Building the Next Generation of Civil Rights Advocates, Working with Impacted Communities
IDRA welcomes Savannah Anderson-Knight and Chris Escobar as its 2026-27 Education Policy Fellows. They will gain hands-on policy advocacy experience during the 2027 Texas legislative session while working alongside communities to advance equitable educational opportunities for students.
Key Takeaways
- IDRA selected Savannah Anderson-Knight and Chris Escobar as its 2026-27 Texas Education Policy Fellows.
- The fellows will gain policy advocacy experience and training during the 2027 Texas legislative session.
- The program develops advocates who work alongside impacted families and communities on education policy.
- The Trellis Foundation supports the 2026-27 program, coordinated by former fellow Mikayla Arciaga, M.A.Ed.
(September 29, 2026) After four cohorts of IDRA’s Education Policy Fellows Program, we are excited for you all to meet our two new fellows! IDRA’s policy fellows will gain real-world advocacy experience and training during the 2027 Texas legislative session.
We know state policymakers can make stronger decisions by working with advocates who are connected to impacted diverse communities.
Students of color make up 74% percent of Texas’ public school population. Yet, diverse advocates often are rarely present in the rooms where decisions about the lives and opportunities for students of color are made.
“Our newest policy fellows are taking steps to join an energetic generation of education justice advocates. Their work will build upon IDRA’s long history of engaging and creating policy change alongside impacted families,” said Chloe Latham Sikes, Ph.D., IDRA Director of Policy, Advocacy and Community Engagement. “We are beyond thrilled to learn from them and leverage their skills to advance meaningful educational policy change in Texas.”
IDRA launched its first Education Policy Fellows Program in 2020 with groundbreaking accomplishments. Our new Education Policy Fellows will continue to push forward a community-centered vision for what safe, equitable and excellent schools look like for all students to prepare for and complete college.
The 2026-27 cycle of this program is being generously supported by the Trellis Foundation. Georgia Advocacy Director and former fellow, Mikayla Arciaga, M.A.Ed., coordinates the programming for the new cohort of fellows.
IDRA Education Policy Fellows
Savannah Anderson-Knight
Savannah Anderson-Knight is a native of the Deep South, having grown up between the Blue Ridge Mountains of South Carolina and the Rolling Plains of Texas. The split between the rural South and suburban West gave her an early insight into how much a student’s zip code shapes the education they’re afforded.
Chris Escobar
Chris Escobar is an education policy researcher and graduate student at the University of Texas at Austin, where he is pursuing a master’s degree in educational policy and planning. Prior to graduate school, Chris spent six years with San Antonio ISD working in family and community engagement, partnerships, and legislative advocacy.
Media contact: Thomas Marshall III, M.Ed., thomas.marshall@idra.org.
FAQs
What is IDRA’s Education Policy Fellows Program?
IDRA’s Education Policy Fellows Program provides emerging advocates with hands-on education policy experience, training and opportunities to work alongside impacted communities. IDRA launched the program in 2020.
Who are IDRA’s 2026-27 Texas Education Policy Fellows?
IDRA’s 2026-27 Texas Education Policy Fellows are Savannah Anderson-Knight and Chris Escobar.
What will the IDRA Education Policy Fellows do?
The fellows will gain real-world advocacy experience and training during the 2027 Texas legislative session while supporting community-centered approaches to education policy.
Who supports IDRA’s Education Policy Fellows Program?
The 2026-27 cycle is supported by the Trellis Foundation and coordinated by IDRA Georgia Advocacy Director and former policy fellow Mikayla Arciaga, M.A.Ed.
