Happy Halloween

 Happy Halloween!!!

Be Creative

Stay Safe

MRCR Education

Manuel R. CortezRodas - Educator

Copyright 2020.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

June 2019

The long days of June have arrived bringing the needed break of Summer.

Students and teachers are resting and out on vacation.

Classrooms and schools are being cleaned, repaired, and upgraded.

It is a great time to unplug and disconnect in order to discover other means of learning.

Have a nice Summer!


Manuel R. CortezRodas - Educator

Copyright 2019.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

Labor Day 2018

Wishing all Educators a wonderful Labor Day.

As we reach the first holiday of the school year, let us pause and reflect on what has taken place in our schools and classrooms.

-Have we done the best we can to welcome back our students and their parents?

-Were there any issues that may have caught us off guard?

-What do we want to share with parents during Back To School Night?

-Are we prepared to provide the best education we can?

-Do we have the energy to make it through to the next holiday? (It won't be until November for some).

Manuel R. CortezRodas - Educator

Copyright 2018.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

December 2016

It is finally here!

The final month of the year is here.

December has arrived and with it this year we have known as 2016 comes to an end.

In education we are coming back from the Fall break, and heading into the Winter break, while trying to do as much learning as possible in the little time in between.

There will be those who will attempt to dismiss all learning until we return next year, but we must not let this take place.

There is too much to loose if we do not continue on not just in learning, but in time and effort.

This is a challenging time for students, teachers, parents, administrators, and all who make education possible, but we can all continue to support each other just a little bit longer, then we can all head into the winter break, the final break of the year, knowing and feeling well about where we are in our educational path.

Before we all head off into that wonderful winter break, and holiday parties, let's make sure that we have done our best so we may close the year in an equal manner. 



Manuel R. CortezRodas - Educator

Copyright 2016.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

March 2016

A California Poppy Blooming
During Spring (March)

We are concluding the Winter season by marching on towards Spring.

We take time to reflect on our educational achievements as we embark on to the last big 
break of the year.

We can grow roots, develop stronger trunks, and reach out with our leaves and branches towards the clouds of information that are forming in the skies.

When I first heard the word "March!" I didn't stop to think.  I reacted and then executed.  My classmates and I had been preparing for the school's sports intramural season, and each classroom would parade, by marching one lap around the field, until all classrooms in the school would have a turn.  At the end of the parade, once all classrooms had congregated, we would be dismissed to proceed towards our assigned athletic events.

This is what the month of March has come to represent to me in every single school year.  One last chance to get organized and demonstrate what we as students are capable of doing.  To take our individual educational potential and turn it into kinetic energy.  It would serve as one last reminder that there was still some time to steal a march on education for the remaining of the school year.

As Students, Educators, Parents, and Administrators march towards the end of the school year, March should serve to us as those starting blocks that propel us towards end of year success.



Manuel R. CortezRodas - Chief Educator

Copyright 2016.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

Falling into Winter

The leaves are falling off the trees and on to the ground.

The foliage takes fire in orange, yellow, and red hues.

There is a crisp cool air going through your hair,

temperature dropping, an iced cold chill.


Winter is approaching with precipitation.

Northern winds, snow, rainfall, and all the other forms of storms.

It is the best time to huddle by the warmth of knowledge.

And know that Spring is only but a season away.



Manuel R. CortezRodas - Chief Educator/Founder

Copyright 2015.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

HAST Education

HAST Education
(Humanities, Arts, Science, Technology)

It is within our nature to make observations and take annotations in addition to recognizing patterns and identifying problems that may occur.

We also have a tendency, through ingenuity, to come with reasonable solutions that benefit us all as a whole.

HAST Education brings this together.  HAST greatly benefits the student's learning process through the integration of the core subject areas of humanities, arts, science, and technology.

With a HAST approach to education, students become better prepared to identify issues, solve problems, recognize patterns, take notes, and observe their environment.

A student's educational performance should flourish and be deeply rooted in a diverse academic field of knowledge.



Manuel R. CortezRodas - Chief Educator/Founder

Copyright 2015.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

Education Harvest

Harvesting Education

The middle of October is rapidly approaching.
Leaves are falling.
Foliage changes hues from greens, to yellows, to red, as the autumn season takes center stage.
Farms are harvesting their finest crops after working under the summer sun.  The yield of the seed that was planted long ago in the spring.

