As you enjoy a well-deserved summer vacation, we encourage all of our students and families to keep your academic skills sharp to avoid what’s called the “Summer Slide.” Here are some tips to make sure your child continues to learn, grow, and progress during the summer months.
Choose the right books.
Utilize the “Goldilocks Effect” – not too easy, not too hard. Series books are especially good for struggling readers.
“Building a strong work ethic will get me to a better college, and get me a better job,” says Lincy Leonard, sixth-grader at IDEA Carver College Preparatory. Although she is just in 6th grade, Lincy already has some ideas about what her future holds. She’d like to be a veterinarian or an engineer, and both UT San Antonio and Boston University are in her sights.
EDINBURG - Recent high school graduate Michael Mireles will be in New York on Saturday, June 17, to give a TED-Ed talk about his experience growing up in the Valley. TED, which stands for Technology, Entertainment and Design, is a media organization that posts lectures, or “talks,” about various subjects from expert speakers, with their TED-Ed division featuring students. As their tagline suggests, Mireles was picked for his...
An accomplished and longtime member of the IDEA Team & Family, Patricia (Tricia) Noyola, has been promoted to IDEA Public Schools Austin Executive Director.
About Tricia
Tricia transitioned into the role of Senior Vice President of Schools in Austin in October of last year. In this role she managed the principals at IDEA Rundberg and IDEA Bluff Springs, along with her successor at IDEA San Benito Academy, Principal Cristina Villarreal.
AUSTIN, Texas — We always hear doctors talking about the importance of a healthy, balanced diet, but as costs in Central Texas continue to rise, families are forced to make sacrifices.
According to the Central Texas Food Bank, two thirds of its population says it's had to choose between paying for food and housing; 80 percent says between food and medicine.
Congratulations are in order for five IDEA schools that were recently designated as T-STEM (Texas Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) schools by the Texas Education Agency (TEA).
IDEA College Prep Alamo, IDEA College Prep San Benito, IDEA College Prep Mission, IDEA College Prep San Juan, and IDEA College Prep Edinburg received this designation for the 2017-18 school year.
The TEA, awards the T-STEM designation to rigorous secondary schools that focus ...
The IDEA Donna Class of 2017 celebrates their accomplishments in front of families, friends, and staff.
Congratulations to IDEA’s Class of 2017! This past weekend, seniors from across the Rio Grande Valley attended graduation to commemorate their academic career with friends, family, IDEA staff, and members of the community. There was much to celebrate, as the 674 seniors making up the IDEA class of 2017 accomplished many incredible feats. Here is a snapshot of their acco...
Today, June 2, marks the last day of the 2016-2017 school year at IDEA Public Schools.
Congratulations on helping make this year IDEA’s best year yet. Here are some happenings we proudly look back on:
· For the eleventh year in a row, one hundred percent of our graduating senior class was accepted to college. Students, staff, families and friends celebrated this feat at our annual College Signing Day ceremonies. The class of 2017...
All eleven of founding class graduates earn academic scholarships
By Chris Ardis
As seen in The Edinburg Review
In August of 2016, 11 incoming high school seniors left the schools they were attending to enroll at IDEA Toros College Prep in Edinburg. According to the IDEA Toros website, “IDEA Toros partners with the Toros Futbol Club, a professional soccer team based in the Rio Grande Valley, to pair an excellent ed...
IDEA Public Schools is thrilled to announce the launch of IDEA-U, an online, flexible, supportive, and affordable college option designed to support IDEA alumni whose full lives, changing work schedules and family obligations have not allowed them to finish college. This program is part of IDEA’s newest strategy to reinvest and recommit IDEA alumni on the road to and through college and help them attain their degree.
A nationally prominent charter school organization setting up shop in Louisiana is already well-staffed considering its first two Baton Rouge schools won’t open for 15 more months.
IDEA Public Schools has hired six administrators but also, in a less common move, 12 teachers for its planned schools in north and south Baton Rouge. Starting in mid-June, they will all head to Tex...
At IDEA Public Schools, the motto “college for all” drives everything we do. Over the years, we have updated our curriculum, added additional student support, and expanded to some of Texas’ most diverse communities, but that founding idea that all of our students belong in college has never changed.
You see, once you set that expectation, students, parents, teachers and administrators alike will rise to the...
