Transforming Education by Putting Kids First |
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IDRA Newsletter – This Issue's Focus:
Visions of Educational Equity for the New Year
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In This Issue
Healing-Centered Engagement – Transforming Education in the Pandemic and Beyond
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Equitable Education Policies in the U.S. South Can Push the Country Toward Education Justice
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Parents Urge Schools to Enrich, Not Exclude
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New Toolkit on Interrupting Bullying & Harassment in Schools
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In Memoriam – James David Lehmann, Sr.
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We're Hiring and We're Looking for Interns!
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IDRA EAC-South eCourses
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Recent News
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Healing-Centered Engagement – Transforming Education in the Pandemic and Beyond |
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by Irene Gómez, Ed.M.
Irene Gómez, Ed.M., shares her experiences living and working through the COVID-19 pandemic as a Harvard graduate student and the logistical and personal barriers she overcame that mirrored the myriad challenges that K-12 students have faced over the last year. Numerous issues that these students, particularly many Black and Latino students, have confronted are exacerbated by inequitable policies such as housing and food instability or the school-to-prison pipeline.
Adults in education working with these students can build on trauma-informed care and engage in healing-centered engagement, which contextualizes widescale collective harm these communities experience and encourages actions they can take together to chip away at root societal causes. Suggestions on how to bring healing-centered engagement in the classroom include letting students explore past, present and future realities, building on asset-based practices and supporting the adults, particularly educators, who work with these students.
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Proven Strategies for
Re-engaging Students
Who Need You the Most
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Find out key factors that keep students coming back and how you can help them feel a sense of success day after day. IDRA shows strategies that have been proven successful in the IDRA Valued Youth Partnership program and how you can integrate them into your school planning. We also outline ways you can use federal relief funds to strengthen student engagement and increase attendance.
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Equitable Education Policies in the U.S. South Can Push the Country Toward Education Justice |
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by Terrence Wilson, J.D., and Chloe Latham Sikes, Ph.D.
The U.S. South is home to a young and racially diverse student population. Nearly one in three public K-12 students in the country goes to school in the South. IDRA is building a policy agenda for 2022 to promote education equity across the U.S. South.
To set evidence-based and community-grounded policy priorities, we aligned our focus on four major areas: fair public school funding, excellent education for emergent bilingual students, culturally-sustaining schooling and college preparation for all students. Across all issues, IDRA advocates for equitable educational opportunities for historically marginalized students, especially Black, Latino and LGBTQ+ students. In this article, we discuss each of the four priority areas.
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Parents Urge Schools to Enrich, Not Exclude |
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by Aurelio M. Montemayor, M.Ed.
Though news stories in recent months have brought the image of dissatisfied parents yelling at school board meetings about topics and materials used in the classroom to the fore, these voices do not represent the majority of parents and caretakers. Over the past year, IDRA has worked with families seeking information about ethnic studies courses and affirming their children’s need to learn about the histories and cultures of people of color. They told decision-makers about their support for richer and more extensive culturally appropriate instruction and called for comprehensive dual language programs.
These families do not want books banned but have called for more culturally-relevant books. These advocates had plenty of positive things to say about their children’s education. They called for more funding, resources, and inclusive, accurate materials.
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New Toolkit on Interrupting Bullying & Harassment in Schools |
This IDRA EAC-South Interrupting Bullying & Harassment in Schools online toolkit is designed to give educators and school leaders tools that they need to prevent bullying and harassment by fostering a positive school climate.
This free online toolkit includes three chapters, each with a video and supporting resources, infographics, articles and podcasts.
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In Memoriam – James David Lehmann, Sr. |
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Mr. James David Lehmann, Sr., a former long-time member of the IDRA Board of Directors, passed away this month. He led a life dedicated to equity in education.
“James was a smart, dedicated educator who put students first and was a great contributor to IDRA. He will be missed,” said Mr. Juventino “Tino” Guerra, IDRA board chair.
Born in Vancouver, he grew up in Eagle Pass. After college, he served in the U.S. Air Force as a sergeant and later earned his master’s in education administration and joined the University of Texas at Austin’s superintendency fellowship program. He was superintendent in school districts in Eagle Pass, Houston, Seguin and Weslaco. He also served on the National Bilingual Advisory Council and helped start the Equity Center in Texas.
Mr. Lehman opened many doors for others and helped advance educational opportunities for marginalized students across Texas. We send our condolences to his family.
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Consultants
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IDRA EAC-South Consultants
- Grant Writer Consultant
- Computer Science or Game Design Curriculum Consultant
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We're Looking for Interns! |
IDRA’s internship program is designed for undergraduate and graduate students who will develop work projects and learn with our diverse staff.
Summer positions include
- Communications Intern
- Research Intern
- Educational Practice Intern
- Policy, Advocacy, and Community Engagement Intern
We also are looking for a Community Engagement Intern for the spring of 2022.
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Ensuring Equitable Learning Environments for All Students
On-Demand Videos & Free eCourses
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Get effective tools and information on-demand from the IDRA EAC-South’s popular virtual convening held recently with hundreds of participants across the country.
The session videos and materials are available free at IDRA’s Equity Connection community of practice. You can pick and choose from the topics that most interest you on your own time.
Earn CPE credits.
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Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest news! |
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The Intercultural Development Research Association is an independent, non-profit organization. Our mission is to achieve equal educational opportunity for every child through strong public schools that prepare all students to access and succeed in college. |
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