Events

As some state leaders attempt to limit learning and discussions of diversity, our communities will not be silenced. On Nov. 16, UT will welcome IDRA – one of the nation’s leading education civil rights organizations – for its 50th anniversary celebration and archives dedication. Down the street in Austin, the state legislature is debating whether to increase school funding or to divert millions for privatization. At the same time, the State Board of Education is working to codify censorship policies that restrict classroom learning about diversity and true history. Join us Nov. 16 as we discuss the importance of connecting past social justice movements with the current struggle to protect our histories and civil rights. IDRA’s 50-year archives at the LLILAS Benson Latin American Studies and Collections provides resources for...

Join our Student Advisory Board to plan for this city-wide event! In December, our citywide STEM Youth Summit will be the place to be! Since this summit is for students by students, we invite students to join one or more of our virtual meeting dates via Zoom. September 19 @ 4-5 pm CDT October 17 @ 4-5 pm CDT November 14 @ 4-5 pm CST December 5 @ 4-5 pm CST See flier PDF. Questions? Contact Dr. G at IDRA 210-789-1170; stephanie.garcia@idra.org The summit and planning sessions are being held by the Alamo STEM Ecosystem, which is co-led by IDRA and SAMSAT with support from the Defense STEM Education Consortium and the CyberTexas Foundation. hr{ border-top: 2px solid #0072CF; }

Over 300 people gathered with us at the Red Berry Estate in San Antonio to celebrate the legacy of the IDRA community and look toward the next 50 years of supporting students and public schools across the country. In 1973, a small group of concerned citizens set out to challenge inequities in Texas public schools and defend all students and their right to an excellent and equitable education. Since then, IDRA has grown into a national non-profit that influences policy; guides school leaders and teachers; conducts research; and creates powerful student and parent leadership programs. IDRA’s work focuses on students of color, emergent bilingual students, and students from families with limited means across the U.S. South, particularly in Texas and Georgia. As we celebrate 50 years, we also honor those...

  Watch this 90-minute panel of educators, researchers and community leaders that delves into the transformative influence of ethnic studies on students and their families. Discover how these programs empower students to connect with their heritage, challenge stereotypes and develop critical thinking skills. Key discussion points include: Empowering Identity: Learn how ethnic studies programs help students of diverse backgrounds develop a strong sense of self-identity and cultural pride. Fostering Inclusivity: Explore how ethnic studies promote inclusivity by embracing diverse perspectives and narratives. Academic Excellence: Discover how ethnic studies can enhance academic performance by engaging students in meaningful and relevant learning experiences. Family Engagement: Hear how ethnic studies can strengthen family bonds through shared cultural exploration and conversations. Community Impact: Understand the broader societal benefits of ethnic studies, from promoting empathy...

  Learn different ways to use artificial intelligence tools and resources to improve the classroom experience and advance education research. Panelists will discuss the ethical implications of using AI in education and ideas for classroom use. Hector Bojorquez is IDRA’s Director of Operations and Educational Practice. Lizdelia Piñón, Ed.D., is an IDRA Education Associate. And Manuel Urbina is a teacher in the San Antonio ISD. Resource The Importance of Artificial Intelligence in Education for All Students, IDRA Newsletter   hr{ border-top: 2px solid #0072CF; }

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights released its long-awaited guidance on race and school programing in August 2023. Join IDRA’s Morgan Craven, J.D., and Paige Duggins-Clay, J.D., in unpacking and applying OCR’s guidance, including an overview of the applicable legal standards, discussion of the hypotheticals utilized in the guidance, and policy recommendations for school leaders. Morgan Craven, J.D., is IDRA’s National Director of Policy, Advocacy and Community Engagement. Paige Duggins-Clay, J.D., is IDRA’s Chief Legal Analyst. Resources Fact Sheet: Diversity & Inclusion Activities Under Title VI U.S. Department of Education: Race and School Programming