IDEA
Public Schools will be participating in the Texas Department of Agriculture’s
Summer Food Service Program. As participants, IDEA will provide free,
nutritious meals for all children 18 years and younger during the summer at
select campuses.
The
Seamless Summer Option (SSO) was created to ensure that children in low-income
areas could continue to receive nutritious meals during long school vacations,
when they do not have access to school lunch or breakfast. N...
Kaila Velez is a kindergarten teacher at IDEA Rundberg Academy and an Austin, Texas native. We sat down to chat about her time at IDEA Public Schools and why it is important to teach in the same neighborhood where she grew up.
Join Kaila, and thousands of other IDEA educators, on the mission of College For All today!
On May 16, IDEA San Antonio hosted the Royal Reader Celebration at Shrine Auditorium, where nearly 700 students were recognized as IDEA Royal Readers for having read over a million words. Students received Royal Reader medals and were treated to an open party at the end of the ceremony.
The requirements for students to qualify included reading a minimum of one million ...
Food literacy is growing at IDEA Public Schools. Just ask our Junior Master Gardeners.
“Being a Junior Master Gardener keeps you active,” said David Jones, 7th grader at IDEA Eastside College Preparatory, one of more than 150 Junior Master Gardeners across the IDEA Public Schools network. “I’ve learned so much this year about the amazing insects that help plants grow. I’ve learned about why it’s so important to eat the right foods.”
...
This week, IDEA Public Schools hosted Royal Reader celebrations across the Rio Grande Valley, San Antonio, and Austin to commemorate our scholars and their amazing reading achievement. Becoming a Royal Reader is no small feat. To achieve Royal Reader status, students must read more than one million words throughout the year—that’s nearly the entire Harry Potter series combined! This word count is kept track in IDEA’s Accelerat...
At IDEA Public Schools, we receive about 10 applications for every teacher vacancy. For some positions, we receive as many as 100 applications for a single opening! That makes our application process very competitive, and we want to help YOU put your best foot forward in our process!
As IDEA continues to expand to new regions across the country, we want to ensure we are replicating the student success, academic rigor, and the high-quality teachers that fuel amazing results for our campus at all of our schools.
We want to ensure that IDEA’s new regions are prepared to achieve high results the first year new schools open. We also strive to retain high-quality teachers who can help have a tr...
A senior at IDEA Quest high school recently earned a rare distinction: He's now a presidential scholar.
The White House Commission on Presidential Scholars selected Michael Mireles of Alton — a senior at IDEA Quest in Edinburg — for the prestigious award.
Just 5,100 of the 3.5 million high school seniors nationwide qualified for the award. The commission selected 161, including eight in Texas.
Corey Robinson and his father, former Spurs player David Robinson, converse with students at IDEA Carver school on Jan. 16. IDEA San Antonio students are preparing every day for success in and after college.
Neighborhoods on the East Side of San Antonio have historically struggled from years of neglect, but in...
IDEA Public Schools is so proud of our new state gold medal recipient in the Class 3A girls 800 meter run – Valery Tobias, a junior at IDEA Quest College Preparatory!
Valery competed this past Saturday in Austin, Texas, at the UIL Track and Field State meet at Mike A. Myers Stadium and took first place in the event.
Nate Kotisso, writer for The Monitor, was on site during the event and ha...
Three brand-new IDEA campuses will be opening in San Antonio, Texas this fall to serve more students in the Alamo city—IDEA Ewing Hallsell, IDEA Harvey E. Najim, and IDEA Brackenridge.
As you may have heard in recent news, high schools within the IDEA network were ranked among the most challenging schools in the nation by The Washington Post and best in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. While our...
The RGV FC Toros partnered with IDEA Public Schools to create a one-of-a-kind educational soccer academy.
It’s no secret that the Rio Grande Valley has some of the best high school soccer athletes in the state, but now it’s said that the best are trained in Edinburg to become an IDEA Toro.
This fall, IDEA Quest College Preparatory senior Michael Mireles is headed to Brown University to study in the prestigious, ivy league university’s medical program. Earlier this year, Michael also developed the South Texas Ideas Festival, an event that brought together students and leaders in the community to discuss ideas around Rio Grande Valley civic involvement and youth education. Additionally, Michael won a national title in debate in Washington, D.C., where he partnered wit...
