Morgan Craven, J.D., is IDRA’s National Director of Policy, Advocacy and Community Engagement. 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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Writings
- President’s Proposed Federal Budget Would Cut Education Funding and Programs, March 18, 2020
- Watching the Courts as They Consider the Next Voucher Case, March 18, 2020
- How Schools Can End Harmful Discipline Practices, February 26, 2020
- Accountability Measures Set to Respond to Public Pressure, July 30, 2019
- New Discipline and Safety Policies for Texas, July 25, 2019
- College Access Legislation Increases Transparency and Adds Funds to TEXAS Grant Program, July 25, 2019
- Education Impact of Supreme Court Decision on Citizenship Question, July 25, 2019
- Texas Legislature Concentrates on School Funding, July 25, 2019
- Current Proposals for Texas’ Investment in English Learners Still Not Enough, April 30, 2019
- Federal School Safety Commission Recommendations Could Lead to Less Safe Schools, April 08, 2019
- Discipline Policies Must Not Come at the Expense of Any Group of Students, April 08, 2019
Podcasts
- Most Recent Fights for Fair Funding of Texas Schools – Podcast Episode 197, October 23, 2019
- Quick History School Finance in Texas – Podcast Episode 196, October 11, 2019
- Impact of Mass Shootings on Schools – Podcast Episode 195, September 01, 2019
