New Partnership Launches the Texas Early Childhood English Learner Initiative  
IDRA Will Co-lead Statewide Effort to Build Policy Agenda for Young English Learners  

San Antonio, June 24, 2020 
 IDRA is excited to announce our partnership in launching the new Early Childhood English Learner (ECEL) initiative. IDRA will serve as a steering committee co-leader with Texans Care for Children; Texas Education Grantmakers Advocacy Consortium (TEGAC); Dr. Dina Castro, UNT Denton; and Texas Association for the Education of Young Children (TxAEYC).

The initiative will build a data-driven, statewide policy agenda that improves the quality and equity of early childhood programs, care facilities and early grade programs for Texas' youngest English learner students, ages 0-8 years old. It will use research, stakeholder conversations and robust policy analysis to build an agenda that we can advance during the 2021 Texas Legislative session. Policy recommendations will be released in late 2020.

"The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting closure of school and childcare facilities have had severe implications for English learner access to effective and equitable bilingual education instruction," said IDRA President & CEO Celina Moreno. "We are excited to help lead this collaborative work to ensure young English learner children have the best start in schooling possible."

The Texas Education Grantmakers Advocacy Consortium (TEGAC), the Rainwater Charitable Foundation and the Alliance for Early Success are the generous sponsors of this important and timely initiative.

As a co-leader of the steering committee, IDRA will contribute research, data analysis and policy expertise on English learners and bilingual education policy.


IDRA developed one of the first bilingual early childhood curricula in the country and brings over 47 years of experience in research, policy, school practice and community engagement to this initiative. IDRA's latest bilingual curriculum,  Semillitas de Aprendizaje, equips teachers to build student skills in using language in various ways, through stories, prose, song and verse that are age appropriate in fostering mastery in all components of early literacy.
Media contact: Christie L. Goodman, APR, IDRA Director of Communications,  christie.goodman@idra.org
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. IDRA strengthens and transforms public education by providing dynamic training; useful research, evaluation, and frameworks for action; timely policy analyses; and innovative materials and programs.

We are committed to the IDRA valuing philosophy, respecting the knowledge and skills of the individuals we work with and build on the strengths of the students and parents in their schools.