We are excited to celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week at IDEA Public Schools. At IDEA, we champion this time as a time for special recognition and celebration of our educators across our Rio Grande Valley, San Antonio, and Austin regions. While every week is a time to be grateful for IDEA teachers, we want to say, from the bottom of our hearts, thank you for all that you do to ensure every IDEA student is r...
Today, 6 high schools within the IDEA Public Schools network in the Rio Grande Valley were ranked among the most challenging high schools in America by The Washington Post, 5 of which were ranked top 25 in the nation. This is the second consecutive year IDEA has been represented in the annual list of rankings, reflecting the rigor and success of IDEA’s college-going culture.
In the latest rankings of America’s Most Challenging High Schools...
In 2014, IDEA launched a Pre-K pilot program at IDEA Academy Pharr. The goal? To provide the foundational tools students need to succeed in every year of school. The results were encouraging. Our youngest learners were building a strong foundation in reading, language, and mathematics.
Beyond fundamental instruction in reading, language, and math, our Pre-K curriculum also includes science lessons, field trips, and activities that promote the development of problem-solving and social skills. It’s ...
674 graduating seniors revealed for the first-time the college or university they will attend in the fall
IDEA Public Schools’ 674 seniors revealed their college choices to a packed arena on April 26, 27, and 28. This year marks the 11th consecutive year IDEA will send 100 percent of their graduating seniors to college. This accomplishment is all the more impressive– nearly 70 percent of our seniors are the first in their family to go to college of the gra...
IDEA Public Schools will be among the 30 largest school districts in America by 2022—our goal is to also be among the best. What does it take for a thriving public school network to continue to improve student outcomes as it grows quickly in response to national demand? How can civic, education, and philanthropic leaders support high-quality school options for all families in their region?
This week, IDEA seniors—674 to be exact—will celebrate their commitment to college at our annual College Signing Day events. Nearly 18,000 spectators will fill the State Farm Arena throughout the week as each student, one by one, reveals where they will attend college this fall.
· On April 26, students from IDEA Mission, IDEA Quest, and IDEA Toros will celebrate their acceptances to the colleges and universities of their choice.
...
This week, operations leaders will gather in the sunny Rio Grande Valley for two days of learning, connecting, and celebrating. IDEA Public Schools and the Charter School Growth Fund are thrilled to host this event for the 2nd year in a row.
In collaboration with the Charter School Growth Fund and the thoughtful insight of CMO partners like: Achievement First, Mastery Charter Schools, YES College Prep, Rocketship Education, KIPP New Jersey and ...
Great news has just rolled in at IDEA Public Schools!
Today, several of IDEA’s college preparatory schools were ranked among the best performing high schools in the nation by U.S. News and World Report. This is the ninth consecutive year IDEA has been represented in the annual list of rankings, reflecting the rigor and success of our college-going culture.
With Teacher Appreciation Week right around the corner, IDEA Public Schools sat down with an amazing IDEA educator, Dean Nguyen, an ELA Teacher at IDEA Academy San Benito and Rio Grande Valley native. Dean chats about giving back to the community he grew up in and IDEA’s ambitious College For All philosophy.
IDEA Academy Alamo, IDEA College Preparatory Brownsville, IDEA Academy McAllen, IDEA College Preparatory McAllen, and IDEA Weslaco Pike College Preparatory have been named Honor Roll schools for the 2016 Texas Honor Roll, presented by Educational Results Partnership (ERP) and the Institute for Productivity in Education (IPE).
The 2016 Honor Roll recognizes public elementary, middle, and high schools that demonstrate consistently high levels of student academic achievement,...
Nine IDEA Public Schools seniors from across the Rio Grande Valley broke records for their school district Wednesday as they were named recipients of the Dell scholarship.
For senior Leo Tamez, going to college was something he says his family thought would never be possible.
"They didn’t want to support me with my decision, because they thought that I was kinda being like a coward for leaving the cycle o...
EDINBURG - A new school in Edinburg, small in the number of students, is combining soccer with the classroom to build an interesting educational and athletic environment. CHANNEL 5's Ruben Juarez has the story of the IDEA Toros here.
IDEA is reimagining its top reading program and with that comes a new name. It’s called: Royal Readers.
The Royal Readers Program is a district-wide reading incentive program for students in grade levels 1-8.
The goal of Royal Readers is to foster further reading development, growth, and a life-long love for reading at IDEA Public Schools. IDEA knows great readers make great learners, so we emphasize reading not only dur...