The same holds true for education.
Educators should know by now what their students accomplished over the summer (Summer School, Summer Camp, Summer Activities, etc.) and where they were last spring (CAASPP) to have an understanding of what needs to be done now to help each student achieve success.
Educators should be using tools (Formative Assessment) and support resources (CA Teachers Summit) in addition to daily collaboration with other educators, parents, and students.


Manuel R. CortezRodas - Chief Educator/Founder

Copyright 2015.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

July 2015

It is July.
School is in summer session.
Education is in summer season.
Learning continues.
Studying is taking place.
The teaching of knowledge and skills goes on.

This is when educators can take time to review the lessons learned from this past academic year of 2014-15.  Educators should take the time to review this lessons and study them with care.  Reviewing prior lessons and studying them makes educators better at teaching, as it is part of the formative assessment educators must do themselves to grow professionally.

As we celebrate Independence Day this 4th of July, let us take time to reflect back on what has been achieved this past year, and look forward to the year ahead.



Manuel R. CortezRodas - Chief Educator/Founder

Copyright 2015.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

Strengthening STEAM Education

Mills Hall, Mills College.

In late October of last year, I was in attendance at the Bay Area Regional STEM Education Summit, hosted by Assemblymember Susan Bonilla, and held at Mills College campus in Oakland, CA.

Julia Morgan's
"El Campanil"

The purpose of this summit, as written by our most honorable host, was "to strategize policies, partnerships, and investments to strengthen STEM education throughout the Bay Area".

Here, I share some of the ideas that were addressed at the summit by the various panelists, and present some thoughts on strengthening STEAM education.

New to education in California this school year are the Local Control Funding Formula (LCAP), the Academic Plan Alignment, and the Student Accountability System.

Assm. Susan Bonilla hosted

Bay Area STEM Education Summit.

These are three areas to keep an eye on as educators, parents, and community leaders begin to see the impact of their implementation in schools and districts.

As for the future of education, will every student have a personal education device? and if so, can the schools and districts become prepared for the infrastructure required?

How will 20+ smartphones function efficiently in a classroom while sharing WiFi? or over 200 students in a school trying to connect to the same site at the same time?

Panelists at the

Bay Area STEM Education Summit.

Does your school site or district have the infrastructure necessary (in terms of hardware, bandwidth, and speed) to accommodate all students?  What is the next step in the integration of STEAM education, and how will we get there?

It was also mention that there is a need for fluency in science literacy, the continuation of the "Hour of Coding", and more access to proven programs, like MESA, that may be successful but, due to limited funding, can only accept a limited number of participants.

There is also a great need for professional development and leadership for educators on the integration of STEAM and the Common Core State Standards.

Additional clarification and understanding of what STEAM education is and how it looks like in schools and classrooms is also needed.

There have been many changes which have taken place in education recently.  Education has shifted away from test taking instruction to teacher oriented instruction.

Panelists at the
Bay Area STEM Education Summit

A generational shift has taken place in vocational education and schools must look to upgrade instruction and curriculum in this area.

The curiosity over the Common Core State Standards (which have been more than 15 years in the making) has also shifted from "What is it?" and "How do we use it?" to one of questioning the functionality of them ("do I believe in the Common Core?" "Do I support it?").

STEM Summit Exposition

As educators, it is our responsibility to continue to become educated on the changes that take place in education. These changes affect the way in which instruction is conducted and what will be required of the students of the 21st century.

If STEAM education is the grand vision we see in our classrooms, schools, and districts, then we must become active in the decision making process that will determine the design, construction and maintenance of the pathway students will take.


Written by: Manuel R. CortezRodas - Chief Educator & Founder, MRCR Education.

Copyright 2015.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

Education is Labor

As September 2014 comes to a close, we take a look back at what has been the theme for the month "The Labor of Education".  Labor is hard work.  That which requires laboring needs hard workers who are willing to put effort into achieving an objective.  Some labor can be done by individuals who have been given knowledge and have trained in skills that are essential for success.  Some labor requires that individuals work together as a team while grouping those who share similar skills and knowledge so as to develop special units which facilitate the work of the team.  Education is a labor which requires us to learn, study, and teach.  Together, these three stages make up the educational process.

