August 5, 2013
San Antonio, TX

Tom Torkelson, co-founder and CEO of IDEA Public Charter Schools, Inc., kicked off the National Institute for Direct Instruction's Annual Training Institute with energy and vigor this morning at the Marriott Plaza Hotel in San Antonio, Texas. IDEA Public Charter Schools strives towards the goal of 100% of their students graduating from college. Statistics quoted by Torkelson indicate they are well on their way to achieving this goal. From Torkelson's perspective, we are not going to solve our education crisis by solving poverty, but rather, we will reduce poverty by improving our schools. By positioning their schools in areas of high poverty, IDEA Public Charter Schools are increasing opportunities for those students to experience success. Torkelson closed with two stories that exemplified IDEA's goals.

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Participants of the National DI Conference enjoyed food and fun at the Annual Get Acquainted picnic last week. Conference visitors spent Monday evening at Skinner Butte Park under a beautiful summer sun, eating, listening to live music and visiting with friends - old and new! This was the first year that NIFDI sponsored the picnic, which has been an integral part of the conference for decades.

If you weren't able to join us last week, we hope you'll take a few minutes to check out our short video slideshow or take a look at the pictures of the event on our Facebook page at facebook.com/NIFDI.

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Zig is branching out into social media! You can find Zig on Facebook, posting his paintings, papers, and any other musings he comes up with and feels like sharing. Check it out now at www.facebook.com/ZigEngelmann.

Recently, 4,000 participants from across the US attended the National Charter Schools Conference in Washington, D.C. This event, sponsored by the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, offered sessions for those involved in Governance, Leadership, Operations, Policy and Instruction. Kathy Madigan from NIFDI and Dolores Gonzales from IDEA Schools presented a session Using Direct Instruction to Improve Student Achievement: The Partnership between IDEA Schools and NIFDI. Participants learned about the progress students at schools partnering with NIFDI were making and NIFDI's support for the Full Immersion Model for implementing Direct Instruction. Additionally, the session covered the technical aspects of a DI implementation, including management, staff development and supervision issues.

LINKS

Learn more about the conference at: http://www.publiccharters.org/Conference/2013/Home.aspx

More information about IDEA Public Schools is available at: http://www.ideapublicschools.org

Download the PowerPoint Presentation: IDEA_NIFDI_NationalCharterSchoolPresentation.pptx