Three new IDEA Public Schools campuses in San Antonio—IDEA Harvey E. Najim, IDEA Brackenridge, and IDEA Ewing Halsell—are set to open this Fall. Limited spots are still available for the 2017-18 school year.
Named after local philanthropists and supporters of IDEA, these newly-constructed schools will serve grades Pre-K-1st and 6th this fall and expand to a full-scale, Pre-K-12 campus by 2024.
Region-wide, IDEA San Antonio will expand from 14 schools...
Jill Dominguez is the Lower Valley Executive Director at IDEA Public Schools.
On the border between the United States and Mexico, relations are not as you may think or are hearing on the news. In fact, last month marked the celebration of the 80th “Charro Days” in Brownsville, Texas. This two-day fiesta celebrates the unity and shared heritage and traditions between the U.S. and Mexico. When much o...
Phenomenal news has just rolled in at IDEA Public Schools.
Nine IDEA seniors have just been named Dell Scholar finalists. These nine individuals will receive the nationally renowned Dell Scholarship, which provides students with financial assistance, resources, and mentoring to ensure they have the support they need to obtain a bachelor’s degree.
The heartiest of congratulations are in order for these nine stellar seniors and now, Dell Scholar recipients:
IDEA’s first cohort of sports hopefuls navigate self-learning method.
By Danya Perez-Hernandez
As seen in The Monitor
EDINBURG — The day begins before sunrise for 16-year-old Victor Medellin and more than 300 miles away from his home and family. But the sacrifice is worth it, he said, so long as he gets to attend a school that blends his academic goals with his passion for soccer.
From left to right: Jessica Gonzalez, Evelyn Saldivar, Arianna Izaguirre, Nidia Cavazos, Carlos Grosso, Magdalena Banda, Veronica Trevino, Leah Cabrera Marquez, Laura Lisa Salinas.
At IDEA, we do Whatever It Takes to ensure our students are prepared for the road to and through college. Once our students graduate from IDEA and matriculate to college, the support doesn’t stop. Our Alumni team connects with IDEA graduates after life at IDEA to provide s...
You really set yourself up for success just by making good choices one step at a time with a good breakfast. Cleto Rodriguez, via Fox San Antonio, is at IDEA South Flores in the cafeteria for National Nutrition Month!
Rodriguez chats with cafeteria staff and students at IDEA South Flores about healthy eating practices. IDEA meals are nutritious and deliciou...
IDEA hosted its annual 5K run,
walk and healthy living exposition in the Rio Grande Valley on March 25th and San Antonio on April 1st.
Students, staff, families, and members of the community came out in both
regions to show their support for IDEA and help build awareness of the
importance of health and wellness.
Ana Martinez, a nationally respected leader in education, has been named Executive Director of IDEA Public Schools’ newest region in Tarrant County, Texas. Ana is poised to lead IDEA in the Tarrant County community as the organization lays groundwork for establishing schools in the fall of 2019.
About Ana Martinez
Ana has a wealth of experience as an educational leader and educator for 15 years. She most recently served as Executive Director of Mi...
In the “Skinny Budget” that the White House released this month, President Donald Trump offered $168 million in new funds for charter schools. As public charter school operators, we appreciate the proposed investment in new schools like ours.
But we cannot support the President’s budget as currently proposed and we are determined to do everything in our power to work with Congress and the Administration to protect the programs that are essential to the...
STAAR testing kicks off this week for IDEA scholars. Take a look at the testing schedule, along with a list of helpful testing tips for your IDEA scholar. Best of luck to all of our scholars and teachers this week!
Christopher Casella, a military veteran and Humanities Pre-AP teacher at IDEA College Preparatory South Flores in San Antonio, Texas, sat down to chat about his first year teaching at IDEA Public Schools, and how his time in the military shaped his teaching philosophy.
Do you want to teach at IDEA? Learn more or apply today!
Physical education teacher David Alfaro demonstrates broad jump technique during physical education class at IDEA Monterrey Park on Friday, March 3, 2017. The "Healthy Kids Here" initiative aims to encourage ... more
Rebekah Rosas, a fourth-grader, joined the intramural basketball team a few weeks ago at the IDEA Monterrey Park charter school on the West Side. Her older sister, an eighth-grader, joined the school’s soccer team.
The month of March is always a special month here at IDEA Public Schools. Scholars and teachers are busy preparing for their first round of STAAR testing, more college acceptances are rolling in for our seniors, it’s IDEA’s birthday month, and…it’s National Nutrition Month!
