eNews
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Check out our reading lists for elementary and secondary students comprised of banned books that are award-winning. Use Amazon Smile to send donations to IDRA.
News
A new analysis shows that directives in Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin’s anti-equity Executive Order 1 do not apply to local school division policy or practice. IDRA released today the study and guide for school leaders, What Virginia’s Anti-Equity Executive Order 1 and Reports Mean for K-12 Schools and Students, to help them continue to promote culturally sustaining school practices.
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Podcast
Classnotes Podcast (November 7, 2022). America is Me (AIM) is a framework that provides educators with curricular resources to promote … read more
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Webinar Recording Available
In today’s climate of classroom censorship, finding tools for culturally sustaining teaching can be hard to find and implement. This is why IDRA launched our new school resource hub for educators, families and policy advocates who want to make sure students receive a strong, truthful education in our public schools. In this webinar, get tips for using our latest three-part lesson plan series that will facilitate thoughtful high school classroom discussions of real-world issues and solutions. This session is led by the developers of the lessons for IDRA, Dr. Marlon C. James and Dr. Kelly N. Ferguson, of Equality and Equity Group, LLC.
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IDRA Newsletter
In This Issue
• Students Press for Affirmative Action
• Texas High School Attrition Rate Worsens for the First Time in Seven Years – Highlights of IDRA’s 37th Annual Attrition Study
• Keeping Young Digital Citizens Safe
• Digital Divide Stories in South Texas Colonias
• The Parallel Roads to Digital and Racial Justice
• Free Tools for Teaching in a Climate of Classroom Censorship
• Recent News
Podcast
Classnotes Podcast (October 26, 2022). On October 31, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear two cases that have the … read more
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eNews
After a highly successful inaugural cycle of IDRA’s Education Policy Fellows Program, we invite you to meet our five new fellows! They will gain real-world advocacy experience and training during the 2023 Texas and Georgia legislative sessions, because we know state policymakers can make stronger decisions by working with advocates who are connected to impacted communities.
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Webinar Recording Available
Get the context, empowerment and concrete actions you need to dismantle racist policies and practices in your school that for decades, across the country, have kept students of color from experiencing the same success as their white counterparts in schools. Featuring IDRA board member and award-winning former superintendent, Dr. Gregory C. Hutchings, Jr.
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Federal Education Policy
In this edition, you will find IDRA’s written comments from the federal listening session in Uvalde, Texas; reflections about educational policy and practice from the 10 high school students that make up IDRA’s Youth Advisory Board; and IDRA’s featured resources from Banned Book Week.
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September issue of the IDRA Newsletter
We are pleased to share this edition written entirely by high school students on education issues they care about. The students are members of IDRA’s Youth Advisory Board.
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Testimony
"When we think about those policies and practices that increase school safety, we have to think not only about safety from specific, targeted acts of violence, but also what safe and supportive schools look like every single day for every single student."
See her testimony and the hearing video.
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IDRA resource
IDRA's Knowledge is Power is a national resource for educators and advocates to help you do your work for equity and excellence in education in the midst of classroom censorship policies.
In this edition…
- Banned Book Week Activities
- Back a Book! Social Media Challenge
- Webinar for Students: Give Book Bans the Boot
- Webinar: The Censored Classroom: Why Book Bans and Restrictive Policies Hurt Us All
- Webinar: Strategies for Using Books to Promote SEL
- Survey on the Effects of Classroom Censorship
- Get Free Classroom Lessons on IDRA’s We All Belong ~ School Resource Hub
IDRA eNews
In this issue
• Federal Student Loan Changes Meant to Address Debt Crisis
• Challenges to Implementing Texas HB 4545 Tutoring Requirements for Accelerated Learning
• Community Discussion about Equity and Attendance – Webinar
• Mask Mandate Legislation Makes It Harder for Local Schools to Keep Students and School Staff Safe
• Southern Education Equity Network
• Building Supportive Schools from the Ground Up
Webinar Recording Available
See a demo of IDRA’s new School Resource Hub for educators. Get an overview of America is Me (AIM) framework with five intercultural skills to promote students’ understanding of equity issues. Hear a student on why inclusive education is important to them.
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eNews
In statehouses across the country, opponents of public education seek to censor teacher speech, limit what students can say and learn about racism and current events, and whitewash history. But as IDRA’s new We All Belong – School Resource Hub shows, these forces will not prevail. Educators are committed to serving their students well by strengthening education, not watering it down or hiding from the truth.
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School Opening Alert
As a new school year begins, this alert is a reminder that public schools, by law, must serve all children. See IDRA's bilingual infographic: Welcoming Immigrant Students in School, which is also available as a poster. Other free resources and tools are available online.
Education of undocumented students is guaranteed by the Plyler vs. Doe decision, and certain procedures must be followed when registering immigrant children in school to avoid violation of their civil rights.
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eNews Statement
Injunction Could Cost Universities Millions, Reduce Funds for Academics and Supports for Texas Students
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eNews Statement
IDRA Signs onto Amicus Brief Spotlighting Student Voices Urging the Court Not to Censor their Racial and Ethnic Identity in College Applications
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eNews
Six students received prizes in a national competition among participants in the IDRA Valued Youth Partnership program, a nationally-recognized cross-age tutoring program. The VYP tutors wrote about how the program helped them do better in school and how they had helped their tutees to do better.
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eNews
In yet another opinion centering extremist views, the U.S. Supreme Court has further constrained public schools’ ability to protect all students’ religious freedom and free expression. The Court’s 6-3 opinion in Kennedy v. Bremerton School District held that a public high school violated the free speech and free exercise clauses of the First Amendment when it required a football coach to respect the rights of students from all religious and cultural backgrounds by directing the coach to stop publicly praying on the field immediately after games.
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Press Release
Yesterday, in a 6-3 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that states providing tuition assistance to secular private schools must also allow public funding to go toward private religious schools. Its opinion in Carson v. Makin defied the fundamental principle of separation of church and state and opened the door for taxpayer dollars to flow to schools that may not welcome all children.
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eNews
Then, on June 15, 1982, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that public schools must serve all children, including undocumented students. In honor of the Plyler v Doe's 40th anniversary, IDRA released resources and tools to support schools in welcoming immigrant students. Learn more about the history of the cases that lead to the final decision, including a video interview with Dr. Albert Cortez, who testified in one of the early cases.
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eNews
• IDRA Denounces Court Ruling Jeopardizing Texas’ Dream Act
• Resources to Address Digital Equity
• Introducing IDRA’s Youth Advisory Board
• IDRA Joins More than 200 Organizations and Individuals to Push for an End to Corporal Punishment
eNews
Valued Youth Partnership helps students build their socio-emotional skills
It is more important than ever to strengthen the school-family-community dynamic in order to reconnect with students, especially those that have been harder to reach during this time of distance learning.
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Testimony
Morgan Craven, J.D., IDRA's National Director of Policy, Advocacy, and Community Engagement, testified today before the U.S. House Committee on Education and Labor's Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Subcommittee. See the video, read her testimony and see our new infographic.
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eNews
Education innovation requires brilliant leadership. To provide such leadership for the VisionCoders program, IDRA established the VisionCoders advisory committee, composed of prominent education and STEM experts. The advisory committee provides students with opportunities that focus on three key areas: empowerment, education and encouragement. These opportunities empower a sense of responsibility in leadership roles, engage students through meaningful experiences, and give recognition for student accomplishments and effort.
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Contact
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San Antonio, TX 78228
Phone: 210-444-1710
Fax: 210-444-1714
