A look at shared efforts to protect public education and expand opportunity for students
Key takeaways
- IDRA worked with partners nationwide to protect public education and expand opportunity.
- Student leadership and family voice remained central to IDRA’s work.
- IDRA advanced college access through early college, counseling and technology initiatives.
- Legal advocacy and policy engagement strengthened protections for students.
- Partnerships with educators and communities drove meaningful change.
The past year underscored both the challenges facing public education and the importance of working in partnership to address them.
Students spoke up. Educators organized. Communities showed up. And alongside you, IDRA worked to protect public education and expand opportunity during a time of real uncertainty.
We stayed focused on what matters most: students’ opportunity to learn.
In moments like these, many turned to IDRA for steady leadership. Our staff provided coalition leadership training, expert testimony, media interviews, legal analysis, research and public speaking that helped inform decision-making and elevate the voices of students, educators and families nationwide.
Here are some highlights of the work we advanced together in 2025.
A bold roadmap forward: We unveiled IDRA’s new five-year strategic plan, our most ambitious roadmap to date for strengthening public education and advancing student opportunity.
Student leadership at the center: We celebrated the 40th anniversary of the IDRA Valued Youth Partnership, a nationally recognized model demonstrating what happens when schools use asset-based practices. Its bedrock strategies now anchor IDRA Youth Leadership Now, operating in multiple school districts. We directly served over 2,000 students through our innovative programs.
Expanding pathways to college: We launched IDRA Youth TechXperts to build middle schoolers’ technology and leadership skills, and we partnered with Texas ESC Region One to launch Kickstart College-Ready, which extends early college high school initiatives into a schoolwide model where every student is part of college-going culture.
Civic engagement and policy influence: We helped individuals take stands to advocate for strong public education and college access. Students spoke before school boards and policymakers. Teachers testified against private school vouchers. IDRA’s four Education Policy Fellows represented communities of color in state policy spaces, while Civic Changemakers high school students testified before the Georgia legislature. We also launched new model policies on college counseling and community-school leadership.
Defending immigrant students’ rights: IDRA provided multilingual tools, filed a cross-sector coalition amicus brief, monitored policies and executive orders, and issued calls to action to protect immigrant students’ access to public education and college.
Advancing bilingual education: We helped secure the Texas State Board of Education’s adoption of the first-ever bilingual special education certificate, and we worked with partners to rally pressure to reinstate federal funding for bilingual education.
Strengthening STEM ecosystems: Through our STEM Hub, we hosted over 200 students at our region-wide STEM Youth Summit. We supported teachers in the Alamo STEM Ecosystem educator conference and summer teacher externships. We expanded our community-based IDRA Digital Ambassadors program and our in-school VisionCoders program where middle school students learned to code and received leadership training.
Growing legal advocacy: We created a summer law clerk program and co-authored coalition amicus briefs to protect Dreamer students, confront hair discrimination, and challenge discriminatory classroom mandates.
As we look ahead, we also pause to honor those whose leadership shaped this work. The IDRA family said farewell to our beloved president emerita Dr. María “Cuca” Robledo Montecel, with a profound sense of loss personally and for our community. We also lost board vice chair David L. Benson, a steadfast champion for educational justice. Their leadership and commitment continue to guide our work.
As we enter a new year, we do so with deep gratitude. Thank you to the students, families, educators, advocates, partners and funders who make this work possible. Your trust and collaboration sustain IDRA’s mission and strengthen our resolve to keep children and communities at the center of public education.
We look forward to continuing this work together in the year ahead.
Celina Moreno
FAQs
What is the focus of IDRA’s work entering the new year?
IDRA is focused on protecting public education and expanding opportunity for students through partnership and advocacy.
What kinds of work did IDRA advance in 2025?
IDRA supported student leadership, college access, legal advocacy, policy change and educator partnerships nationwide.
How did IDRA support college access?
IDRA expanded early college models, launched technology pathways and released new policy tools for schools and states.
Why are partnerships central to IDRA’s approach?
Partnerships ensure that students, families and educators shape solutions grounded in real community needs.
How does this work continue into the year ahead?
IDRA will build on these efforts through sustained collaboration, advocacy and leadership development.
