COVID-19 Updates: Visit our Learning Goes On site for news and resources for supporting educators, families, policymakers and advocates.
eNews
As students continue to struggle with distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, IDRA delivered computers generously donated by Arca Continental Coca-Cola Southwest Beverages to students in the South San Antonio ISD. Arca Continental delivered the laptops to the Consulate General of Mexico in San Antonio on October 30 to work with IDRA to facilitate distribution to students in an area hard-hit by the digital divide.
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eNews
See the latest edition of IDRA's bilingual Learning Goes On – A COVID-19 Resource for Education, featuring stories on:
- Families Share Insights on Young Emergent Bilingual Children to Inform Policy & Practice
- Making ELAR Alive with Virtual Experiences
- ELAR Instruction Webinars On-Demand
Podcast
Classnotes Podcast (November 16, 2020). IDRA’s change model, the Quality Schools Action Framework, helps people focus on what’s needed in … read more
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eNews
IDRA begins its first Education Policy Fellows Program. Five fellows will gain real-world advocacy experience and training during the 2021 Texas legislative session, because we know state policymakers can make stronger education policy decisions by working with advocates of color who are connected to impacted communities.
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IDRA Newsletter
In this issue:
- Highlights of IDRA’s 35th Annual Texas Public School Attrition Study – Pre-COVID-19 Attrition Rate was Down to 20%, by Roy L. Johnson, M.S.
- College Degrees Are Worth It – People with Bachelor’s Degrees Have Lower Poverty Rates, by Bricio Vasquez, Ph.D.
- How the IDRA EAC-South Helps School Districts Increase Access to Advanced Courses for Students of Color, by Paula Johnson, Ph.D.
- Meaningful Strategies for Making STEM Accessible, by Stephanie García, Ph.D., and Asmaa Mansour
- IDRA Names Four New Fellows
News Release
Recommendations Informed by IDRA’s Framework for Culturally Responsive Education
This week, the Virginia Commission on African American History Education released its final report, developed with support from IDRA over the last year, to revise curriculum standards and teacher training so the state’s history courses better reflect the contributions of Black people. Virginia Governor Ralph Northam established the 39-member Commission in August 2019 and asked the IDRA EAC-South to assist the Secretary of Education and Virginia Department of Education in facilitating the Commission’s meetings in collaboration with the commissioners.
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Announcement
Fellows Will Engage a Network of Impacted Communities to Transform Education Policymaking
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eNews
As schools are registering students for the new school year, IDRA released this new alert as a reminder that public schools, by law, must serve all children. Not only should undocumented students not be discouraged from attending, they are required to attend school under the state’s compulsory education laws.
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Statement
With Changes and Action, We Are Capable of Getting a Complete Census Count – Statement by Dr. Bricio Vasquez, IDRA demographer and education data scientist. Dr. Vasquez serves as the Texas Counts education subcommittee co-chair.
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News Release
New analysis by IDRA shows that 185 Texas public school districts may have to give up a total of over $44.2 million of their federal CARES Act relief funds to private schools within their district boundaries under a new rule from the U.S. Department of Education. The rule increases the funding districts would usually reserve for private schools by more than $38.7 million.
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IDRA Newsletter
IDRA’s latest newsletter focuses on student voice with stories:
- Maybe One Day, the Pain Won’t Feel the Same
- We Create Hope Within Our Communities – Before and During COVID-19, Texas Chief Science Officers Advocate for STEM
- IDRA Valued Youth Partnership Students Share their Experiences as Tutors
- Systems in America Are Set Up to Be Racist
- We Are Important, and So is Our History
- Student Voices on Reopening Schools
- African American Studies Testimony Videos
eNews
Now more than ever, reconnecting with students is critical. IDRA can help! The IDRA Valued Youth Partnership is a research-based, internationally-recognized dropout prevention program that has kept 98% of its tutors in school. See our new video and news about how we are preparing modifications for the new school year due to COVID-19 precautions. Join the VYP school-family-community partnership. Because when you do, every student can go beyond!
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Free Webinar Series
Our free webinar series on Equitable Practices for Online Learning is designed to support educators as you continue student learning during this unprecedented coronavirus (COVID-19) event. The webinars will be online at the IDRA EAC-South website for viewing on-demand as well.
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eNews
IDRA is excited to announce our partnership in launching the Early Childhood English Learner initiative. IDRA will serve as a steering committee co-leader with Texans Care for Children; Dr. Dina Castro, UNT Denton; and Texas Association for the Education of Young Children.
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eNews
Amidst the collective demonstrations demanding justice all over the country and the world, IDRA stands in solidarity with all who declare that Black Lives Matter. We express our sympathy for the families of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and all others who have lost their lives as a result of racialized violence and systemic oppression in the form of police brutality. As an organization committed to promoting educational equity, IDRA recognizes the experience of young people of color, and especially Black youth.
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Media Release
IDRA’s Texas Chief Science Officer students shifted their work to enrich a STEM culture despite school closures. This year, more than 100 teens in San Antonio and Houston served as their school’s Chief Science Officers, learning leadership skills to carry out their own on-campus projects and advocate for student voice in STEM. But school closures threatened to derail their plans. Innovative by nature, these students took up the challenge.
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Media Release
IDRA launched a partnership with two community-based organizations in the Texas Rio Grande Valley to help Spanish-speaking families navigate virtual classrooms while schools are closed due to COVID-19.
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Media Release
Through its Ventanilla de Orientación Educativa (Window to Education), IDRA launched a portal this month with bilingual materials and videos for families. The materials provide information on the civil rights of immigrant and English learner students, local educational services, and resources on how to access and succeed in college.
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Media Release
For many years before the COVID-19 outbreak, IDRA has worked with schools and communities to close digital divide for the most vulnerable students. With assistance from San Antonio Area Foundation and the United Way of San Antonio this week, IDRA will provide its popular Semillitas de Aprendizaje bilingual storybooks to families in Edgewood ISD and Southwest ISD who have no access to online education.
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News Release
Multi-sector Coalition Cautions Leaders to Distribute Emergency Funds Equitably.
The Texas Legislative Education Equity Coalition (TLEEC) sent a letter to Governor Greg Abbott, Commissioner of Education Mike Morath, and Commissioner of Higher Education Harrison Keller, urging the leaders to distribute and monitor federal COVID-19 emergency relief funds equitably.
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Statement
In the wake of the current public health crisis, IDRA is committed to the well-being and health of our staff and the students and communities we serve.
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Infographic
See our new technical assistance package focusing on family engagement.
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Contact
5815 Callaghan Road, Suite 101
San Antonio, TX 78228
Phone: 210-444-1710
Fax: 210-444-1714
