All students deserve a high-quality education that prepares them for college and lifelong success. Schools have the responsibility to prepare all students to succeed in college, but not all students are meeting readiness benchmarks.
Texas high schools are losing 22% of students before graduation day. They are losing Black and Latino students at twice the rate of white students.
To achieve state goals for college access and success, Texas must offer rigorous early college coursework, support targeted college advising and promote a strong data infrastructure for students, families and college counselors to understand and access their college preparatory pathways.
IDRA Policy Recommendations for 2025
The legislature can ensure all Texans are prepared for college and postsecondary life. IDRA urges the legislature to…
- Fund extensive early college high school models and counseling supports for students starting in middle school, especially for historically marginalized Black, Latino, emergent bilingual students and students from low-income households.
- Develop robust, aligned data systems that track pre-kindergarten through college academic pathways and outcomes.
- Protect policies that make higher education more accessible to all Texans, including the Top Ten Percent Plan and tuition equity for all Texas high school graduates to be eligible for in-state tuition, regardless of citizenship or immigration status.
Resources
Tools
Amicus brief for a case currently pending before the U.S. Supreme Court: Young Conservatives of Texas Foundation v. Neal Smatresk, President of the University of North Texas; Shannon Goodman, Vice President for Enrollment of the University of North Texas (No. 22-40225), August 1, 2022
Amicus brief for a case currently pending before the U.S. Supreme Court: Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College (No. 19-2005) and Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. University of North Carolina, et al. (No. 21-2263), August 1, 2022
IDRA Amicus Brief: Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin
Civil Rights Groups Urge California Voters to Reinstate Affirmative Action in Higher Ed
Protecting the Texas Top Ten Percent Plan
Acting on Research and Data
Report: College Bound and Determined Study of Pharr-San Juan Alamo School District
Infographic and Report: Ready Texas Study of Texas College Requirements
Engaging Communities
Report: Community Survey on Texas Graduation Requirements
What Families Need to Know About Texas Graduation Requirements
Communicating Effectively
Infographic: Understanding Texas’s DEI Ban at Public Universities
Op-ed: Protect College Admission laws that reward merit, hard work