IDEA is proud to celebrate National Nutrition Month, a time to spotlight nutrition education and healthy student diets across our campuses. The national ca...
This May, at IDEA’s reader celebration, Cressida Cowell, author of the acclaimed How to Train your Dragon series, will be our featured guest! She will be speaking and presenting to students who’ve met their reading goals for the year. This exciting news is sure to come as extra motivation for readers across the IDEA network as they head into the Spring Break holiday next week, March 13 through March 17.
SAN JUAN – At 2 p.m. at IDEA San Juan a little over 100 students lined up to enter the standard-size middle school gymnasium.
Eagerly they awaited to be let in to participate in Workout Wednesdays, part of the Healthy Kids Here initiative that began in 2015 to combat the 40 percent of IDEA students being overweight or obese.
EDINBURG — A group of about a dozen blended, or personalized, learning experts paid their fourth and final visit to IDEA Public Schools last week to evaluate and provide feedback on an initiative to allow students to learn on their own.
IDEA implemented blended learning about four years ago with the help from a $29 million Race to the Top grant, said Pab...
Valley leaders engage youth in dialogue about the future of the Rio Grande Valley
Enroll your child in a school system that fosters future leaders who care about their community.
A group of 15 groundbreaking thinkers and leaders from the Rio Grande Valley gathered on March 4, 2017 at the first annual South Texas Ideas Festival at the Mission Center for Education and Economic Development in Mission, Texas. At the event, speakers discussed t...
Today, March 3, marks IDEA Public Schools’ 17th birthday!
Tom Torkelson and JoAnn Gama made their way to the Rio Grande Valley as Teach For America corps members in 1998. Little did they know, this would be the first step towards starting a tuition-free, Pre-K-12, high-achieving public charter school system for nearly 30,000 students across 51 schools in 3 Texas regions, all on the road to a college de...
IDEA seniors are excited to celebrate their student body's accomplishments this College Signing Day in April.
You may have heard that IDEA Public Schools recently achieved 100% college acceptance for its 2017 graduating class of nearly 600 seniors, including acceptances to Columbia, Brown, and The University of Texas at Austin.
The great news just keeps coming.
Over 30 IDEA seniors recently qualified as semifinalists for the nationally renowned Dell Scholarship, which provides stu...
-In honor of Black History Month, Deanna Bruce, Principal at IDEA Bluff Springs College Preparatory, told us her story and why she chose to change lives through education with IDEA Public Schools. You can join Deanna on the mission to close the achievement gap.
Kids internalize what they see. I want to ensure my son, Malik, a kindergartner at IDEA Bluff Springs Academy, sees people of all colors in positions of leadership in ...
Attention all new-to-IDEA families! You are invited to Welcome to IDEA, a celebratory and informative event for those just accepted to IDEA Public Schools.
At this welcome event, we will celebrate your acceptance to IDEA and orient you to the IDEA Team & Family. Welcome to IDEA is a time for students and families to get to know principals, teachers and staff, as well as learn the fundamentals of IDEA’s culture of h...
At IDEA Public Schools, we know student success starts, first and foremost, with an expert educator in the classroom. That’s why we’ve created the Teacher Career Pathway.
Join IDEA’s Team & Family today!
The Teacher Career Pathway is a differentiated reward, recognition, and retention program for teachers at IDEA Public Schools. The Teacher Career Pathway (TCP) program synthesizes multiple components of a teacher’s performance in order to place him...
IDEA Public Schools Achieves 100 Percent College Acceptance for Eleven Consecutive Years
Several Students Accepted to Prestigious and Highly-Selective Universities
RIO GRANDE VALLEY (February 22, 2017) – IDEA Public Schools is proud to announce that 100 percent of the Class of 2017 have been accepted to college. IDEA continues its legacy of college matriculation and reached this milestone with its largest senior class ever. In total, more than 670 seniors at IDEA have ap...
Students from IDEA Mission Academy and College Preparatory and IDEA San Juan College Preparatory competed in the Special Olympics Basketball Competition this past weekend. Read more about the event in the article from The Monitor below.
By Mark Moreno
MISSION - The motto for the Special Olympics of Texas is “Let me win but if I cannot win let me brave in the attempt.” That motto was in full swing Saturd...