Learn about Jovita Idar, a teacher, journalist, nurse and civil rights activist who grew up in Texas and endeavored to expose segregation, lynching and other injustices endured by Mexican Americans in the early 20th century. Jovita Idar was born September 7, 1885. Also, see a classroom lesson about Jovita Idar and other important people on IDRA’s We All Belong – School Resource Hub? Check out the lesson by Unladylike2000, through a partnersihp with IDRA. IDRA provides training and customized technical assistance that supports educators in offering Mexican American Studies courses in Texas public schools. We co-led two professional development training sessions to support the extension and expansion of Mexican American Studies in teacher preparation and ongoing professional development. Learn more.

In San Antonio: Teachers; students; those interested in teaching ethnic studies, social justice and civil rights; families; and interested community members, join us for Cafecito & MAS, a morning of sharing, planning and dialoguing. Join us for a morning of sharing, planning and dialoguing. Please share this invitation with your network of students, teachers and community members. We will have another in October, Teacher Focused. Date TBA Student Led – Student Focus. Free event. Meet our MAS for All students! If you have questions, please send an email to: aurelio.montemayor@idra.org or allie.salazar@idra.org

Featuring remarks by U.S. Deputy Secretary of Education Cynthia “Cindy” Marten, The Honorable Joaquin Castro & The Honorable Teresa Leger Fernández Host Committee Legal Defense Fund MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund) National Coalition on School Diversity Seek Common Ground In 1973, a small group of concerned citizens set out to challenge inequities in Texas public schools and defend all students and their right to an excellent and equitable education. Since then, IDRA has grown into a national non-profit that influences policy; guides school leaders and teachers; conducts research; and creates powerful student and parent leadership programs. IDRA’s work focuses on students of color, emergent bilingual students, and students from families with limited means across the U.S. South, particularly in Texas and Georgia. As we celebrate 50 years, we...

Reviewing the 2023 Texas Legislative Session What happened in the Texas legislative session? This webinar reviews new educational policies from the Texas legislative session and how they affect schools, educators, students and parents. Chloe Latham Sikes, Ph.D., and Paige Duggins-Clay, J.D., give an overview of policies that passed (or didn’t) related to school funding, emergent bilingual education, school safety, college readiness and access, and culturally-sustaining schooling. See the slidedeck (PDF)

Exploring New Horizons in Education Learn how to integrate AI technology into your classroom in meaningful ways. In this three-day virtual academy, you will explore the many benefits of AI in education, including efficiency, personalized learning and student engagement. Through interactive sessions, you will learn about the latest AI tools and resources available to educators and how to effectively implement them in the classroom. Get hands-on experience with AI applications, such as Chat GPT, Canva, chatbots, virtual assistants, and data analytics tools. You will also gain insights into the ethical considerations surrounding AI in education, such as privacy, bias and transparency. Learn best practices for ensuring the responsible and effective use of AI with students. By the end of this academy, you will have a foundational understanding of the benefits...

The Georgia Coalition for Education Justice is hosting a free teach-in and screening of “Precious Knowledge,” a documentary recounting the struggle for liberated ethnic studies education in Arizona. Get an overview of classroom censorship policies in Georgia and the Southeast through interactive, small-group breakouts and plan next steps to advocate the education students deserve! Note: Programming is most suitable for participants ages 13 and up.  If attending in person, please register. The screening will take place at Gwinnett County Public Library- Norcross Branch; Meeting Room, 5735 Buford Hwy, Norcross, GA 30071. If attending virtually, please register to receive the link and calendar notice. For students under the age of 18, a primary adult caregiver must complete this form in advance: https://idra.news/Waiver.

