June-July 2025 Issue of the IDRA Newsletter – Focus: Community Voices Matter

May newsletter eNews cover

See PDF of this issue

See eNews highlights

Articles

A Message from Dr. María “Cuca” Robledo Montecel, IDRA President Emerita

Legislature Dances the Texas Three-Step: Defund, Demonize, Privatize Public Education, by Kaci Wright, M.Ed., & Vivek Datla, MPA

Policy Whiplash in Georgia – The 2025 Session Delivered Education Gains, Losses and Looming Threats, by Terrence Wilson, J.D., Mikayla Arciaga, M.A.Ed., DeAndrea Byrd, Isabelle Philip & Makiah Lyons, J.D.

Civic Changemakers – Students and Advocates Join Forces at the Georgia Capitol, by Isabelle Philip

Coalitions Represent Communities Across the U.S. South


May 2025 Issue of the IDRA Newsletter – Focus: Legacies Shaping Public Education

May NL eN coverSee PDF of this issue

See eNews highlights

Articles

Valuable from the Start – IDRA Valued Youth Partnership Reaches 40-year Milestone, by Christie L. Goodman, APR, Fellow PRSA

Tribute to Dr. Joe Bernal: How Bilingual Education Came to Texas – Behind the Scenes, by Christie L. Goodman, APR, Fellow PRSA

Because VYP Believed in Me, I Started to Believe in Myself – Former IDRA Valued Youth Partnership Student Reflects, by Michelle Ramos

Extras

IDRA Valued Youth Partnership

IDRA Valued Youth Partnership Program – Student Reflection Contest eBook

IDRA VisionCoders – Student Reflection Contest eBook

IDRA Youth Leadership Now – Student Reflection Contest eBook

 The Best Little Statehouse in Texas – 1981 CBS Emmy-winning documentary by legendary Texan, Larry L. King. (Bilingual education segment begins in Part 1 at 21 minutes and continues into Part 2.)


April 2025 Issue of the IDRA Newsletter – Focus: Imagining Joyful, Nonviolent, Integrated Schools

eNews cover April 2025See PDF of this issue

See eNews highlights

Articles

The Ever-Present History of Violence in U.S. Schools – How State-Sanctioned Cruelty Persists through School Corporal Punishment Policies, by Morgan Craven, J.D., & Kaci Wright

On the State of Integration and Our Common Humanity, by Paige Duggins-Clay, J.D.

Developing the Joy of STEM through Student and Teacher Experiences, by Jeff Wheatcraft, Asaiah Puente, Ed.D., CNP, & Stephanie Garcia, Ph.D.

High School Student Tells Lawmakers: Georgia Bill “Erases Our Stories and Our Truths”

Extras

End Corporal Punishment in Schools, IDRA

Hitting Hurts – The Case for Ending Corporal Punishment in Texas, by Morgan Craven, J.D., & Joanna D. Sánchez, Ph.D. (See PDF in English • Español)

IDRA’s map and data dashboard allow you to view the rates of corporal punishment by the states and school districts that still use this type of disciplinary action.

IDRA map shows corporal punishment data for public school districts in Texas.

Defense STEM Education Consortium


March 2025 Issue of the IDRA Newsletter – This month’s focus: National Policy Affecting All Students

NL eNews cover March 2025See PDF of this issue

See eNews highlights

Articles

What the President’s Directive to the U.S. Secretary of Education Means for Students, Families and Schools, by Morgan Craven, J.D.

What Federal Education Funding Means for Schools – A Look at Federal Funding in Georgia and Texas, by Morgan Craven, J.D.

The U.S. Department of Education’s Role in Serving and Protecting this Nation’s Students, by Vivek Datla, MPA

What 2024 NAEP Scores Tell Us About Student Progress – National Scores Suggest Need for Targeted Investments to Ensure All Students Succeed, by Morgan Craven, J.D., & Chloe Latham Sikes, Ph.D.

Extras

Executive Order Leaves All Children and Families Behind – Statement by IDRA President and CEO Celina Moreno on Executive Order to Dismantle U.S. Department of Education • English • Spanish

See IDRA’s latest Federal Advocacy Action Alert for steps you can take.

Adrian and Zariah Reflect on Their Activism and Concerns, March 17, 2025

From Petition to Podium – Students Urge School Board to Protect Immigrant Student Safety, March 17, 2025

Progressing Backward – IDRA SEEN State-Level Legislative 2024 Recap and 2025 Trends


February 2025 Issue of the IDRA Newsletter – This month’s focus: Honoring Black History

Feb 2025 Newsletter eNews coverSee PDF of this issue

See eNews highlights

Articles

Black Girls Can Make History When We Support them in School, by Morgan Craven, J.D., & Makiah Lyons, J.D.

Confronting Hair Discrimination in Schools – A Call to Honor Black History by Protecting Student Rights, by Paige Duggins-Clay, J.D., Makiah Lyons, J.D., & Tionna Ryan

New Data Hub Spotlights School Discipline of Black Girls in Georgia, by Nickell Brown & Makiah Lyons, J.D.

Extras

IDRA SEEN School Resource Hub Black History Lessons

IDRA SEEN School Resource Hub

IDRA Safety, Dignity and Belonging Project

Amici Curiae Brief of the Black Parents and Families Collective, National Congress on American Indians, Students Engaged in Advancing Texas, the Texas State Conference of NAACP Branches, IDRA, and ACLU of Texas in Support of Appellants’ Brief

Brief of Proposed Amici Curiae American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU Foundation of Texas, Inc., American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Louisiana, American Civil Liberties Union of Mississippi Foundation, and Intercultural Development Research Association in Support of Plaintiff-Appellant


January 2025 Issue of the IDRA Newsletter – This Issue’s Focus: Supporting Immigrant Students

IDRA Newsletter Cover - Jan 2025

See PDF of this issue

See eNews highlights

Articles

Safeguarding the Promise of Public Education

All Students, Regardless of Immigration Status, Belong in School – How the Plyler v. Doe U.S. Supreme Court Ruling Protects Students, by Paige Duggins-Clay, J.D.

Strong Schools Depend on Strong Partnerships with Families – Anti-Immigrant Policies Push Families Away, by Morgan Craven, J.D.

How Schools Should Support Children Impacted by ICE Raids

Extras

Welcoming Immigrant Students in School

Infographic: 10 Strategies for How Schools Should Support Children Impacted by ICE Raids

Infographic: IDRA’s Parent Leadership in Education Model

Infographic: 6 Principle for Family Leadership in Education

The Law in Education – Plyler v. Doe – IDRA Classnotes Podcast Episode 224: Video version. Audio Podcast Episode. 

Share