School Leadership

The school principal lays the critical foundation for an effective school. Not surprisingly, research shows that there is an empirical correlation between the quality of school leadership and greater student achievement.

IDRA works with principal and instructional leadership teams to establish transformational approaches that build self-efficacy, a positive and inclusive school culture, data-informed instruction, and student-centered systems.

IDRA Contract Services

IDRA provides on-site and virtual training and technical assistance to thousands of teachers and students across the country and to schools, school districts and other groups. Sample service package include:

Online Technical Assistance Toolkits

IDRA has published online courses and stand-alone technical assistance toolkits to support educators, leaders and communities on equity and desegregation.

Leadership Coaching

IDRA’s school improvement coaches work with district and campus leadership teams to help them polish their own skillsets that lead to effective delivery of high-quality deeper learning and evidence-based instruction. For example, IDRA’s Re-energizing Leadership to Achieve Greater Student Success project helped principals and administrative team members in two school districts more effectively improve student outcomes in diverse schools. The project built on IDRA’s School TurnAround and Reenergizing for Success (STAARS) Leaders project. Both of these examples were federally funded. IDRA also works with school leadership teams through other means.

Serving Emergent Bilingual Students

IDRA supports all phases of effective emergent bilingual (English learner) student education, from planning through implementation, community engagement and sustainability for student success through training of mentors and coaches. Our work is informed by decades of research and real-world experience. See IDRA resources for schools, including our Semillitas de Aprendizaje™ early childhood bilingual supplemental curriculum and Good Schools and Classrooms for Children Learning English.

STEM Pipeline

The Defense STEM Education Consortium recently named IDRA and the Alamo STEM Ecosystem as one of four STEM hubs in the country. As lead of the Alamo STEM Ecosystem, which brings together educators, industry and other partners, we are increasing opportunities for young students to work directly with technology to expand their problem-solving skills.

IDRA named eight teachers in San Antonio as STEM Equity Ambassadors for the 2023-24 school year. The Alamo STEM Ecosystem, co-led by IDRA, is partnering with the other three Defense STEM Education Consortium (DSEC) partners across the country to support over 30 STEM Equity Ambassadors using interactive and experiential teaching methods to support them as they develop a robust STEM action plan for their own school and school district.

IDRA’s VisionCoders is a new eighth-grade computer science course being developed by IDRA in partnership with Texas A&M University–San Antonio and 12 schools in seven Title I Bexar County school districts. In this course, middle school students who are in at-risk situations will become software designers who create educational games for prekindergarten, kindergarten and first-grade students.

Cultural and Ethnic Studies

Ethnic studies courses benefit all students. Culturally-sustaining curriculum has a positive impact on students’ academic and community engagement. IDRA has a number of resources and provides training and customized technical assistance that supports educators in offering ethnic studies courses in public schools.

Fair Dress Codes

No child should have their body objectified or shamed for what they wear to school or how they stylistically express themselves. Fair dress codes uphold respect for cultural expression, prohibit hate speech in accordance with the law, and have no disparate impact based on race or gender nor harmful exclusionary disciplinary responses. IDRA assists school districts to help them review their codes of conduct, including dress code and hairstyle sections, to ensure they are free from bias and disproportionate impacts and to stop using exclusionary practices inappropriately.

Educator and Student Support