Decisions made by state-level officials have a profound impact on the quality of education the state provides to its students.
Key policies involve how education is funded, the curriculum teachers use, the types of instructional programs schools must offer and much more. Many policies and practices have led to inequitable educational opportunities for students.
Since its founding 51 years ago, IDRA has provided analysis and guidance to policymakers nationally while engaging with communities, educators and students on policy issues to ensure all students have access to equitable and excellent education.
Meet our policy team!
Chloe Latham Sikes, Ph.D., Deputy Director of Policy
Celina Moreno, J.D., President & CEO
Morgan Craven, J.D., National Director of Policy, Advocacy and Community Engagement
Paige Duggins-Clay, J.D., Chief Legal Analyst
Kaci Wright, Education Policy Fellow
Vivek Datla, MPA, Education Policy Fellow
Thomas Marshall III, M.Ed., Policy Communications Strategist
Isabelle Philip, Education Policy Fellow
Get Resources and Tools on our Five Priority Issues
Resources
IDRA Policy Digests 2025 (bilingual PDFs)
- Texas Must Secure Fair School Funding for All Students
- Texas Must Expand Excellent Education for Emergent Bilingual Students
- Texas Must Have Culturally-Sustaining Schools that Support All Students
- Texas Must Create Safe and Supportive Schools Without Harmful Discipline or Policing
- Texas Must Prepare All Students to Succeed in College
Tools
New Data Map: The Big Cost of Proposed Voucher Legislation – IDRA Map and Dashboard by State Senate Districts, State House Districts, Traditional Public School Districts, and Charter School Districts
Policy Brief: Keep Public Funds in Texas Public Schools – Reject Harmful Private School Voucher Programs Invest In Public Education, Public Funds Public Schools, May 2023
Issue Brief: Bullying and Harassment in Texas Schools Policy Recommendations – IDRA Issue Brief, by Paige Duggins-Clay, J.D., & Makiah Lyons, April 2025
Issue Brief: Identity-based Bullying in Texas Schools – Policy Recommendations – IDRA Issue Brief, by Paige Duggins-Clay, J.D., & Makiah Lyons, April 2023
Issue Brief: Hitting Hurts – The Case for Ending Corporal Punishment in Texas – IDRA Issue Brief, by Morgan Craven, J.D., April 2023
Issue Brief: How Texas Schools Are Funded – And Why that Matters to Collective Success – Issue Brief, By Chloe Latham Sikes, Ph.D., August 2022
Video gallery: Student Testimony Against Classroom Censorship
Video gallery: Student Testimony Against Transgender Sports Exclusion Bills
Video gallery: IDRA Education Advocacy and Testimony
Alerts
IDRA Texas Education Policy Alert #14 – April 21, 2025 • English • Spanish
IDRA Texas Education Policy Alert #13 – April 15, 2025 • English • Spanish
IDRA Texas Education Policy Alert #12 – April 8, 2025 • English • Spanish
IDRA Texas Education Policy Alert #11 – March 31, 2025 • English • Spanish
IDRA Texas Education Policy Alert #10 – March 25, 2025 • English • Spanish
IDRA Texas Education Policy Alert #9 – March 18, 2025 • English • Spanish
IDRA Texas Education Policy Alert #8 – March 10, 2025 • English
IDRA Texas Education Policy Alert #7 – March 4, 2025 • English • Spanish
IDRA Texas Education Policy Alert #6 – February 20, 2025 • English • Spanish
IDRA Texas Education Policy Alert #5 – February 20, 2025 • English • Spanish
IDRA Texas Education Policy Alert #4 – February 11, 2025 • English • Spanish
IDRA Texas Education Policy Alert #3 – February 3, 2025 • English • Spanish
IDRA Texas Education Policy Alert #2 – January 27, 2025 • English • Spanish
IDRA Texas Education Policy Alert #1 – January 17, 2025 • English • Spanish
Changing Policy
Changes to the Texas Dream Act Would Discourage and Dissuade Texas Students from College Dreams – IDRA Testimony against CSHB 232, submitted by Chloe Latham Sikes, Ph.D., to the Texas House Committee on Higher Education, April 29, 2025
Access to Higher Education Promotes a Just and Prosperous Texas – IDRA Testimony against SB 1798, submitted by Paige Duggins-Clay, J.D., to the Texas Senate Committee on Education K-16, April 22, 2025
Texas Dual Language Funding Should Stay in Programs with Certified Teachers – IDRA Testimony on HB 3460, submitted by Chloe Latham Sikes, Ph.D., to the Texas House Committee on Public Education, April 22, 2025
Ethnic Studies is Beneficial and in High Demand for High School Students – IDRA Testimony for HB 178, Submitted by Kaci Wright to the Texas House Public Education Committee, April 22, 2025
Texas Dual Language Programs Should Have Certified Teachers and More Program Support – IDRA Testimony on SB 2185, submitted by Chloe Latham Sikes, Ph.D., to the Texas Senate Committee on Education K-16, April 8, 2025
The Texas Seal of Biliteracy is a Strategy for College and Career Success – IDRA Testimony for HB 1579, Submitted to the Texas House Subcommittee on Advanced and Career-Oriented Education by Chloe Latham Sikes, Ph.D., April 3, 2025
Stronger Bilingual Education Programs Are Key Strategy for Student Success –IDRA Testimony for HB 1581, Submitted to the Texas House Subcommittee on Advanced and Career-Oriented Education by Chloe Latham Sikes, Ph.D., April 3, 2025
