IDRA Classnotes
Education & Explainer
About
The IDRA Classnotes podcast is a tool for public school teachers and administrators. It gives insights into key issues in education in the United States, particularly in relation to serving minority students and English languages learners.
Episodes
- Classnotes Podcast Episode List
Award-winning podcast exploring strategies to better serve every student in our diverse classrooms. To ensure you don’t miss a single episode of IDRA Classnotes, sign up to receive an e-mail alert as soon as a new show is published. Classn…
- Seeds We Planted – A Family Legacy of Brown v. Board of Ed. – IDRA Classnotes Podcast Episode 255
In this Mother's Day episode, three generations of the Russaw family reflect on how Brown v. Board of Education shaped their experiences with school desegregation. They share personal stories of sacrifice, opportunity, and how their family…
- Ending Corporal Punishment Starts With Community – IDRA Classnotes Podcast Episode #256
This IDRA Classnotes podcast episode discusses the persistence and harmful impacts of corporal punishment in U.S. schools, particularly on Black students, students with disabilities, and children in the South. It highlights the importance…
- What Shapes STEM Pathways for Girls – IDRA Classnotes Podcast Episode 254
In IDRA Classnotes Episode 254, Dr. Lizdelia Piñon and Dr. Stephanie Garcia explore the underrepresentation of girls in STEM, attributing it to systemic barriers rather than ability. They discuss how access, culture, and policy influence p…
- Student Voices After DEI – The Law in Education – IDRA Classnotes Podcast Episode 253
This episode examines the effects of Texas Senate Bill 17 and related policies on college access, campus climate, and student support systems, highlighting student experiences and organizing efforts.
- The Work Ahead and the Hope That Fuels It – IDRA Classnotes Podcast Episode 252
In the final episode of the series, IDRA Education Policy Fellows discuss their experiences after nine months of legislative advocacy. They share what gives them hope, offer advice for those entering the field, and reflect on their persona…
- From Lived Experience to Policy Change – Classnotes Podcast 251
Classnotes Podcast (September 23, 2025). What does it take to turn passion into impact? In this episode, IDRA Education Policy Fellows reflect on what led them to apply for the fellowship, how they built new skills in education policy and…
- Still We Show Up and Speak Out – Classnotes Podcast 250
Classnotes Podcast (August 22, 2025). In this episode, IDRA Education Policy Fellows share their personal experiences as advocates of color in southern legislatures. They reflect on how their cultural identities shaped their work and how t…
- Where Power Lives and Who It Leaves Out – Classnotes Podcast 249
Classnotes Podcast (August 4, 2025). In the first episode of this four-part series, IDRA Education Policy Fellows reflect on their hands-on advocacy during the 2025 legislative sessions in Texas and Georgia. They discuss what it was like t…
- The Truth About Private School Vouchers – Classnotes Podcast 248
Classnotes Podcast (February 21, 2025) As activities to divert public money to private schools grow across the country and at the national level, the Texas leadership is pushing hard to establish its own voucher program. This is despite pu…
- Classnotes Podcast Awards and Recognitions
We are proud to share that the IDRA Classnotes Podcast has received the following awards. Please help us spread the news by telling your friends and colleagues about the Classnotes Podcast. Award of Distinction in the 2010 Communicator Awa…
- Introducing Cuentos de mi familia – Podcast Episode 247
Classnotes Podcast (November 25, 2024). María “Cuca” Robledo Montecel, Ph.D., and her son Xavier Montecel, Ph.D. , have embarked on an oral history project in the form of their own podcast, Cuentos de mi familia . In Episode 108, they focu…
- Teachers on STEM Equity for Students – Podcast Episode 246
Classnotes Podcast (October 28, 2024). Several of the IDRA STEM Equity Ambassadors want to give back to their hometown of San Antonio. The STEM Equity Ambassadors program hosted by IDRA gave educators the opportunity to use interactive and…
- IDRA Digital Ambassador Students Lead Community Technology Training – Classnotes Podcast 245
Classnotes Podcast (October 4, 2024). Anavi Prakash speaks with students Carlos and Ashly and youth leader Gabriela Benitez about their experience in the IDRA Digital Ambassadors program . This program supports communities in the Texas Rio…
- The Law in Education – Gun Free Schools Act – Classnotes Podcast 244
Classnotes Podcast (September 16, 2024) 2024 marked the 30 th anniversary of the federal Gun Free Schools Act of 1994 – a landmark bill that promised to bring about an end to gun violence on school campuses. But schools are no safer now th…
- The Law in Education – YCT v Smatresk at UNT – Classnotes Podcast 243
Classnotes Podcast (July 1, 2024) A recent court ruling stopped a case filed by the Young Conservatives of Texas that was an anti-immigrant attack on the Texas Dream Act. This act recognizes that Texas high school graduates, regardless of…
- Supportive College Climates for Undocumented Students – Classnotes Podcast #242
