About IDEA
MISSION
Mobilizing action to advance meaningful learning and build a more just and sustainable democracy.
VISION
Our vision is an engaged, informed, and energized majority clear about the role of education in a just society, where communities in the U.S. and Puerto Rico have the tools, visions, stories, and strategies to create educational experiences and systems that lead towards equity, justice, and sovereignty.
We work towards this vision by making critical connections alongside and with communities engaged in the struggle for education equity and justice, and building ongoing learning opportunities to ensure that communities can achieve their goals.
Core Values and Principles
Leading with justice and equity
Leading with justice and equity at center by recognizing the entrenched systemic inequity that has long permeated every aspect of society and engaging in efforts towards an equitable vision of education and society
Responsible collaboration and leadership
Responsible collaboration and leadership guided by a dedication to centering authentic community voice at the core of our work, remaining accountable to the communities with whom we collaborate, and maintaining a learner’s mindset in all of our collaboration.
Embodying love and spirit
Embodying Love and Spirit. We are human beings first, and more deeply connected to one another than our modern world will readily admit. While many forces seek to shift our attention, IDEA maintains a discipline in holding space for love, spirit, and humanity to guide our work in the various shapes it takes.
Intentional power building in communities
Intentional power building in communities by supporting local youth, educators, and parents to be the leaders and drivers of change in their communities.
HUMILITY IN OUR WORK AND RELATIONSHIPS
Centering humility as foundational to our work and relationships by acknowledging the limits of any one person or organization’s knowledge, listening intently to our partners, and remaining open to continual learning, reflection, and growth.
Honoring humanity over agenda
Honoring humanity over agenda. We place the physical, emotional, and social needs of people and communities over any pre-set agenda or schedule. While there is an urgent need for equity, justice, and sovereignty, we must first ensure that we respect the human needs of ourselves, and the people and communities we work with.
Who We Are
IDEA is a non profit organization based in Jackson, Mississippi. We collaborate with students, educators, families, and communities to advocate and build capacity for education equity and justice. While Jackson is our home base, we also work with partners and communities around the United States and in Puerto Rico.
IDEA was founded in 2010 by educators, parents, and organizers who saw the need to change the narrative and practice of education towards learning that is relevant to young people and communities. A core belief was that the best way to effect widespread change is to collaborate with and raise up the voices of youth, educators, parents, and community leaders.
Since 2015 IDEA has been rooted in Jackson, Mississippi, where we collaborate with partner organizations and the community to support and strengthen public education in the city. Meanwhile we have continued to engage across the United States and in Puerto Rico to change the narrative, practice, and policy around public education, realizing the power of local-national-international connections to support local efforts and contribute to the broad movement for education justice, equity, and sovereignty.
Our work takes many forms, often emerging out of community needs that surface in the path forward for equitable and high-quality education for all. If you are interested in how our work might look, we encourage you to navigate around our website.
You can also reach out directly at info@democraticeducation.org
What We Do
IDEA’s work aims to bridge conversations and promote action around justice and equity, youth voice, place-based education, sovereignty, and systems change.
We know that powerful change is possible when we not only have good ideas but also move those ideas into effective action. Driven by this insight, we focus our attention on Capacity Building and Community Collaboration.
Capacity Building
IDEA contributes to the growing capacity of this social movement united within the framework of equity, social justice, and sovereignty. We believe that capacity building is essentially about people, and that the future of equity-based public education must be informed by the needs, vision, heart, and soul of the communities whom it serves.
Community Collaboration
We partner with people and organizations committed to equity and justice, place-based and community-based education, culturally-affirming social and emotional learning, youth engagement, systems change, and sovereignty.
- Within these frameworks, our Core Activities are: Partnering with community-based organizations on place-based organizing
- Coordinating learning experiences that support work toward equity & sovereignty
- Engaging in narrative change efforts that support transformative change in education practice and policy
For clear examples of how our work takes shape, use any of the links below or access our “Where We Work” section in the main navigation.