There’s so much to learn from nature and the world around us--that’s the philosophy at IDEA Camp RIO at Historic Lula Sams. Educators at Camp RIO have a passion for the outdoors, delivering an active, world-class, and exciting outdoor education camp to students in the Rio Grande Valley, and their summer camp registration is now open!
-By Gerald Boyd, a native of Houston, Texas and Principal at IDEA Mays College Preparatory in San Antonio, Texas. Gerald was a Teach For America Corps member, teacher and curriculum leader for KIPP Houston Schools and Dean of Instruction for KIPP Boston Schools before transitioning to IDEA Public Schools as a Principal-in-Residence. This is his first year as Founding Principal at IDEA Mays College Preparatory.
IDEA campuses across the district are honoring Black History Month in many ways. Our teachers are educating our scholars on the importance of black history in America, and students and staff, alike, are celebrating this important month by holding presentations and assemblies about the contributions and impact of African-Americans throughout history, and currently.
At IDEA Monterrey Park College Preparatory, Principal Curtis Lawrence and staff provided the opportunity for every IDEA Monterrey Park ...
My name is Adrian Castro, and I am a 2nd grade math teacher at IDEA Academy San Juan. At IDEA, there is never a dull moment nor a time when we, teachers and students, aren't challenged to perform at our highest level, which is what genuinely makes me proud to work for such a determined network. Our slogan "no excuses" goes a long way with both staff and scholars. IDEA has high expectations, and ...
Seniors reveal their university of choice at IDEA's annual College Signing Day.
IDEA Public Schools is proud of the legacy it has built for its scholars—100% college acceptance for ten years and counting. Alongside passionate, dedicated educators and bright, hard-working students, our Team & Family is leading by example as we empower children in low-income communities nationwide to strive for a college degree—the most important factor to combat inequality in America.
IDEA Public Schools is proud to honor Black History Month, a time when we further highlight the profound impact of African Americans in our country’s history. Black History Month, or National African American History Month, is an annual celebration of achievements by black Americans and a time for recognizing the central role of African Americans in the story of the United States of America.
IDEA Public Schools will open four schools in Baton Rouge in 2018. IDEA’s Southern Louisiana region will be led by Kenneth Campbell, a native of Biloxi, Mississippi who has lived in Louisiana for the past 9 years. Kenneth is a respected education leader in the Baton Rouge community.
As executive director of IDEA Southern Louisiana, Kenneth will focus on working closely with the Baton Rouge community, enrolling students, recruiting high-quality teachers, leaders and staf...
I was born to migrant parents and raised in a colonia in South Pharr, Texas, called Las Milpas, not five minutes from the U.S.-Mexico border.
By the time I was in elementary school, I had lost both of my parents. My community – overlooked, marginalized people who just wanted a good, healthy life – raised me.
The job of a leader is to tell the hard truths, to paint a picture of reality, to help people understand what is at stake if we don’t change course. Facts are stubborn and often inconvenient and when they challenge the status quo there is hell to pay by the truth tellers.
Is your application in for IDEA’s student lottery on January 28? Apply now to meet the January 27 deadline.
Every year, when there are more applications than spots available, IDEA Public Schools holds a student lottery to randomly select who will fill spots at IDEA campuses for the upcoming school year. The selection process is done randomly to ensure everyone has an equal opportunity to attend an IDEA school. This year, IDEA’s lotter...
Yvonne Veldez and Jacob Ledesma, proud IDEA Carver mother and son, speak at IDEA’s 2016 Back-to-School Bash.
IDEA Carver Academy and College Preparatory, located in the heart of downtown San Antonio, Texas, knows student success begins with great teachers.
Yvonne Velez, proud IDEA parent, is thankful for the support her son, Jacob, has received from his teachers at IDEA Carver. Your child can also learn from passionate, caring and challenging teach...
This week, January 22-28, marks National School Choice Week. The goal of National School Choice Week (NCSW) is to raise public awareness of education options for children, and IDEA is proud to participate.
As a
public charter school system, IDEA emphasizes how important educational choice
is for families who want their child to attend a great school. Whether its traditional public schools,
public charter schools, magnet schools, online learning, private schools, or homes...
At IDEA Public Schools, we are committed to exposing our students to colleges and universities across the country through college visits and field lessons. Your child can experience this, and more, as they embark on the road to and through college at IDEA. Apply now!
