Equity & Diversity

Education Tops List of Civil Rights Issues on Survey

By Andrew Ujifusa — September 19, 2018 2 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

A new report from the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights indicates education is the top ongoing civil rights priority for many of those on the group’s state advisory commissions.

A survey that heard from just over a quarter of the state commission members found that education is “the topic of highest importance” and should be prioritized in the next year, among continuing issues such as housing, criminal justice, and health care. And emerging civil rights topics in education that respondents highlighted include equity, racial disparities in school discipline, and teacher shortages.

Civil rights in education has been a major area of recent political conflict. The Obama administration’s initiatives involving transgender students and school discipline have come under fire since President Donald Trump took office; Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos has rescinded the former and is considering revoking the latter. DeVos also has changed how the U.S. Department of Education conducts civil rights probes. If Democrats take control of the House next year, DeVos’ handling of civil rights will be a top area for oversight in education.

Topics of High Concern

In a recent survey, members of the U.S. Civil Rights Commission’s advisory groups ranked their top priority topics from a list of topics first identified in 2010.

Education: 25.8%

Criminal justice: 22.5%

Voting rights: 19.2%

Freedom of expression: 17.0%

Civil rights enforcement: 15.4%

Source: U.S. Commission on Civil Rights

Sharing the Report

The report was sent to Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, and Speaker of the House Paul Ryan on Sept. 7.

“These survey results reflect the considered judgment of experts across the country regarding critical civil rights issues affecting Americans,” wrote Catherine Lhamon, the commission’s chairwoman.

The commission is an independent agency tasked with evaluating and informing civil rights policy, and with enhancing the enforcement of civil rights law. Lhamon, the former assistant secretary for civil rights at the U.S. Department of Education during the Obama administration, has been a vocal critic of how the department has handled civil rights during the Trump administration.

Education was ranked first on a list of priorities originally identified in 2010 by the advisory commissions. These are made up of appointed and unpaid government employees and assist the U.S. commission with investigations. They’re present in each state and the District of Columbia.

However, when asked to identify “emerging” topics that the commission should focus on in the next five years, education was ranked third, behind criminal justice and voting.

While the U.S. commission’s survey was sent to 660 state advisory group members, only 160 provided complete responses. There were also 105 partial responses.

A version of this article appeared in the September 19, 2018 edition of Education Week as Education Tops List of Civil Rights Issues on Survey

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Assessment Webinar
Reflections on Evidence-Based Grading Practices: What We Learned for Next Year
Get real insights on evidence-based grading from K-12 leaders.
Content provided by Otus
Mathematics Webinar How to Build Students’ Confidence in Math
Learn practical tips to build confident mathematicians in our webinar.
Student Achievement K-12 Essentials Forum How to Build and Scale Effective K-12 State & District Tutoring Programs
Join this free virtual summit to learn from education leaders, policymakers, and industry experts on the topic of high-impact tutoring.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Equity & Diversity Anti-DEI Policies Are Ramping Up—With Big Implications for College Access
A new study looks at how students of color could be affected by policies that ban DEI efforts.
6 min read
Three high school boys and one high school girl work together on an experiment in AP chemistry class.
Three high school boys and one high school girl work together on an experiment in AP chemistry class.
Allison Shelley for All4Ed
Equity & Diversity N.Y. Public Schools Tell Trump Administration They Won't Comply With DEI Order
New York officials question whether the federal agency has the authority to make demands to end DEI practices in public schools.
2 min read
Children and their guardians leave P.S. 64 in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2021, in New York.
Children and their guardians leave P.S. 64 in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2021, in New York.
Brittainy Newman/AP
Equity & Diversity Opinion How Education Leaders Should Respond to the Anti-DEI Crowd
Decades of essential equity-based work is under threat in our schools today, warns Joshua P. Starr.
Joshua P. Starr
4 min read
202503 Opinion Starr DEI 2155439727
iStock/Getty Images
Equity & Diversity A Wave of New Legislation Aims to Ban DEI in Public Schools
State legislators have introduced measures that would prohibit schools from maintaining diversity, equity, and inclusion offices.
7 min read
Vector illustration concept of people being denied entrance, stopped at the door.
DigitalVision Vectors