Though Texas has tens of thousands of emergent bilingual students with disabilities, the state has not had a teacher certification program that equips professionals to meet the needs of those students. Until now! The Texas Legislature in 2021 passed HB 2256 to create such a program. HB 2256 came out of a year-long initiative, the Texas Early Childhood English Learner Initiative. The State has been developing the rules and standards and is asking for input from experts like you. IDRA is holding a series of roundtable discussions to convene professionals in bilingual special education to assist. We will compile recommendations to submit to the Texas Education Agency. Help us give input to TEA about the new Texas Bilingual Special Education (BSE) certification standards. Discuss the standards Clarify the vision and role of...

Research Presentations by Two IDRA José A. Cárdenas School Finance Fellows Plus a Bonus Presentation by Student Researchers Two IDRA José A. Cárdenas School Finance Fellows, Dr. Vanessa A. Sansone and Dr. David Martínez, presented their research at our virtual symposium. Their research papers and video presentations and panel highlights are below. Session 1 IDRA José A. Cárdenas School Finance Fellow, Dr. Vanessa A. Sansone, presented her study that examined CARES Act funding and spending patterns among Hispanic-serving institutions in Texas. An Exploration of CARES Act Funding Policies Affecting Hispanic-Serving Institutions in Texas An Exploration of CARES Act Funding Policies Affecting Hispanic-Serving Institutions in Texas – Executive Summary Panel Response   Moderator: Celina Moreno, J.D., President & CEO, IDRA Jaime Chahín, Ph.D., Dean and Professor of the College of Applied Arts, Texas...

Calling all San Antonio-area middle schools! We have a unique opportunity for your school community that can greatly benefit your students with a high-quality, social-emotional learning (SEL ) and asset-based STEM-CS program – at no cost to you. This in-school program offers students who are in at-risk situations to become the next generation of software coders through IDRA’s innovative project, VisionCoders. In this course, eighth-grade students create educational games for prekinder and first grade students in their school community. Learn more about this incredible program and why you will want to launch it at your school during the 2023-24 school year. For more information, contact Dr. Stephanie Garcia, VisionCoders project director and IDRA’s STEM and gender equity education specialist at stephanie.garcia@idra.org.

  Community launch to announce a federal initiative to bolster the STEM pipeline for San Antonio students. Who: Speakers include: Dr. Stephanie Garcia, IDRA STEM and gender equity education specialist; and Alamo STEM Ecosystem lead Mayor Ron Nirenberg Dr. Michael Flores, Chancellor, Alamo Colleges Dr. Raul Reyna, Founder, Alamo STEM Ecosystem Alicia de Hoyos, IDRA STEM Youth Leader & Student at South San Antonio ISD Along with representatives from Cyber Texas, Palo Alto College, Ft. Sam ISD, Edgewood ISD, North East ISD

The Fight for School Finance Equity: Past, Present and Future San Antonio is the place where the battle for fair funding of schools in Texas was born with the Rodríguez vs. San Antonio ISD case and the series of Edgewood cases that followed. This community was at the front of what turned out to be a hard and often bitter fight that has continued for decades – the fight to assure that children in this and other communities like it would not continue to suffer under a bad and unjust system of financing schools. On the 50th anniversary of this momentous ruling, IDRA, Trinity University and its Center for Education Leadership, Edgewood ISD and the National Coalition on School Diversity hosted a commemorative event to reflect on the case, its...

Learn how vouchers hurt our communities and what you can do about it Get info on voucher proposals that the Texas Legislature is considering. Learn how they threaten to dramatically impact classroom resources, financial transparency and accountability. Presenters will share legal concerns and the perspectives of special education advocates. In particular, we will discuss actions you and others in your school or community can take to stop vouchers from hurting our neighborhood public schools. Los Vales No Valen! #TLEEC

Do you see issues within your school that affect your peers’ education? Do you want to learn how to advocate for student rights? Building equitable spaces for all students starts with your voice! Watch IDRA’s national virtual youth summit to learn about how you can advocate for safer and more successful learning environments, especially in communities targeted by inequitable education policies. As a student, you have immeasurable power to make a difference in the future of education. IDRA facilitated this work, but the plans and actions were student-driven. #ForStudentsByStudents Feel free to share on social media! Event slidedeck (PDF) • Learn more about IDRA’s 2022 Youth Advisory Board