This past December, all 6th and 7th grade students at IDEA Eastside College Preparatory in San Antonio visited Baylor University in Waco, Texas.
In 2012, NBA legend David Robinson invited IDEA to partner on solving educational inequality in San Antonio. IDEA and the Admiral joined forces later that year, united in the quest to provide a quality education to students across The Alamo City.
Today, five years later, IDEA Public Schools remains laser-focused on this mission—ensuring more students in San Antonio receive a high-quality education and are prepared for the road to and through college an...
IDEA Judson Academy and College Preparatory takes pride in providing a great education and a robust array of extra-curricular to its students. With limited spots still available, your child can join the IDEA Judson Team & Family today. Apply now!
Read this story and more in the winter issue of IMPACT magazine.
Lisbeth Martinez, like the rest of her sixth-grade peers, was a new student at a brand new campus. That di...
“Intelligence plus character -
that is the goal of true education.” - Martin Luther King, Jr.
Tomorrow, January 16, 2017, IDEA schools will be closed in the
celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s life, work and
legacy.
As an organization fueled by the drive to create a more equal
world through a quality education for all children, we champion this day as a
time to remember a remarkable individual who fought to change...
IDEA Bluff Springs in Austin, Texas is building a culture of reading excellence, and your child can join in on the educational fun.
Walk into the magical Accelerated Reader (AR) zone, where bookshelves line the walls and you can hear a pin drop. You’ll find IDEA students immersed in both nonfiction and fiction books ranging from insects to magical worlds.
The AR Zone is a space devoted to promoting a cul...
Do you want to become an IDEA teacher and change students’ lives for the better? Apply today!
Sarah Biniasz is a 6th grade Life Skills Teacher at IDEA Bluff Springs College Preparatory. She began her career at IDEA Public Schools as a 6th grade Humanities teacher and later led the special education department at IDEA Mission College Prep in the Rio Grande Valley. After teaching at IDEA Mission for three years, Sarah was ...
Enroll your child in Pre-K at IDEA. Limited spots are still available for the 2016-2017 school year. Apply today!
IDEA San Juan Academy opened its Pre-K program this fall, and the school’s youngest scholars are reaping the benefits. The goal? Ensure every IDEA Pre-K student is ready for kindergarten by being able to read on or above level, as well as perform basic math skills. That goal is within reach, as IDEA Sa...
Three miles from the Pharr International Bridge in Texas—a major point of entry into the United States from Mexico—the prekindergarten students at the IDEA Pharr Academy arrive with virtually no English-language skills. By the time they graduate, though, most will be headed for a four-year college or university with at least 11 AP course credits on their transcripts. The lead architect of that trajectory is Dolores Gon...
School district officials throughout the state started 2017 with a better understanding of where their districts might stand under the Texas Education Agency’s upcoming accountability system.
Last week, the districts received a “What if” report based on four out of the five domains that TEA is proposing to legislators as part of the new A-F accountability system.
By Larkin Tackett, executive director at IDEA Public Schools Austin
As seen in myStatesman
“And so, how are the children?” That’s how members of the Masai tribe in East Africa greet each other. And the traditional response, “All the children are well,” signifies that all is right in the village, as long as the children are cared for and safe.
Like the Masai, we should care about how all of t...
IDEA Public Schools learned last week that the network of 51 schools serving nearly 30,000 students has earned three As and one B on TEA’s new A-F Accountability Rating System, which are due to be released on January 6, 2017.
The As were earned in Domain II (Student Progress), Domain III (Closing Performance Gaps), and Domain IV (Post-secondary Readiness). The B was earned in Domain I (Student Achievement.)
There’s so much to learn from nature and the world around us--that’s the philosophy at IDEA Camp RIO at Historic Lula Sams. Educators at Camp RIO have a passion for the outdoors, deliver an active, world-class, and exciting outdoor education camp to students in the Rio Grande Valley, and their summer camp registration has just opened!
IDEA Public Schools wants to encourage families and students to utilize Accelerated Reader (AR) and Hotspot software during winter break. Both programs will be available for students to use at home from December 22- January 8. While relaxing and spending time with loved ones over the holidays, IDEA wants to ensure students and families have the tools to dedicate time to reading books at their “just right” level, taking AR quizzes, and logging into their HotSp...
With the holiday season in full swing, IDEA campuses across the organization are spreading joy to the community, and helping those in need, through fundraisers, food drives, and giving initiatives.