The education process is composed of three stages: Learning, Studying, Teaching.  Each one of these stages facilitates the education process, and can be done with efficiency by following the steps that we discussed in 5 Steps to Efficient Learning, 4 Steps to Efficient Studying, and 3 Steps to Efficient Teaching.  Here is a brief look at the steps which should be taken in each stage of the education process:

Learning
 - Place & Time
 - Appropriate Skills & Knowledge
 - Engage with Others
 - Persevere through Patience
 - Plan for More

Studying
 - Evaluate
 - Correct
 - Apply
 - Repeat

Teaching
 - Be Prepared
 - Be Engaging
 - Be Fair


Author: Manuel R. CortezRodas - Educator

Copyright 2014.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

Learning is Education's Labor

It takes a great deal of learning to become educated.
Learning is a great deal of labor.
It follows then,
that in order to become educated,
One must labor a great deal through learning.

Although labor is hard work,
it is worth doing, worth pursuing,
for its output is often a great reward.

When learning is the labor,
education is the output,
and education is a great reward.
It is worth pursuing, it is worth doing.

A student should work, and work hard, at learning.
Students should learn how to learn.
Students who learn how to learn
can become educated sooner
and with less difficulties
in a supportive learning environment.

How can a student work hard at learning?
1) Find a place and make time to learn.
2) Choose appropriate skills/knowledge to be learned.
3) Engage with others and share what's been learned.
4) Persevere through patience.
5) Plan to learn furthermore.


Author: Manuel R. CortezRodas - Educator

Copyright 2014.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

Now to Next Year

As December comes to an end, we are presented with the opportunity to plan ahead at what we envision taking place from now to next year.  In education, this planning takes us from this year's class of students, through Summer, to next year's class of students.  We visualize the growth we will do as Educators, Teachers, Students, Learners.

We should make time to plan ahead at how we will help our students succeed this year, and how we will welcome those who will join in next year.  Take time to review our thoughts and ideas, and draw from them for inspiration to create new ones.  Take a look at what is working, what we can improve upon, how to be more efficient, how to be more successful.  Allow students to search further on their own by becoming engaged learners.

We should take the time to plan ahead and keep in mind that our teachers will be there to help us this year and next.  Keep in mind where we are as students in this year's grade, and visualize where we would like to be as students next year.  Take time to plan ahead and envision how the education we are pursuing can be applied to improve the quality of our lives.

Author: Manuel R. CortezRodas - Educator

Copyright 2013.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

Last Year to Now

As December comes to an end, we are presented with the opportunity to reflect on what has taken place from last year to now.  In education, this reflection takes us back from last year's class of students, through Summer, to this year's class of students.  We have all grown over this time: Educators, Teachers, Students, Learners.

We should make time to look back at how we help our students close last year.  Review our thoughts and ideas, and draw from them for inspiration to create new ones.  Take a look at which lessons worked, which did not, which had an effect which we did not expect, and which lessons help lightened the mood of our students, allowing them to become engaged learners eager to search further on their own.

We should take the time to look back and remember how our teachers helped us last year.  Remember where we were at as students in last year's grade, and keep in mind where we are as students in this year's grade.  Reflect on what we have learned, how we learned it, and what we can do to apply this new knowledge to further our studies.

Author: Manuel R. CortezRodas - Educator

Copyright 2013.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

November 2013

November is a reminder that there is a time during which we harvest our crops by collecting them and sorting them.  This is done to do an analysis of the crops that have grown over the last season and the fruit that they have yielded.  Crops are measured and checked with a variety of tools and standards and are submitted for final approval and appreciation to the public.  

In education we do this through collection and sorting of knowledge and information.  We harvest the knowledge and information that students have learned, we measure the quantity and quality, and the student's understanding and application of such knowledge and information for accuracy.  This sorting and collecting serves as a gauge of the education level that the students have acquired up this time.

Author: Manuel R. CortezRodas - Educator

Copyright 2013.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

Educational Training Warming Up 2

How can we train learners educationally so that they develop the skills that facilitate success in education?  How can learners be trained to study, learn, teach, and develop educational skills?  To do this, with success, it is recommended that Educational Training be started by warming up.  Warming Up in Educational Training has two parts: Stretching and Conditioning.

How can learners train educationally by warming up?

We learn to warm up in physical education and in preparation for athletic events.  In physical education and athletics we warm up to prepare the body.  The body is prepared by stretching muscles and tendons, followed by conditioning.  Stretching develops elasticity.  Conditioning develops performance and endurance.

In the classroom, warming up is a process by which learners develop educational elasticity so they may perform and endure successfully.  This can be done when learners stretch their knowledge and condition their understanding.

