Teaching Quality

Success in schooling means having quality teachers, teachers who know their subject, who know effective instructional practices and who value their students.

Unfortunately, many students – particularly those who are in under-resourced schools or in schools with high proportions of students of color – do not have access to these teachers.

We also know that teaching quality is more than the teacher as a person. It is characterized by strong content knowledge and effective culturally responsive pedagogy, quality decision-making in the classroom, self-efficacy, innovation, capacity to teach diverse students, and grounded in community and institutional support.

IDRA provide professional development, coaching and innovation to school programs to support teachers serving diverse student populations, including emergent bilingual students.

Culturally Sustaining Schooling

Culturally sustaining schools address fundamental equity concerns by holding high expectations for students and providing the highest levels of support for all students to succeed. IDRA supports schools to implement practices at the following critical levels: (1) culturally sustaining schools, (2) culturally sustaining leadership, (3) culturally sustaining educators, and (4) culturally sustaining pedagogy.

Teacher Preparation

IDRA’s work has shown that schools, with equitable resources, can develop the capability to make a difference in the lives of all children. Success in school means having quality teachers, teachers who know their subject, who know effective instructional practices, who have the resources they need and who value their students. For example, through its Transition to Teaching programs, funded by the U.S. Department of Education, IDRA partnered with universities and more than 55 public school districts across Texas to prepare a new generation of skilled, effective teachers to lead and innovate in schools that need them most. Building on these programs and IDRA’s experience in classrooms and teacher professional development, we assist schools and school districts to build capacity to serve students in diverse classrooms.

IDRA SEEN School Resource Hub – We All Belong

IDRA’s hub of resources is designed for educators, families and policy advocates, particularly in the U.S. South, who want to make sure students receive a strong, truthful education in our public schools. Launched in 2022, our hub provides tools for teaching in a climate of classroom censorship.

VisionCoders

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 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. This field-initiated, research-based program is funded by the U.S. Department of Education.

Learning Goes On – A COVID-19 Resource for Education

When schools closed due to COVID-19, IDRA immediately responded to educators and families so students could continue learning. IDRA launched Learning Goes On to serve as a hub for instructional materials, webinars, policy updates, student and community insights and other information and resources.

Knowledge is Power

IDRA’s Knowledge is Power is a national resource for educators and advocates to help you do your work for equity and excellence in education in the midst of classroom censorship policies.

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.

Educator and Student Support