You too can spread some IDEA holiday cheer by donating to IDEA scholars! Your gift will directly help an IDEA graduate on the road to and through college.
Joshua Lumley teaches Advanced Placement (AP) Environmental Science and AP Chemistry at IDEA Frontier College Preparatory in Brownsville, Texas. Read about his growth as a teacher and the positive impact he is having on his students and their college readiness.
At IDEA Public Schools, I cherish the opportunity to work with seniors and athletes, all of whom are on a path to and through college. As a 12...
WESLACO — Although it’s been open since late October, IDEA Public Schools gave its new headquarters an official debut this week with festivities that highlighted its flashy and more practical uses.
Such is its innovation that district officials believe the headquarters may herald the arrival of modern workplaces to the Rio Grande Valley.
Every first week in December, schools nationwide celebrate Inclusive Schools Week. Inclusive Schools Week recognizes the progress that schools have made in providing a supportive and quality education to an increasingly diverse student population, including students who are marginalized due to disability, gender, socio-economic status, cultural heritage, language preference and other factors. The week also provides an important opportunity for educators, students and parents to discuss what else needs to be done in order...
The IDEA Public Schools Board recently approved the network’s expansion to the Fort Worth region in 2019. IDEA Public Schools is a growing network of tuition-free Pre-K - 12 public charter schools serving more than 30,000 students in 51 schools throughout Rio Grande Valley, Austin, and San Antonio. IDEA was recently named America’s Best Charter School Network and boasts national rankings on The Washington Post and U.S. News & World Report’s top high schools lists...
A fast-expanding Texas charter school network is taking concrete steps to open four schools in El Paso by 2018.
IDEA Public Schools, based in the Rio Grande Valley, is debating acquiring property in Far East El Paso and the Lower Valley to open schools on the sites. The network has also appointed an El Paso executive director to lead ...
PHARR — Three months into the school year and without much instruction from the teacher other than a “Get ready” command, kindergartners at IDEA Pharr are reading full words and their first-grade elders are beginning to read books on their own.
“Next word, get ready,” a teacher says. “Rrraaat … rat,” kindergartners answer sounding out each letter first and then the full word.
IDEA Public Schools knows closing the achievement gap is a task that requires compassionate leaders who want to make a difference for students. We know our vision of College For All Children is possible, but not without individuals who want to make positive change in education.
This path to real change starts with our principals. IDEA is making an impact in low-income communities throughout Texas. We educate nearly 30,000 students in 51 schools, and fo...
The rapidly growing IDEA Public Schools charter network will grow by three more San Antonio campuses by August 2017. Currently, IDEA has 14 schools in San Antonio, spread across seven K-10 campuses. The additional campuses will each house an Academy and a College Prep and bring the total to 20 schools serving 9,000 students in the city, from Pre-K through 11th grade.
-By William Corbit, Director of College Counseling at IDEA College Preparatory Brownsville, and a vehement supporter of IDEA’s “AP For All” Initiative.
Advance Placement at IDEA College Preparatory Brownsville
I am proud to be a colleague of two extraordinary teachers at IDEA College Preparatory Brownsville, Stephen Lopez and Allyson Even. This past year, they both taught Advanced Placement (AP) classes and had extraordinary results.
December 1, 2016 was an exciting evening for IDEA Public Schools!
The IDEA Rio Grande Valley Team and Family held a ribbon cutting ceremony for staff and members of the community to celebrate the opening of our brand-new, state-of-the-art headquarters building in Weslaco, Texas. This large space is intended to serve as an area for members of the IDEA team to collaborate and work in a bright, positive, and healthy environment.
IDEA Public Schools is thrilled to announce five outstanding individuals who will become principals of IDEA schools this upcoming 2017-18 school year—Hope Walker, Elisha McCardell, Pam Ray, William Chermak, and Christina Villarreal. These exceptional members of the IDEA Team and Family will serve as campus principals in our San Antonio and Rio Grande Valley regions and lead their teams to provide their students with a high-quality education.
Fitness, fun, and focus were top of mind for Mark K. Jordan, a local wellness coach and 2014 Guinness Book of World Records holder for the most number of pull-ups on November 15. That day marked Mark’s attempt to break the most recent pull-up record over a 24-hour period.
As Mark mentally and physically prepared for this feat, he was determined to ensure he was able to leverage the event to raise awareness, an...
