• IDRA Newsletter • November-December 2023 •
Since the Rodríguez v. San Antonio ISD Supreme Court ruling in 1973 allowed a host of inequities in school funding to continue, IDRA has transformed public education by providing dynamic educator training, actionable research, innovative student and parent leadership programs, and bold policy advocacy in the southern United States and across the nation.
During the last five decades, IDRA helped write the first bilingual education law in the state of Texas, one of the strongest in the nation. IDRA also provides expert testimony to Congress on school safety, discipline, dropout rates and funding. IDRA implements powerful student and family leadership programs that have touched millions of lives. And IDRA has added more than 800 bilingual, science, math, ESL, and bilingual special education teachers to more than 55 school districts. The list of milestones and IDRA’s real-world impact goes on.
IDRA has been celebrating its 50th anniversary throughout 2023, reflecting on a small group of concerned citizens who in 1973 set out to change the world and defend all students and their right to an excellent and equitable education.
Thousands of classroom teachers, school principals, other educators, families, policymakers, community leaders, researchers and, of course, students themselves, have been a part of the IDRA story. As a result, millions of students’ lives have been powerfully affected by dramatically raising educational opportunities for all children.
This year has not just been a celebration of IDRA’s accomplishments over the last 50 years, but also a commitment to the next 50 and beyond – a commitment to equity, access, excellence, and the recognition of the inherent value of every student who steps into a classroom.
IDRA 50th Anniversary Video Gallery Highlights
Gala Program Video
“José would have been proud of what IDRA has become.”
– Laura Cárdenas, wife of the late Dr. José A. Cárdenas (IDRA Founder)
“I don’t know very many organizations that have both the capacity for rigorous policy analysis on the one hand and strong organizing and advocacy chops on the other. It’s the blend of those two things that stands IDRA apart.”
– Kent McGuire, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
San Antonio Mayor’s Congratulatory Video
“Over the past five decades, IDRA has been an extraordinary force for transformational change in education, both here in our city and across the nation.”
– San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg (and former IDRA intern)
Tribute Videos
See our anniversary video gallery for messages from public officials, community leaders and students.
[©2023, IDRA. This article originally appeared in the November-December 2023 edition of the IDRA Newsletter by the Intercultural Development Research Association. Permission to reproduce this article is granted provided the article is reprinted in its entirety and proper credit is given to IDRA and the author.]
Recent Podcasts 