The U.S. Congress plays a pivotal role in helping states achieve this goal as it considers reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). IDRA’s track record in educational pedagogy, research and policy on behalf of minority and at-risk school children and emerging communities forms a strong basis for its policy recommendations at the federal level.
IDRA National Priority Policy Issues
Fair Funding that Ensures Equity and Excellence for All Students
Fair Discipline that Keeps Students in Safe Schools
Policies that Keep the Public in Public Education
Testing that Doesn’t Hurt Children
Higher Education Access that Expands Opportunities
Diverse Schools that Build Stronger Communities
Community Engagement that Strengthens Schools
News
Court Decision on the “Public Charge” Rule Leaves Schools to Fill Gaps to Address Children’s Hunger, Housing Insecurity and Other Needs that Affect their Learning, January 27, 2020
IDRA Letter to the U.S. Department of Education Regarding Proposed Changes to Civil Rights Data Collection, November 18, 2019
Strong Civil Rights Data Collection Needed for Best Educational Outcomes, IDRA and 57 other civil rights and education groups submit joint comments in response to the Department of Education’s proposal to limit the scope of the Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC), November 18, 2019
IDRA Lists Concerns with Proposed Amendments to Title IX Gender Equity Regulations, January 30, 2019
2020 Census Form Should Not Include Question about Citizenship, IDRA Written Comments Submitted to U.S. Department of Commerce, August 6, 2018
IDRA among 186 organizations call for congressional hearings on the educational needs of Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands – The undersigned organizations strongly support the bipartisan request for the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee to hold hearings to assess and address the ongoing education and health crisis in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands from the destructive hurricanes Irma and Maria. January 23, 2018
IDRA Calls for Greater Federal Role in Education – In testimony presented before the U.S. Department of Education’s Equity and Excellence Commission, IDRA stated that it is imperative that new federal policies be adopted to protect the right to equal educational opportunities for all of our students in every state. “When families can’t count on their neighborhood public school to be funded equitably, something has gone deeply wrong in America.” See IDRA’s three recommendations.
Resources about the Elementary and Secondary Education Act
The New Every Student Succeeds Act – Progress and Promise or Retreat and Surrender, IDRA Policy Note, December 15, 2015
ESEA Reauthorization Measure Fails to Protect Student Civil Rights or to Promote Student Success – IDRA Statement on the U.S. House of Representatives Passage of the Student Success Act
Elementary and Secondary Education Act, U.S. Department of Education website
Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act Upcoming – Much Debate but Little Movement, By Albert Cortez, Ph.D., IDRA Newsletter (January 2000)
Video: Signing of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, April 11, 1965
The Latino Pursuit for Excellence and Equity in U.S. Public Schools: Mendez (1946) and Brown (1954) – Today and Beyond, Dr. María “Cuca” Robledo Montecel, speech, October 10, 2003
No Child Left Behind, Education Week, September 19, 2011
Dr. María “Cuca” Robledo Montecel, IDRA executive director, presented testimony before the Committee on Education and Labor, U.S. House of Representatives, in Washington, D.C., in a hearing on “NCLB: Preventing Dropouts and Enhancing School Safety.”
Resources about Federal Court Rulings
The Right to Inclusion and Success in Education is Reaffirmed, Statement by Dr. María “Cuca” Robledo Montecel, IDRA President and CEO, on the Fifth Circuit Decision in Fisher vs. University of Texas at Austin on the University of Texas’ Holistic Admissions Program, July 16, 2014
Affirming the Right to Inclusion and Success in Education, Statement by Dr. María “Cuca” Robledo Montecel, IDRA President and CEO, on the U.S. Supreme Court Ruling in Fisher vs. University of Texas at Austin – June 24, 2013
IDRA Rejects Appeals Court Conclusions about Texas’ Education of English Language Learner Students, A Statement by Dr. María “Cuca” Robledo Montecel, IDRA President and CEO, March 25, 2010
Supreme Court Ruling in Horne vs. Flores is a Missed Opportunity – Fair Funding is Critical to Successful Education of English Language Learners, Statement by Dr. María “Cuca” Robledo Montecel, IDRA President and CEO, September 1, 2009
IDRA Statement – Affirmative Action: A Vision of Inclusion, March 4, 2003
Other Federal Policy News
How the Common Core Must Ensure Equity by Fully Preparing Every Student for Postsecondary Success, Recommendations from the Regional Equity Assistance Centers on Implementation of the Common Core State Standards, 2014
Immigrant Students’ Rights to Attend Public Schools, School opening alert and related resources
IDRA White Paper: The Cost of Inequity in Education, June 2010
Assuring Civil Rights Protection with State ESEA Flexibility Waivers, Bradley Scott, Ph.D., IDRA Newsletter, May 2013
Building a Civil Rights Juggernaut Using the Common Core Standards, Bradley Scott, Ph.D., IDRA Newsletter, February 2013
Dare to Dream: Open Paths to Higher Education for All Children, December 2, 2010
President Obama set to sign Executive Order on Hispanic Education – IDRA president & CEO, Dr. Robledo Montecel will join signing ceremony, October 19, 2010
