Civil Rights
Read more about civil rights and schools, enforcement by the Education Department's office for civil rights, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, Title IX, and more
How a Federal Office Investigates and Resolves Discrimination Complaints Against Schools
What is OCR, how do you file a complaint, and what relief can it offer for students or staff whose civil rights may have been violated?
Social Studies
Video
Civil Rights Activists Bring History to Life for a New Generation
It was a moment that changed America. Fifty-five years ago this month, thousands of African-American children walked out of school and began a peaceful march in Birmingham, Ala., to protest segregation. They were met with attack dogs and water hoses. Janice Kelsey was 16 at the time and was arrested for participating in what became known as the Children’s Crusade. This year, she told her story to a group of visiting 5th and 6th graders from Polaris Charter Academy in Chicago, Ill. The students had traveled more than 600 miles to hear first-hand accounts from civil rights activists like Kelsey who were on the front lines of history. “Nobody can tell a story better than the person who experienced it,” said 5th grader Amari. The real-life lesson is in keeping with the school’s philosophy, which Polaris educator Francesca Peck said stresses “the power of immersion, and bringing history to life for our students.” Peck said the two-day visit to Birmingham was not a “field trip,” but was “field work,” with students acting as historians. For many of the students, the impact was powerful. As Amari put it, “This generation, they will have to decide whether they’re going to make a story like that generation did.”
Equity & Diversity
On 'Brown v. Board of Education' Anniversary, Dems Blast Trump's Civil Rights Record
Congressional Democrats held a forum on various civil rights issues in education on the 64th anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court case that prohibited laws establishing segregated schools.
Equity & Diversity
Civil Rights Data on School Desegregation Has Undergone Startling Changes
There are major shifts in the number of school districts reporting to the federal government that they have court desegregation orders or voluntary plans to desegregate. Experts and the Education Department couldn't explain the changes.
Federal
From Our Research Center
There Are Wild Swings in School Desegregation Data. The Feds Can't Explain Why
The number of districts reporting desegregation cases nearly doubled from 2013-14 to 2015-16, after plunging 86 percent four years ago on the Education Department’s previous biennial report.
Education
Civil Rights Groups to Congress: Betsy DeVos is Approving Plans That Violate ESSA
U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos is approving plans that fly in the face of the Every Student Succeeds Act's protections for vulnerable children, more than a dozen civil rights groups, including the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights say.
Special Education
New Guidelines Let Civil Rights Office Ignore Cases From Serial Complainers
Opponents say changes intended to make the complaint process more efficient may end up scuttling some complaints that have merit.
Equity & Diversity
Opinion
Deeper Learning in Trump's Cross Hairs: How Rescinding Obama's Policies Could Make Schools Less Safe
The Trump Administration's plan to rescind a 2014 policy on school discipline threaten a promising approach to foster deeper learning and keep schools safe.
Equity & Diversity
Mostly White Alabama Town Drops Bid to Create Its Own School System
The decision, which comes two weeks after a federal appeals court ruled that Gardendale couldn't form its own district, draws to a close a years-long legal battle.
Equity & Diversity
Trump's Immigration Policies Hurting Academics and School Attendance, Survey Finds
A large majority of educators report having students who have experienced emotional or behavioral problems because they are concerned about immigration enforcement under the Trump administration, according to a new national survey from the Civil Rights Project at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Special Education
Boston Resolves Civil Rights Complaint Over Students With Sickle Cell Disease
The Boston school district agreed to take a number of steps to ensure that it is identifying children with the genetic disorder and offering the supports they're legally entitled to under federal law.
Equity & Diversity
Appeals Court Rules Mostly White City Can't Form Segregated School District
The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta determined that a federal district judge must rescind part of her 2017 order that allowed the city of Gardendale, Ala., to form its own school system separate from the mostly black Jefferson County schools.
Every Student Succeeds Act
Betsy DeVos: A One-Year Progress Report
The U.S. secretary of education faced a steep learning curve when she took office last year. See how her tenure is shaping up in key issue areas.
Equity & Diversity
Opinion
Free Speech Is Under Attack in the Government. Are Schools Next?
The CDC’s recent ban on certain words in official budgetary documents presages troubles for education, writes Gloria Ladson-Billings.
School & District Management
Partisan School Board Elections a Source of Anxiety for North Carolina
The shift of more than a quarter of the state’s local school board races to partisan ones in recent years has some cheering it could increase voter transparency, while others warn it could shrink representation for minorities.