Schools Must be Accountable for Unlawful Discipline – IDRA Testimony against SB 1874, Submitted by Paige Duggins-Clay, J.D., to the Texas Senate Committee on Education K-16, March 25, 2025
Addressing Chronic Absenteeism is Critical to Addressing Attrition of Texas Students – IDRA Written Testimony for SB 991, submitted by Paige Duggins-Clay, J.D., to the Senate Committee on Education K-16, March 25, 2025
Teachers and Students Need More Support, Not Broader Removal Permissions that Leave Behavior Unaddressed – IDRA Testimony against SB 27, Submitted by Kaci Wright to the Texas Senate Committee on Education K-16, March 25, 2025
Support Texas Students, Not the School-to-Prison Pipeline – IDRA Written Testimony Against SB 1871, SB 1872, SB 1873 and SB 1874 Submitted by Paige Duggins-Clay, J.D., to the Texas Senate Committee on Education K-16, March 25, 2025
Criminalizing Youth is a Failed Policy That Hurts Students, Families, and School Communities – IDRA Written Testimony Against SB 1924 and SB 1925 Submitted by Paige Duggins-Clay, J.D., to the Texas Senate Committee on Education K-16, March 25, 2025
SB 37 Will Harm Students’ Development as Critical Thinkers – TLEEC Testimony Against Senate Bill 37, submitted by Vivek Datla to the Texas Senate K-16 Education Committee, March 20, 2025
Zero Tolerance Discipline Has Not and Will Not Help Texas Students, Families or Teachers – IDRA Testimony Against HB 6, submitted by Paige Duggins-Clay, J.D., to the Texas House Committee on Public Education, March 18, 2025
Defining and Monitoring Chronic Absenteeism is Critical to Addressing Attrition of Texas Students – Education Justice Advocates Joint Written Testimony for HB 213, submitted by Paige Duggins-Clay, J.D., to the Texas House Committee on Public Education, March 18, 2025
Voucher Systems are Unfair and Unconstitutional – IDRA Invited Testimony against HB 3, submitted by Paige Duggins-Clay, J.D., to the Texas House Committee on Public Education, March 11, 2025
Students Should Receive Language Protections and Programs in Any State-Funded Education System – IDRA Testimony Against HB 3, Submitted by Chloe Latham Sikes, Ph.D., to the Texas House Committee on Public Education, March 11, 2025
Education Saving Accounts Harm Efforts to Fully Fund Public Schools – TLEEC Testimony Against House Bill 3, submitted by Kaci Wright to the Texas House Public Education Committee, March 11, 2025
Investing in Compensatory and Bilingual Education is Key to Advancing State Goals for Student Success – IDRA Invited Testimony on HB 2, Submitted by Chloe Latham Sikes, Ph.D., to the Texas House Public Education Committee, March 4, 2025
Book Bans are Undemocratic and Unconstitutional – IDRA Testimony against SB 13, submitted by Chloe Latham Sikes, Ph.D., to the Texas Senate Committee on Education K-16, February 27, 2025
District Censorship Requirements Threaten Students’ Educational Opportunities – IDRA Testimony against SB 12, Submitted by Chloe Latham Sikes, Ph.D., to the Texas Senate Committee on Education K-16, February 27, 2025
Education Savings Accounts are Inefficient and Ineffective for General Diffusion of Knowledge, Student Achievement and School Investments – IDRA Testimony against SB 2, Submitted by Chloe Latham Sikes, Ph.D., to the Texas Senate Committee on Education K-16, January 28, 2025
Don’t Prioritize Politics and Profits Over the Families Policymakers Should Be Representing – Testimony Against Senate Bill 2, Presented by Lizdelia Piñón, IDRA Education Associate, to the Texas Senate Committee on Education (PK-16), January 28, 2025 (Plus testimony by Sixth Grader, Felicita Piñón)
Education Saving Accounts Harm Texas Students’ Access to an Equitable Education – TLEEC Testimony Against Senate Bill 2, submitted by Kaci Wright to the Texas Senate Committee on K-16 Education, January 28, 2025
Sign-On Letter: Public Charter Transparency – Comments to the Texas Education Agency, April 2024
A Policy Agenda to Support Black Students, IDRA, February 2024
• Policy Comments, Testimony and Policy Updates in 2024, 2023 and 2022 and 2021 legislative sessions
Engaging Communities
IDRA partnered with other civil rights and educational equity organizations to demand that school districts immediately stop their anti-LGBTQ+ activities and policies.
- Keller ISD, August 10, 2023
- Keller ISD, November 21, 2022
- Frisco ISD, November 21, 2022
IDRA partnered with other civil rights and educational equity organizations to demand that school districts immediately return the books they had removed from its school library shelves. Most of the books focus on histories of racism and discrimination and the experiences of the LGBTQ+ community and people of color.
- Keller ISD (41 books), August 18, 2022
- Katy ISD (118 books), April 20, 2022
- North East ISD (414 books), April 20, 2022
- Klein ISD (67 books), April 20, 2022
- Granbury ISD (125 books), February 28, 2022
Texas Education CAFE Advocacy Network
Texas Legislative Education Equity Coalition (TLEEC)
Communicating Effectively
Knowledge is Power is IDRA’s 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.
Students Tell Texas Attorney General that Racial Discrimination in School is Real – IDRA Applauds Students Speaking Out Against Texas’ New Classroom Censorship Law (Español), September 29, 2021
88 public school students described their experiences with racial discrimination in school
