{View as Webpage} • July 10, 2023

For 50 years, IDRA has advocated excellent schools for all students, using our proven model of community-centered advocacy and engagement.

Our policy advocacy campaigns, educator training, legal strategy work and research promote equitable educational opportunities for all students, particularly students of color, immigrant students, and those from communities with limited incomes in the U.S. South.  

Learn more about our policy work here and check out IDRA’s most recent work below. For more information about IDRA’s federal work please contact IDRA’s National Director of Policy, Advocacy, and Community Engagement, Morgan Craven, J.D., at morgan.craven@idra.org.

IDRA Reception featuring Dep. Secretary Marten on July 19! Don’t forget to RSVP! 

Along with host committee partners Legal Defense Fund, MALDEF, Seek Common Ground, and the National Coalition on School Diversity, IDRA is excited to host a 50th Anniversary Reception in Washington, D.C., on July 19.

The reception will feature keynote remarks from U.S. Department of Education Deputy Secretary Cynthia “Cindy” Marten.

We look forward to celebrating 50 years of work to secure excellent and equitable public schools for all children. Please register for the event here, we hope to see you there!  

IDRA Supports Reintroduction of the Protecting Our Students in Schools Act

IDRA is proud to continue to support the Protecting Our Students in Schools Act, a critical piece of legislation introduced in May that would prohibit corporal punishment in schools across the country that receive federal funding. The bill would also require additional enforcement and accountability protections for students and families and would establish a grant program to support evidence-based approaches that promote strong school climates and ensure all students are able to thrive in schools.

Fighting against the use of corporal punishment in schools is one aspect of IDRA’s school discipline, policing, safety and school climate work. Please check out our other resources and be on the lookout for more updates on how schools and communities can achieve safer schools for all students by ending harmful discipline and policing practices and investing in evidence-based strategies.

IDRA Issues Statement on the Supreme Court’s Ruling on Affirmative Action Programs at Harvard and UNC

IDRA issued a statement condemning the Supreme Court’s recent decision to limit race-conscious admissions practices. These practices are an important tool to increase access to higher education opportunities for all students.

“In the face of today’s legal blow that dishonors those who fought for the 14th Amendment, IDRA reaffirms its 50-year commitment to support students of color by working to eradicate inequities in K-12 education that create unfair barriers to college,” said Celina Moreno, J.D., IDRA President & CEO. 

IDRA’s AI Academy Provides Training for Teachers on the Role of Artificial Intelligence in Classroom

Public schools across the country have been struggling with how to use burgeoning artificial intelligence technologies and how to address students’ use of programs like ChatGPT. In a three-day virtual training, IDRA provided educators with a foundational understanding of the benefits and challenges of integrating AI technology into teaching and the skills and knowledge needed to implement AI in the classroom to positively impact students learning.

For more information about AI in schools, check out this article from IDRA’s technology and teacher training experts, The Importance of Artificial Intelligence in Education for All Students, and contact IDRA’s Director of Operations and Educational Practice, Hector Bojorquez, for more information about teacher training opportunities: hector.bojorquez@idra.org.

IDRA Reviews State of Classroom Censorship Laws Across the South

Across the country, particularly in the U.S. South, legislative efforts to limit access to accurate and diverse curricula and books have continued in 2023. The practical impact of these laws is that millions of students across the U.S. South have less access to books and curricula that reflect their experience, particularly if they identify as Black, Latino, Indigenous, a person of color, a religious minority or LGBTQ+.

This article by IDRA’s Regional Policy and Community Engagement Director, Terrence Wilson, J.D., describes the classroom censorship developments that have taken place across the U.S. South over the last few years.

IDRA’s School Funding Symposium Highlights Original Research on School Funding, including Uses of Federal COVID-19 Relief Funds in Higher Education

IDRA established the José A. Cárdenas School Finance Fellows Program in 2013 by IDRA to honor the memory of IDRA founder, Dr. José Angel Cárdenas. The goal of the program is to engage the nation’s most promising researchers in investigating school finance solutions that secure equity and excellence for all public school students.

In June, IDRA held a school funding symposium to present the research of two fellows, Dr. Vanessa A. Sansone and Dr. Davíd Martínez. The symposium, that you can view here, also featured nationally-recognized school funding experts including Dr. Derek Black, Dr. Jaime Chahín, Dr. Edward García Fierros and IDRA’s Dr. Chloe Latham Sikes and Dr. Joanna D. Sánchez.

IDRA Addresses School Privatization, School Safety and Bilingual Education in Texas Legislature

During the recent Texas legislative session, IDRA continued to fight for excellent and equitable schools for all students, with a particular emphasis this session on blocking school vouchers that funnel money away from public schools; stopping harmful policies that make schools less safe for children; and operationalizing important recommendations for emergent bilingual students.

In this webinar and slide deck, IDRA’s policy experts discuss the good, bad, and missed opportunities of the Texas legislative session, the larger policy context that impacts students across the country, and opportunities for large-scale advocacy efforts moving forward.