IDRA Fellows

Makiah Lyons photoEqual Justice Works Fellow

Makiah Lyons, J.D.

Makiah Lyons, J.D., is an Equal Justice Works Fellow hosted by IDRA. As a fellow, Makiah is working with IDRA to advance education equity and justice through an intersectional lens.

Makiah’s fellowship seeks to investigate, interrupt, and replace school policies and practices that harm girls of color in Georgia and other southern states by bringing the voices and needs of girls of color from the margins to the center. Her project uses legal participatory action research project to investigate, document and disrupt the negative impacts of overdiscipline, punitive discipline and exclusionary discipline on girls of color, co-led by impacted students. Learn more.

Angela Perez headshotMITTENSS Fellow

Angela Perez, M.A.

Angela Perez, M.A., is a native of the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. She earned her bachelor’s degree from St. Mary’s University in 2021 and her master’s degree from Michigan State University in 2023. She is currently pursuing her doctoral degree in political science with a focus in public policy from Michigan State University where she is also a MITTENSS Fellow (Michigan State Interdisciplinary Training in Education and Social Science) in the College of Education.

Broadly Angela’s research interests include the intersection of infrastructure disparities and their influence on education and public policy through the lenses of race, ethnicity, class and gender. As a researcher, her work focuses on the geographic intersection of local governance and school finance in Texas colonias. More specifically, evaluating municipal annexation practices and school funding distribution and use in relation to colonias. Being a colonia resident herself, her interest in these communities is deeply rooted in her lived experience and her commitment to improving her home region in a sustainable way.

Han Lu photoResearch Fellow

Han Lu 

Han Lu is currently a second-year master’s student in the educational policy and planning program at the University of Texas at Austin and an international student from Beijing, China. Han has pursued her education in both China and the United States, observing that similar educational policy challenges arise in different contexts. With an intercultural perspective, she believes that education knows no boundaries and that equitable, quality education should be accessible to all students worldwide.

Han’s research interests focus on promoting equity and quality education for marginalized K-12 students, particularly immigrants and emergent bilingual students. She is interested in exploring how effective policies and resource programs can support these students in achieving academic success and ensuring a smooth transition to college.

As a graduate assistant at UT-Austin, Han contributes to qualitative research on college leavers, aiming to identify gaps in students’ access to resources. She is also involved in developing an online sex education curriculum for a Chinese student organization. As a research fellow at IDRA, Han plans to further develop her research skills and make meaningful contributions to the field.

J Toufic Chahin photo 2024IDRA José A. Cárdenas School Finance Fellows Program 2024-25

The IDRA José A. Cárdenas School Finance Fellows program was established in 2013 by IDRA to honor the memory of IDRA founder, Dr. José Angel Cárdenas. IDRA named University of Texas at Austin doctoral student J. Toufic Chahín as our 2024 IDRA José A. Cárdenas School Finance Fellow. Chahín is a doctoral student at the University of Texas at Austin studying education policy and planning within the College of Education.

His collaborative work with IDRA as a fellow will focus on using quantitative analysis to identify inequities affecting students in charter schools in contrast to their traditional public school classmates, particularly in segregation, student achievement and college readiness. Learn more.

Education Policy Fellows Program 2024-25

The IDRA Education Policy Fellows Program’s latest class began in October 2024 for the Texas and Georgia legislative sessions in 2025. The 2024-25 cycle of this program is being generously supported by the Trellis Foundation, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and the Kresge Foundation.

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IDRA Education Policy Fellow – Georgia

DeAndrea Byrd

DeAndrea Byrd, an East Atlanta native, is an author, entrepreneur and passionate advocate for educational reform. She has dedicated her efforts to helping other parents navigate student discipline and special education systems, including leading special education fellowships for Atlanta Parents and lobbying in Washington, D.C., for parent and education rights. An active member of the National Parent Union, DeAndrea is committed to lifelong learning and advocacy, continually striving to make a meaningful impact in her community.

Her advocacy journey began when her 4-year-old was diagnosed with ADHD and a speech impediment, sparking her commitment to special education. This personal experience laid the foundation for DeAndrea’s work in helping families navigate IEPs, 504 plans, and school systems that often fall short of meeting children’s unique needs. When her son was unfairly suspended and expelled in high school, despite having a 504 plan, DeAndrea turned her fight for justice into a mission, launching a campaign to hold schools accountable and reform harsh disciplinary policies. She earned an associate’s degree in health information administration at Georgia Perimeter College.

Now known as the “Mom Boss Activator,” DeAndrea leads empowering workshops and provides resources to parents, ensuring that all children – especially Black students – receive fair treatment and access to quality education.