In today’s climate of classroom censorship, 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 four-part lesson plan series that will facilitate thoughtful high school classroom discussions of real-world issues and solutions. Hear from the developers of the lessons for IDRA, Dr. Marlon C. James and Dr. Kelly N. Ferguson, of Equality and Equity Group, LLC. CulturED Collection #GotCulture? – A Lesson on How Culture Shapes Us – Introduce students to important elements of culture, both surface and deep culture. Students will come to understand how culture shapes...

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. Racism isn’t always intentional. Racial justice, on the other hand, must be. This revolutionary experience will enable education leaders seeking racial justice to put their intentions into action – and grant the promise of an equitable and culturally rich education to all students. We are excited to feature IDRA board member and award-winning former superintendent, Dr. Gregory C. Hutchings, Jr. He is the founder and chief executive officer of Revolutionary ED, LLC, and is a nationally recognized educational leader, antiracism activist, and published author who unapologetically advocates for Black, Indigenous,...

This webinar features a conversation on the realities of the digital divide within the colonias of Texas. Colonias are housing developments along the south Texas border that are part of the rural landscape of Texas. These vibrant communities often have been denied basic services, such as drinking water, sewage treatment, paved roads, and Internet infrastructure. Currently, about 500,000 Texans live in the colonias and face the difficulties of being on the wrong side of the digital divide on a daily basis. In this bilingual session, you will hear from local residents and experts who will share stories of their experiences, what they have done to improve their communities and how they tackle connectivity challenges. Panelists Lourdes Flores, President of Arise Adelante Jordana Barton-García, Principal, Barton-García Advisors Eva Carranza, parent and...

Social emotional learning (SEL) is integral to student success in the classroom. It helps students develop the necessary skills to regulate their own emotions as well as build and maintain relationships with peers and teachers. Research shows that SEL activities can lead to “improved classroom behavior, an increased ability to manage stress and depression, and better attitudes about themselves, others and school.” Through IDRA’s Re-energizing Leadership to Achieve Greater Student Success project, led by Dr. Nilka Avilés, IDRA provided coaching to school leadership teams who saw the need for building teacher capacity in SEL strategies. In this webinar, Dr. Nilka Avilés and consultants Jeanne Cantu and Gerald Sharp will present the strategy of using interactive read alouds. Students can read about and hear how book characters respond to different behavioral...

Hosted by Student Engagement and Attendance Center (SEAC) and the IDRA EAC-South Naturally, states and school districts have rules about student attendance. But sometimes attendance policies are unfair to specific student groups. Being present for school impacts student access to instruction. It also can indicate student engagement and sense of belonging, which support academic performance. The COVID-19 pandemic caused school officials and communities to consider the most effective and meaningful approaches to measuring, collecting, reporting and using attendance data to better support students. This interactive, virtual webinar featured a panel of students, families and education agency staff who discussed various topics on authentic engagement in attendance-related practices, such as: How do schools and districts engage with students and their families in conversations about school attendance policies? How do schools and...

The Center for Educators & Schools held a conversation about how classroom censorship policies weaken the quality of education. Book bans and classroom censorship policies are sweeping the nation. This webinar conversation focused on how classroom censorship policies weaken the quality of education and negatively affect educators, students, and society at large. Chloe Latham Sikes, Ph.D., IDRA Deputy Director of Policy, discussed what the current censorship landscape looks like today, where teachers can find resources to learn more, and what this means for the future of the teaching profession. This event was open to all educators across the country and is part of the New York Public Library’s Banned Books Week. Interested in finding out more about the Center for Educators and Schools? Visit us at nypl.org/ces or subscribe to...