Jackson
Across The US
Puerto Rico
Staff
Albert Sykes
Executive Director
Albert has a powerful personal story, one that is rooted in the struggles and search for quality education through community organizing and youth advocacy. The proud father of four sons, Albert grew up in the Shady Oaks community around the corner from where NAACP member and civil rights activist Medgar Evers lived and died.
Read Albert's Full Bio
Albert has a powerful personal story, one that is rooted in the struggles and search for quality education through community organizing and youth advocacy. The proud father of four sons, Albert grew up in the Shady Oaks community around the corner from where NAACP member and civil rights activist Medgar Evers lived and died. Evers has been one of Albert’s guiding lights in doing the work needed to move Mississippi and our nation forward. Becoming a student of the Algebra Project and a mentee of Bob Moses brought Evers into Albert’s life, and made his sacrifices tangible to the then teenager. Through this experience, Albert gained much firsthand knowledge and understanding of Black Mississippi’s struggle for justice, equity, and full citizenship. Albert was formerly the policy and advocacy director of the Young People’s Project, which trains, employs and supports high school students in becoming math literacy workers to elementary students. Albert is also an organizer at heart. He has advocated with the NAACP for a quality education as a constitutional right and served as a national trainer for the Children’s Defense Fund’s Youth Advocate Leadership Training.
Dana Bennis
Director of Programs & Research
Dana has been deeply involved in education justice work since 2001, focused on advocating for a world grounded in social justice, community and youth engagement, and connection to nature and place.
Read Dana's Full Bio
Dana has been deeply involved in education justice work since 2001, focused on advocating for a world grounded in social justice, community and youth engagement, and connection to nature and place. He has taught in democratic, progressive, and conventional school settings, earned a Masters Degree in Education from Vermont College of Union Institute and University, and published essays in various education journals. Dana co-designed and currently stewards IDEA’s national programs including the Antiracism Course for White Educators and the Puerto Rico: Learning & Solidarity program. Dana collaborates with others locally, nationally, and internationally to raise up and support education that is equitable, that meaningfully involves young people and communities, and that is directed towards freedom, liberation, and sovereignty. Dana lives in Minneapolis with his partner and fellow educator, Julie Hill, and their son.
Rosaline McCoy
Director of Family and Community Engagement
Rooted in West Jackson’s Washington Addition Neighborhood and replanted in the Virden Addition community, Jackson, Mississippi is the hub of Rosaline’s life experiences and PreK-12 education. As a product and parent of Mississippi’s second-largest school district, Rosaline’s personal interest and investments in quality and equitable education, and social justice began over 15 years ago.
Read Rosaline's Full Bio
Rooted in West Jackson’s Washington Addition Neighborhood and replanted in the Virden Addition community, Jackson, Mississippi is the hub of Rosaline’s life experiences and PreK-12 education.
As a product and parent of Mississippi’s second-largest school district, Rosaline’s personal interest and investments in quality and equitable education, and social justice began over 15 years ago.
As an advocate for parents and children of public schools, Rosaline has served as a democratic education leader and consultant for several community organizing efforts in Jackson to include a statewide ballot initiative that would have required lawmakers to provide an increase of financial support for an adequate and more efficient system of free and public education. Rosaline was also once identified as one of the partners of a government appointed commission responsible for creating a pathway of support to transform Mississippi’s largest urban school district with the goal of ensuring that every student in it receives a high quality education.
Rosaline’s passion for advocacy work runs deep through her community, and she gives credit to several people and organizations across Jackson for planting seeds and providing her a platform to contribute to the quality of life for all children.
Shawn Strader
Communications Director
Shawn began collaborating with IDEA over 15 years ago at the organization’s founding retreat in Estes Park, Colorado. His earliest role was as an intern, and since he has done research, development work, communications, and more.