Learners can stretch their knowledge by applying forces to it.  An area of knowledge can be stretched across different subjects, places, and time.  The learner can demonstrate this by taking knowledge from one area of education and applying it to other areas. A learner who knows how to count can stretch that knowledge by counting backwards, skip counting, counting in a different language, etc.

Learners can condition their understanding by increasing performance and developing endurance.  Educational performance can be increased when the learner repeatedly performs with accuracy their understanding of knowledge.  Educational endurance can be developed over time by the learner when maintaining their understanding of knowledge over time.  A learner who knows how to add can condition that understanding of knowledge by adding single digits, more that two digits, decimals, fractions, like terms, variables, monomials, binomials, equations, etc.

Author: Manuel R. CortezRodas - Educator

Copyright 2013.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

Educational Training Warming Up 1

We need to train for education, as we do, for most any other events, that we undertake in life.  Training for education, can be viewed, as a three part process: Study, Learn, Teach.
Training for education, should lead to the development of educational skills, that facilitate success in school, when developed properly.

Educational Training gives us an opportunity to study, learn, teach, and develop these skills at a favorable rate of growth, not only at an individual level, but together as a whole.
While we are going through educational training, we are allowed to commit mistakes and carry out errors; which we should then repair and correct, before we proceed with further educational development.

The first stage of educational training is warming up.
When warming, we focus on two specific areas of educational training, stretching and conditioning.
Stretching lets us develop the elasticity of an area by pulling, pushing, compressing, and exposing it to tension.
It is most beneficial as a short term part of the warming up stage in educational training.

The second stage of educational training is conditioning.
Conditioning lets us develop either a general or specific aspect of educational training for performance and endurance.
It is most beneficial as a long term part of of the warming up stage in educational training.

As we train for education, we should begin with stretching and conditioning as part of the first stage, Educational Training - Warming Up.

By stretching the understanding of knowledge we currently have, applying different forces and creating tension to further develop its elasticity, and conditioning our application of knowledge so it may perform and endure for a long time, we will properly develop the educational skills that can facilitate success in school.

Author: Manuel R. CortezRodas - Educator

Copyright 2013.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

October 2013

The month of October requires us to be fully involved in educational training.
By now we should be ready to be in school, and in the classroom.
Warming up, practicing, so we may make the most of our educational opportunity.
To do this, we should be stretching and conditioning educationally.
This can be done through repetitions, simulations, and application of skills.
Educational training allow us to prepare as the year progresses.

Author: Manuel R. CortezRodas - Educator


Copyright 2013.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

A New School Year Awakes

By now most of us have had at least a couple of weeks of school.

The new school year has gotten started, and for the most part everyone is starting to settle in.

First day jitters are gone, and we have caught up on what we did over the summer.

But there is one thing, a sound, that even as adults have a hard time getting used to.

That is, of course, the wake-up call.

Whether its from an alarm clock, our phones, or our parents coming into our bedrooms, the wake-up call eventually comes every morning of each school day.

It is our indication that we are to get ready for the day ahead, as we are now awake.

Though sometimes getting ready does require just a little more sleep, eventually we must comply and make it through our daily morning routine so we may be in school on time.

Waking up and getting ready are the first two activities we do each day before school, and they play an important part on the future of our day.

This is why it is important that each and every day, throughout the school year, we do what we can to make sure that these two daily activities help us start our day in a positive manner that can be carried out by us so our day is bright from start to finish, while uplifting and cheering up those who may need to lean on us for support.

Author: Manuel R. CortezRodas - Educator

Copyright 2013.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

August 2013

Notes for August 2013

Written by: Manuel R. CortezRodas

This month of August brings us closer to the start of the school year.  August also reminds us that the season of summer will soon come to a close.  Students are enjoying the last bit of summer break before facing the soon arriving school year.  Parents are preparing and planning the back to school necessities of their children.  Administrators and faculties are gathering together once again, or for the first time, to make our schools available to our students.

Here at MRCR Education we are also preparing, planning, and gathering.  We are preparing for the start of our second school year blogging about education.  We are planning a variety of themes and topics that will drive and inspire our educational postings for this up coming school year of 2013-2014.  We are also gathering from diverse resources that help us further pursuit a betterment of education while serving education.  We look forward to your visits to our blog, as well as your thoughts and ideas that you wish to share.

Copyright 2013.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  Copyright 2013