Educators across the country are committed to making sure students receive a strong, truthful education in our public schools. But vague classroom censorship policies and their residual chilling effects in multiple states, aim to shut down free expression in schools. As a result, students stand to be completely unprepared to engage in thoughtful discussions of real-world issues and solutions. IDRA recently launched a new resource hub designed for educators, families and policy advocates, particularly in the U.S. South, who want to make sure students receive a strong, truthful education in our public schools. In this webinar (video below), you will… See a demo of IDRA’s new School Resource Hub for educators. The website has original and curated lesson plans and tools for teaching history and current events about race and...

IDRA issued our call for applications for our 2022-23 Education Policy Fellowship Program. Join a virtual Q&A session where you can hear directly from policy fellows about their experiences in the program and the work they accomplished within the Texas and Georgia legislatures. Listen and ask questions before applying here!   As a reminder, each fellow will receive: Training in the state legislative process, including how to employ a variety of advocacy strategies; Access to a network of educational equity advocates who have influenced generations of policy and litigation in Texas and Georgia; Real-time, real-world training during the Texas and Georgia legislative sessions; At least one policy mentor, based on fellows’ interests; Training in IDRA’s family leadership in education framework, which centers families and students in educational policy reform; Access to...

  The IDRA EAC-South brings together educational leaders, teachers and community organizers to focus on individual, institutional and systems-level work to identify and remove barriers for students. In this workshop-style convening, you will get tools and information to open access and opportunity for students, foster equitable learning environments, and increase and support pathways to culturally sustaining schools. We encourage you to form teams from your district, campus or organization to take advantage of the five strands of learning and community-building opportunities: Translanguaging for Social Justice Students Seeing Themselves: Ethnic Studies and Beyond Culturally Responsive & Sustaining Schooling Equitable Hiring Practices Equitable Education Policy & Reform This professional learning experience will provide: Power – Content delivery by leading equity experts People – Opportunities for facilitated peer discussions for school transformation Plan...

Conscientization, also known as “critical consciousness” is a popular education and social concept developed by Brazilian pedagogue and educational theorist, Paulo Freire (1970). Research shows that higher critical consciousness is associated with higher self-esteem, higher political engagement, higher professional aspirations, academic engagement and even higher academic achievement. Dr. Victor Lozada is currently using Freire’s concept of conscientization in his elementary music classroom to discuss the U.S. Civil Rights Movement. He uses many children’s books and music to discuss social change. In this webinar, you will learn about Freire’s concept of conscientization and how to use books and music to teach critical consciousness in the classroom. In addition to teaching music at a Denton ISD elementary school, Dr. Victor Lozada is an adjunct faculty member at the University of North Texas...

Re-engage Struggling Students by Bringing the IDRA Valued Youth Partnership Program to Your School The IDRA Valued Youth Partnership has demonstrated tremendous success helping students focus on their education and increasing the school’s holding power by focusing on students with the highest need of support. For almost four decades, the VYP has kept 35,000 students in school and positively impacted the lives of 750,000 children, families and educators! Get an overview of the program, its strong research base and steps to bring the program to your school, including how you can use federal relief funds to cover the cost. In unprecedented times such as these, schools and districts need a partner with a record of proven success, because all children are valuable, none is expendable. See the slidedeck from the...

Texas lawmakers need to hear from you! Texas’s school testing assessments and accountability systems are closely connected. Student tests are supposed to tell us how well students are learning, and the school accountability system is supposed to tell us how good our schools are. But one thing many of us can agree on is that these systems do not measure everything we want to know about students’ learning, success, and our public schools. IDRA invites you to this listening session to share your thoughts on what makes a school great, and what students want and need most to succeed. This listening session is part of a statewide campaign by Raise Your Hand Texas to speak to 10,000 Texans about what makes schools great. Participants are welcome to share thoughts at...