Read Shawn's Full Bio
Shawn began collaborating with IDEA over fifteen years ago at the organization’s founding retreat in Estes Park, Colorado. His earliest role was as an intern, and since he has done research, development work, communications, and more with IDEA. A musician by background, Shawn brings a storyteller’s sensibility to it all, along with a belief that the most meaningful stories are the ones communities tell about themselves. He has a Bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Arizona State University, is passionate about human wellness, potential, and connection, and is dedicated to spending his life in commitment to social justice. He lives happily in love with his wife and kids, and works remotely from Puerto Rico.
Board of Directors
Carlos Moreno
CHAIR
Charmaine Mercer
BOARD MEMBER
Byron D’Andra Orey
BOARD MEMBER
Eric James
BOARD MEMBER
Frank Gettridge
BOARD MEMBER
Nsombi Lambright Haynes
BOARD MEMBER
Carlos Moreno
CHAIR
Byron D’Andra Orey
BOARD MEMBER
Charmaine Mercer
BOARD MEMBER
Eric James
BOARD MEMBER
Frank Gettridge
BOARD MEMBER
Nsombi Lambright Haynes
BOARD MEMBER
Carlos Moreno
CHAIR
Eric James
BOARD MEMBER
Byron D’Andra Orey
BOARD MEMBER
Frank Gettridge
BOARD MEMBER
Charmaine Mercer
BOARD MEMBER
Nsombi Lambright Haynes
BOARD MEMBER
Lead Facilitators
Carol Redfield Mims
Restorative Justice & Teacher Circles
Delma Jackson III
Guest Facilitator
Jill (Yill) Ruchala
Antiracism Course
Jonah Canner
Antiracism Course
Khalif Williams
Guest Facilitator
Lori Tapahonso
Guest Facilitator
Miriam Gray
Restorative Justice & Teacher Circles
Michelle Henry
Parent Support Circle
Regina D. Laurie
Guest Facilitator
Rita M. Molestina
Guest Facilitator
Sarika Tandon
Guest Facilitator
Yaniyah Pearson
Guest Facilitator
History
In 2008 a group of educators, parents, and activists from around the United States came together to brainstorm how to catalyze educational change grounded in a commitment to public education, democratic values, and human rights. We recognized the need to bring together advocacy for student voice and student-centered learning with work for social justice. A core belief was that the best way to effect widespread change was to collaborate with young people, educators, and communities on-the-ground in a variety of settings.
When IDEA got officially off the ground in 2010, our initial work focused on connecting individual organizers around the United States and Puerto Rico and raising up powerful schools, stories, and resources. Over time this work crystallized into our three main program areas: 1. Providing opportunities to see and learn about powerful schools and learning spaces; 2. Supporting schools and communities in their on-the-ground efforts for justice, equity, and voice in education; 3. Collaborating nationally to shift policy, practice, and narrative towards equity and justice in education.
While IDEA’s early activities were focused broadly across the U.S. and Puerto Rico, our experiences working with communities and folks on the ground led us to deepen our work in a few places including Mississippi, New York and New England, Puerto Rico, and Minnesota. Through this, our work began focusing more on partnerships with specific groups, organizations, schools, and communities, and providing ongoing support. This has taken many forms including our Learning Breakthrough Series of gatherings helping groups around the U.S. and Puerto Rico develop and refine plans of action, learning tours for New England youth organizers to see schools working towards education equity and student-centered learning, and community film screenings that raise up powerful stories and help change the narrative around public education.
Since 2015 IDEA has been rooted in Jackson, Mississippi, the home of Executive Director Albert Sykes, where we are collaborating with partner organizations, young people, parents, teachers, and community members to support Jackson Public Schools and protect and strengthen public education in the city. Meanwhile we have continued to engage at the national and international levels to change the narrative, practice, and policy around public education, realizing the power of local-national-international connections to support local efforts and contribute to the national and international movement for education justice.
IDEA’s recent efforts include offering antiracism courses for white educators, and working with our partner VAMOS to lead Decolonize Puerto Rico: Learning and Solidarity Experiences for those in the United States to learn about and work to end the centuries-long colonization of Puerto Rico.
