality curriculum to "all" students, particularly the underserved. With help from the Early College partnership and the liaison efforts of IDRA, this approach has resulted in "most kids exceeding their own expectations and ours."

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