Though Texas has tens of thousands of emergent bilingual students with disabilities, the state has not had a teacher certification program that equips professionals to meet the needs of those students. Until now. The Texas Legislature in 2021 passed HB 2256 to create such a program. HB 2256 came out of a year-long initiative, the Texas Early Childhood English Learner Initiative*. The State Board for Educator Certification must now develop the rules and standards and is asking for input from experts like you. IDRA is holding a series of roundtable discussions to convene professionals in bilingual special education to assist. We will compile recommendations to submit at the February 11 State Board of Education meeting. This is an invitation-only event. But you are welcome to extend the invitation to your...

Digital redlining is the practice of income-based discrimination by Internet-service providers and other corporations who systematically exclude families in low-income neighborhoods from connecting to robust broadband Internet services. Digital redlining perpetuates inequities within racially marginalized groups, specifically through the use of digital technologies, digital content, and the Internet. In this webinar, we will discuss how digital redlining widens the digital divide and how the “homework gap” impacts students and their families. We will also highlight digital literacy’s role in helping students and their families navigate digital technologies and online information. Join us to hear our work on digital equity at IDRA, provide a history of digital redlining and its disproportionate impact on Black and Latinx communities, and discuss forward-facing solutions to address the digital divide in Texas. Featuring: Michelle Vega,...

IDRA José A. Cárdenas School Finance Fellow, Dr. Cristóbal Rodríguez, presented his report examining the equity of college readiness across schools in Texas. He and a panel of experts discussed college readiness in math. The study, Texas is Not Financing College Readiness – Wealth and Inequities Highlighted by the Civil Rights Data Collection, specifically focuses on calculus, which is a key indicator of college readiness and is not equally and fairly accessible in Texas public schools. See flier See the symposium slidedeck See our related infographic on Math and College Readiness     hr{ border-top: 2px solid #0072CF; }

This webinar highlights recent data from IDRA that shows the impact of discipline on school outcomes. We discussed different data sources and ways to access and use data for advocacy efforts aimed at closing the school-to-prison pipeline. See the event slidedeck. The recorded video is below. See our new data dashboard: Corporal Punishment in U.S. States & School Districts. Corporal punishment does not teach or lead to improved behavior. But it does harm children. And corporal punishment is more likely to be inflicted on children of color, with Black students being most likely to be subject to corporal punishment than any other students. Visit IDRA’s End Corporal Punishment in Schools website to learn more: • Data Dashboard: Corporal Punishment in U.S. States and School Districts • Policy Brief: Stopping Harmful Corporal Punishment...

Join students, families, and other advocates to learn and talk about the issues that impact schools during IDRA’s weekly summer learning series! June 17, 2021: Whitewashing the Truth in Schools: An Update on Texas’ HB 3979 Texas’ House Bill 3979 and similar bills across the country are being used to whitewash history and limit how teachers and students can discuss racism, sexism and our country’s history of discrimination. In IDRA’s first Ed Policy Summer Camp session, we will share how these harmful bills will impact students and ways we can organize to protect learning in schools. June 24, 2021: Texas Legislative Wrap-up: Education Policy Study Hall What happened in the Texas legislative session? During this session wrap-up conversation, you are invited to learn about the policies that passed (or didn’t)...

When students return to school after this extended time away, it will be more important than ever to strengthen school-family-community relationships in order to reconnect with students, especially those who have been harder to reach during this time of distance learning. The IDRA Valued Youth Partnership has demonstrated tremendous success helping students focus on their education and increasing the school’s holding power by focusing on students with the highest need of support. Over the past 35 years, the VYP has kept 35,000 students in school and positively impacted the lives of 750,000 children, families and educators! Get an overview of the program, its strong research base and steps to bring the program to your school, including how you can use federal relief funds to cover the cost. In unprecedented times...

Proven Strategies for Re-engaging Students Who Need You the Most June 2, 2021 When schools open this fall, students and educators will carry with them the trauma of the pandemic experience. Faced with students’ increased mobility, family economic hardship, lost relationships with teachers, and lack of academic success, schools lost touch with many students. Find out key factors that keep students coming back and how you can help them feel a sense of success day after day. IDRA shows strategies that have been proven successful in the IDRA Valued Youth Partnership program and how you can integrate them into your school planning for the next school year. We also outline ways you can use federal relief funds to strengthen student engagement and increase attendance.   See eBook: Ready – Reopen...