Classnotes Podcast (April 29, 2024) Anti-immigrant rhetoric has real consequences on students’ lives. Since IDRA’s earliest days, we have been at the forefront of protecting the rights of immigrant students to attend public school. Their a…
- Ambassador Educators on Promoting STEM Equity – Classnotes Podcast #241
Classnotes Podcast (April 3, 2024). Many initiatives across the country are looking for ways to turn the tide to support underperforming and first-generation college-going students in STEM career paths. STEM equity must be infused into cla…
- Student Leaders Surprise Teachers – Podcast Episode 240
Classnotes Podcast (January 19, 2024). Many programs in public schools take a while to bear fruit. This is not surprising since schools are systems, and positive change requires systemic change. But we have also seen change occur quickly w…
- Standing on the Shoulders of Giants – Podcast Episode 239
Classnotes Podcast (December 14, 2023). In 2023, IDRA celebrated its 50th anniversary with a series of events throughout the year, including a gala highlighting IDRA’s Bold Legacy and Bright Future. This special episode features the remark…
- A Bright Future in Education Advocacy – Podcast Episode 238
Classnotes Podcast (November 9, 2023). At IDRA we often say “everyone is a policy advocate.” This means that everyone has the right and responsibility to be involved in the policymaking processes that influence education. This especially i…
- Perspectives on Broadband Infrastructure for Students – Podcast Episode 237
Classnotes Podcast (October 2, 2023). Access to technology and the Internet are not luxuries. They are critical to life today, especially in education. But that access is limited in low-income communities and their schools. Solutions requi…
- Advocates of Color and Community Power – Podcast Episode 236
Classnotes Podcast (August 30, 2023). Decisions about education made by state-level lawmakers impact millions of students. But few people have input into those decisions, especially those in communities of color. IDRA’s groundbreaking Educ…
- Learning from Latino and Multilingual Youth – Podcast Episode 235
Classnotes Podcast (July 30, 2023). Jonathan Peraza Campos, M.S., speaks with Dr. Jyoti Kaneria and doctoral candidate Emily Lemon about their community-engaged research and the implications it can have in the classroom and policymaking sp…
- The Good, Bad and Ugly of Legislative Advocacy – Podcast Episode 234
Classnotes Podcast (July 16 2023). As IDRA’s groundbreaking Education Policy Fellows Program closed its second cycle, we sat down with our five fellows to reflect on their experience. With this program, IDRA set out to change the landscape…
- The Law in Education – Rodríguez vs. San Antonio ISD – Podcast Episode 233
Classnotes Podcast (March 20, 2023). In the 1960s, students across Texas walked out of their schools to demand a strong education made possible by fair funding of schools. Some of those students were in Edgewood ISD, where parents then cam…
- Educational Impact of Digital Redlining – Podcast Episode 232
Classnotes Podcast (February 6, 2023). Public school investment has largely mirrored investment in parts of communities or certain neighborhoods. The discriminatory practice of redlining occurred when particular neighborhoods were marked a…
- The Law in Education – U.S. Supreme Court Update – Podcast Episode 231
Classnotes Podcast (December 8, 2022). The 2021-22 session of the U.S. Supreme Court left on imprint on education through a number or rulings, including some that were not technically education cases. Paige Duggins-Clay, J.D., IDRA’s chief…
- AIM Framework for Teaching Intercultural Skills – Podcast Episode 230
Classnotes Podcast (November 7, 2022). America is Me (AIM) is a framework that provides educators with curricular resources to promote students’ understanding of equity issues central to the development of U.S. history and contemporary soc…
- The Law in Education – Students Press for Affirmative Action – Podcast Episode 229
Classnotes Podcast (October 26, 2022). On October 31, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear two cases that have the potential to radically re-write the rules for colleges to seek and rely on information about students’ race, ethnicity, na…
- Even Digital Natives Need to Learn Digital Literacy – Podcast Episode 228
Classnotes Podcast (September 26, 2022). Digital literacy is a critical skill for engaging in our world today. It is much broader than knowing how to operate a computer or navigate a website. Christina Quintanilla-Muñoz, M.Ed., talks with…
- Evaluating Shared Family Leadership in Education – Part 2 – Podcast Episode 227
Classnotes Podcast (August 29, 2022) IDRA’s shared family leadership process involves families joining in collaborative leadership, establishing connections with school, and developing and carrying out leadership projects to improve their…
- Evaluating Shared Family Leadership in Education – Part 1 – Podcast Episode 226
Classnotes Podcast (August 17, 2022) Effective evaluation is critical to understanding more than just whether or not an initiative worked. It can provide insights into what makes it work and how success can be sustained. But evaluating fam…
- Uniting Community Voices in Georgia Policymaking – Podcast Episode 225
