Coda Rayo-Garza, PhD, serves as the Senior Director of Research and Data at Every Texan. A fronteriza born and raised in Laredo, Texas, Coda is a daughter of immigrants and a first-generation college graduate. Her diverse career spans the nonprofit and government sectors, including previous work as a Lecturer of Political Science.
Coda earned her B.A. in Philosophy from Texas State University, followed by an M.A. in Political Science and a PhD in Applied Demography from the University of Texas at San Antonio. In addition to her research, she is a co-founder of Fiesta Wishes and serves on the Board of Directors for CommuniCare Health Centers. She is also the co-author of Latinos in the US: Diversity and Change (2nd Edition), published by Polity Press.
Where to find me during session: Crunching numbers and defending survey data
My surprising hobby: I play the drums
It’s been about a month since a state district judge ruled that the Texas school finance system is unconstitutional, saying it’s inadequate, inefficient and inequitable. The ruling came as no
Like taking your temperature, reporting the annual poverty rate is a broad measure of how economically healthy Texas families are. This week’s U.S. Census release showed a small but significant
Nearly 3,500 high-poverty Texas schools now have an opportunity to provide free breakfast and lunch to all students without having to collect cumbersome school meal applications thanks to a new
I know that I share with every parent a sense of hope for their child’s future. And with one of every 11 U.S. kids living in Texas, the opportunities we
A new report from the National KIDS COUNT Project shows that Texas is one of the toughest places to be a kid. The conclusion comes from crunching the numbers in
The Center for Public Policy Priorities is deeply saddened by reports of tens of thousands of unaccompanied children crossing into the United States, many detained by border security and then left to languish in
By Jeanie Donovan Nearly 3,500 high poverty Texas schools now have an opportunity to provide free meals–breakfast and lunch–to all students without having to collect school meal applications through a
Tuesday, millions of Americans dutifully filed their federal tax returns, but very few of us contemplate the connection to essential public supports that we take for granted in our everyday
We are thrilled to announce that Oliver Bernstein will be joining the Center for Public Policy Priorities in mid-April as Communications Director. A fluent Spanish speaker who has lived and
On December 13th, the Texas Finance Commission announced eight grantees for the Texas Financial Education Endowment (TFEE)’s inaugural round of grants totaling $250,000. TFEE, the first state-administered funding source for broad