In addition, as the visionary behind Tutu Maniacs, a popular kids’ party company and boutique, DeAndrea has spent the past decade bringing joy to families and communities through curated events that celebrate creativity and connection. She’s also penned three inspiring books, including a children’s book that has become a favorite among young readers.

Fellowship Products

Vivek-Datla-photo

IDRA Education Policy Fellow – Regional

Vivek Datla, MPA

Vivek Datla was born and raised in Houston and has spent the last 12 years working and living in the Austin area. His work with public schools began as a volunteer for the Houston Urban Debate League while he earned his undergraduate degree. That initial experience helping to promote academic opportunities for underserved students, coupled with his earlier personal experiences as a struggling student who was guided by caring teachers, inspired him to become a classroom teacher.

After completing his undergraduate studies, he taught English in two high school campuses in Pflugerville and also served as a 504 coordinator at a third high school in the Austin area.

Vivek’s concern for the educational inequities he observed across different schools, as well as for the health and experiences of his students and fellow educators, led him to pursue a graduate degree in public affairs at the University of Texas at Austin. While in school, his work focused on better understanding how the education policy concerns of teacher turnover and state takeover of school districts specifically impact students, educators and families in high-poverty, high-minority school districts.

As an IDRA Education Policy Fellow, Vivek hopes to learn how he can best use his experiences and skills to support and empower students and families that have been historically marginalized by inequitable school, community and state structures.

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Isabelle-Phillip-photo

IDRA Education Policy Fellow – Policy Communications

Isabelle Philip

Isabelle Philip is an international affairs student at the University of Georgia and a proud graduate of Georgia public schools currently living in Atlanta. Having experienced an array of learning environments at both Title I and well-funded schools, she learned firsthand the importance of a strong, responsive and equipped public education system to ensure every child’s success.

Isabelle began working in education advocacy during college through the Georgia Youth Justice Coalition, where she eventually led the group’s narrative work. There, she trained young people in storytelling, supported advocacy campaigns, created programming, managed press relationships, and more. She developed a love for and dedication to empowering young people to advocate for themselves and their communities through the power of their voice.

At the University of Georgia, Isabelle participated in the PROPEL Rural Scholars Program, where she developed a better understanding of the socioeconomic systems in rural areas, enabling her to better advocate for all Georgia students. Isabelle also participated in the Americans United for Separation of Church and State’s Youth Organizing Fellowship, where she built advocacy skills in coalition with young people around the country. Her work emphasized the need to combat any and all attempts to segregate, whitewash, and defund our public schools rooted in white Christian nationalism.

As an IDRA education policy fellow, Isabelle will work at the intersection of communications and policy to advocate for more just and equitable education for every Georgian. She believes that every child deserves to grow up fully supported by their local public school, that our schools need adequate funds to support the whole child, and that a better future is possible only if we work together to build it.

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Kaci-Wright-photo

IDRA Education Policy Fellow – Texas

Kaci Wright

Kaci Wright grew up in a family of educators and was inspired by her parents, both first-generation college graduates, who taught her how powerful and transformational education is. Kaci was raised in Los Angeles and San Antonio. It was during this time that she experienced firsthand how vastly different public schools are resourced. Kaci graduated from The University of North Texas in 2022 with a degree in education, where she was heavily involved in student recruiting and was the president of a women empowerment club.

She taught fourth grade in Dallas and East Austin, where she implemented restorative justice initiatives on her campuses, ran student clubs, and ensured every student felt empowered to learn in her classroom. As a teacher, Kaci became heavily invested in advancing equitable policies for all students.

Kaci is currently a master’s student at the University of Texas at Austin, studying education policy and planning. Kaci spent this past summer interning with EdTrust, a non-profit advocating organization, in Washington, D.C., where she supported the development of an advocacy toolkit to help fight back against anti-DEI legislation nationwide, including Texas’s SB-17.

Kaci believes that all students, no matter their background, should have the opportunity to flourish in well-resourced and diverse public schools. Kaci’s policy interests include diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, dismantling the school-to-prison pipeline, promoting teacher diversity and retention, and school accountability structures.

During her time as an IDRA Education Policy Fellow, Kaci plans to help advance IDRA’s mission of advocating equitable policies in this upcoming Texas session. Outside of education policy, her other interests include teaching chess to the youth, running in long-distance races, and traveling the world with her family.

Fellowship Products

Except where otherwise noted, content produced by IDRA fellows during their fellowship is licensed under Creative Commons (CC-BY). This license allows reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, so long as attribution is given to the creator. The license allows for commercial use.

Contact

5815 Callaghan Road, Suite 101
San Antonio, TX 78228

Phone: 210-444-1710
Fax: 210-444-1714