Classnotes Podcast (July 20, 2022). This year was the first time IDRA has had a team in Georgia to lead advocacy in its legislative session. They focused on key issues like school funding, culturally sustaining schooling and LGBTQ civil ri…
- The Law in Education – Plyler v Doe – Podcast Episode 224
Classnotes Podcast (June 27, 2022). In one of those last-minute backdoor tricks, an amendment was slipped through the Texas Legislature without debate in 1975 setting off a chain of events that shoved a specific selection of children out o…
- The Law in Education – Brown v Board of Ed – Podcast Episode 223
Classnotes Podcast (May 16, 2022). The role of public education in the United States evolved since the founding mothers and fathers arranged for their own children’s learning. The progression and regression often is fueled by federal and s…
- Tools for Schools Dealing with Bullying – Podcast Episode 222
Classnotes Podcast (April 19, 2022). Bullying and harassment undermines students’ abilities to learn and hinders the establishment of safe spaces in schools. The IDRA EAC- South ‘s Interrupting Bullying & Harassment in Schools online toolk…
- Nurturing Courageous Critical Conversations in the Classroom – Podcast Episode 221
Classnotes Podcast (March 23, 2022). Teachers understand the need for students to have substantive conversations to develop their vocabulary and connect to the subject matter. They build into their lesson plans, specific strategies to gene…
- Benefits of Reflection for School Leaders – Podcast Episode 220
Classnotes Podcast (February 28, 2022). Critical reflection is important for professional growth among school leaders. It creates space for leaders to gain insights about their practices that can enhance leadership skills. Dr. Nilka Avilés…
- STEM Journeys of Two Young Women of Color – Part 2 – Podcast Episode 219
Classnotes Podcast (February 7, 2022). In this second of two podcast episodes, Dr. Stephanie Garcia talks with two young women of color who are passionate about their pursuit of STEM. CSO Alumna Isela, who identifies as a Chicana, is a sop…
- STEM Journeys of Two Young Women of Color – Part 1 – Podcast Episode 218
Classnotes Podcast (January 24, 2022). In this first of two podcast episodes, Dr. Stephanie Garcia talks with two young women of color who are passionate about their pursuit of STEM. CSO Alumna Isela, who identifies as a Chicana, is a soph…
- The Future of Education Advocacy and Being Pushy – Podcast Episode 217
Classnotes Podcast (December 30, 2021). It started with a dream – a dream to not be the only one in the room. On multiple occasions, Morgan Craven, J.D., and Celina Moreno, J.D., were the only advocates of color in the Texas Capitol repres…
- Education Policy Fellows Get Things Done in the Suppression Session – Podcast Episode 216
Classnotes Podcast (December 13, 2021). The policymaking process is more complicated that Schoolhouse Rock would have you believe. IDRA’s policy fellows got a crash course during the 2021 Texas legislative sessions on how the process exclu…
- An Inside Look at Advocating with Communities of Color – Podcast Episode 215
Classnotes Podcast (November 29, 2021). Community advocacy is hefty because you are not just speaking on your own behalf, others are relying on you. IDRA’s policy fellows felt that responsibility in their fellowship, but also had the stren…
- Education Advocacy Hinges on Community Collaboration – Podcast Episode 214
Classnotes Podcast (November 19, 2021). As IDRA’s groundbreaking Education Policy Fellows Program closed its inaugural year, we sat down with our four fellows to reflect on their experience. With this program, IDRA set out to change the la…
- Students Want Schools to Teach Inclusive Truth – Podcast Episode 213
Classnotes Podcast (October 29, 2021) Concerned about the impact of the new classroom censorship bill in Texas, 88 public school students described their experiences with racial discrimination in school. Their stories show why diversity, e…
- Digital Inclusion is Vital for Students and Families – Podcast Episode 212
Classnotes Podcast (September 27, 2021). The digital divide affects millions of Texas households that cannot get broadband Internet access. When schools moved instruction online due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this country’s simmering digita…
- Teaching that is Culturally-Relevant -Responsive and -Sustaining – Podcast Episode 211
Classnotes Podcast (May 18, 2021). In exploring the role of teachers in bringing about academic success for students of color, three terms are often used interchangeably: culturally responsive, culturally relevant, and culturally sustainin…
- A Culture of Student Engagement Through Schoolwide Restorative Practices – Podcast Episode 210
Classnotes Podcast (April 26, 2021). Often, people talk about restorative practice as an approach to student discipline. It is true that restorative practices include a reactive component designed to restore relationships by repairing harm…
- Connecting with Students in the Virtual Biology Classroom – Podcast Episode 209
Classnotes Podcast (April 6, 2021). At the core of IDRA’s philosophy is the recognition that each student is a unique and whole human being and should be treated as such. Our guest for this episode is Annabel Saenz Cruz who teaches ninth-g…