Proven Strategies for Re-engaging Students Who Need You the Most May 20, 2021 When schools open this fall, students and educators will carry with them the trauma of the pandemic experience. Faced with students’ increased mobility, family economic hardship, lost relationships with teachers, and lack of academic success, schools lost touch with many students. Find out key factors that keep students coming back and how you can help them feel a sense of success day after day. IDRA shows strategies that have been proven successful in the IDRA Valued Youth Partnership program and how you can integrate them into your school planning for the next school year. We also outline ways you can use federal relief funds to strengthen student engagement and increase attendance. See eBook: Ready – Reopen –...

See how you can bring the Texas Chief Science Officer program to your school for free! CSOs are students in grades 6-12 elected by their peers to be liaisons for STEM in their schools and communities. In this free out-of-school-time program, students develop leadership skills to implement on-campus projects and advocate for student voice in STEM. In this webinar, Dr. Stephanie Garcia will provide an overview of the program and the easy steps for bringing it to your campus. She will be joined by CSO student Arturo, who will describe his experience and how the COVID-19 accommodations this year enabled him and other CSOs to shine. Learn more about the IDRA Texas Chief Science Officer program.

Community members made their voices be heard on HB 3979. Many constituents did not get to testify about why practical, real-life civics education is important to them. As the Texas Senate was about to debate this bill that would limit speech and engagement in Texas classrooms, we held our own hearing. Watch to see who joined us to make sure the Senate knows that teachers, students and community members deserve better. Learn more about HB 3979.  Watch the press conference on May 19, 2021. See video from our Save Civics! Virtual Town Hall Tell your Senator to vote NO!   This event is hosted by the Texas Legislative Education Equity Coalition (TLEEC), a collaborative of organizations and individuals with the mission to improve the quality of public education for all children,...

Got 15 Minutes? Take Action for Public Education! IDRA holds virtual office hours to walk you through the process of submitting public comments online Each week, committees in the Texas Legislature consider specific bills related to public education. You can add your voice to advocates across the state calling for high-quality public education for every student. With health precautions in place, most public input will occur online. You can help without missing school or work to travel to Austin. Every Monday afternoon, IDRA will help students, families, educators and community members submit their own comments on education bills being debated by Texas lawmakers that week. #ShareYourStory Bilingual event in English & Spanish What happens during IDRA’s virtual office hours? Get information on bills that will be heard by lawmakers that...

Are you interested in project-based learning but not sure where to start? Project-based learning is a transformative pedagogical method based on student-centered classrooms, but it requires teachers to adjust how they present information and facilitate learning. This IDRA webinar answers some of the most common questions about planning, implementation and best practices for project-based learning. Learn how to transform your teaching to better support your student’s learning.  

Tell Texas policymakers why they should support bilingual students! Join us in this Zoom session where IDRA will help you use social media and your telephone to advocate for emergent bilingual students (English learners). This free session will be conducted in Spanish and English.

Before COVID-10, schools in Texas struggled to prepare emergent bilingual students for college. Less than one in three (29%) graduates in the class of 2019 were deemed college-ready. And emergent bilingual students were more likely to experience chronic absenteeism with 24% missing three or more days of school. Already faced with a short teacher supply, emergent bilingual students must now navigate the complexities and hardships posed by campus closures. In this webinar, Dr. Chloe Latham Sikes outlines six recommendations in our just-released report, Creating a More Bilingual Texas – A Closer Look at Bilingual Education in the Lone Star State, that she co-authored with Chandra Kring Villanueva of Every Texan. The report provides an overview of policies, history and current issues for emergent bilingual students and bilingual/ESL education in Texas....