IDRA Gives Recommendations to Members of the President-elect Biden Education Transition Team
Incoming administration should focus on much-needed COVID-19 relief and policies that promote systemic educational equity
December 9, 2020
As President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris prepare to take office in January 2021, their transition teams are working with advocacy organizations and communities across the country to identify critical policy needs.

IDRA sent the letter below with recommendations to the Biden-Harris education transition team, urging the new administration to focus on much-needed COVID-19 relief and policies that promote systemic educational equity.

For more information, please contact Morgan Craven, IDRA's National Director of Policy, Advocacy, and Community Engagement at morgan.craven@idra.org.
Dear Members of President-elect Biden’s Education Transition Team:

The recommendations in this letter are submitted on behalf of the Intercultural Development Research Association (IDRA), a national non-profit organization with the mission of achieving equal educational opportunity through strong public schools that prepare all students to access and succeed in college.

Since 1973, IDRA has advocated equitable and excellent schools for all young people, particularly those from historically-marginalized communities, including students of color, those from families with limited incomes, emergent bilingual students, those who face gender-based discrimination, and immigrant students. These students are disproportionately impacted by harmful systemic inequities within our education and other related systems.

IDRA’s guiding principles emphasize excellence, equity and accountability. Equity without excellence is unacceptable, and excellence without equity is impossible.

IDRA’s approach combines research and data analyses; effective educational practices; and community-driven policy recommendations and advocacy campaigns. Additionally, we operate the IDRA EAC-South, one of four federally-funded equity assistance centers. We provide technical assistance, training, equity audits, and coaching to schools, education agencies, and related entities in 11 southern states and Washington, D.C.

IDRA urges President-elect Biden’s administration to immediately prioritize the recommendations below, which focus on several key areas:
An equitable response to COVID-19 that addresses systemic inequities;
Research-based funding policies for public schools that emphasize resource equity and opportunities, coupled with excellent outcomes;
School climate policies that end harmful discipline and policing practices, address systemic racism, protect the civil rights of all students, and support safe and culturally-sustaining schools;
Funding, programmatic changes, explicit agency guidance, and a national school-based network that ensure excellent educational opportunities for emergent bilingual students; and
Community engagement strategies that center students and families in proven educational leadership practices.
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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. 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.
 
IDRA works hand-in-hand with hundreds of thousands of educators and families each year in communities and classrooms around the country. All our work rests on an unwavering commitment to creating self-renewing schools that value and promote the success of students of all backgrounds.