Morgan Craven, J.D., is IDRA’s National Director of Policy. She supports the integration and coordination of national and state policy reform efforts impacting the education of all students, with special emphasis on minority, low-income, English learner and recent immigrant populations. At the state level, she spearheads IDRA’s critical work in education policy, including school finance, accountability, testing, private vouchers, teacher quality, and EL matters.
Ms. Craven received a bachelor’s degree in International Relations from Stanford University and a law degree from Harvard Law School.
Previously, Ms. Craven directed Texas Appleseed’s School-to-Prison Pipeline Project. In that role, she led and supported local- and statewide campaigns to address the practices and systems that push children out of school and into the justice system. She has presented research and data to policymakers, collaborated with community-based, state, and national advocacy organizations, and developed policies related to school discipline, school policing, and school climate.
Prior to her work at Texas Appleseed, Ms. Craven served as a briefing attorney for Chief Justice Wallace Jefferson at the Supreme Court of Texas and as a staff attorney at Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, where she represented students with disabilities, and individuals and families in housing and public benefits cases.
Recent Media Coverage
Is the Texas Legislature doing enough for English learners in HB 3?, Julie Chang, Austin American-Statesman, April 19, 2019
How The Texas House School Finance Bill Could Shortchange Many Children Learning English, Laura Isensee, Houston Public Media, April 3, 2019
Amid School Finance Overhaul, Educators Say Funding for Programs That Teach English Won’t Benefit – Though one-fifth of Texas public school students are English learners, funding levels have remained the same since the 1980s, Laura Isensee, Texas Standard, April 3, 2019, 9:33 am
Bill targets Texas charter school admissions, Julie Chang, Austin American-Statesman, March 21, 2019
Parents worry students struggling with STAAR test won’t graduate, Alyssa Goard, KXAN Austin, March 20, 2019
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