The U.S. Education Department's Office for Civil Rights has published a letter to high school and college officials on gender equity in career and technical education programs. The letter states that it is providing guidance on existing law and offers examples of how schools and colleges may need to reconsider policies.
Showing posts with label US Department of Education. Show all posts
Showing posts with label US Department of Education. Show all posts
Thursday, June 16, 2016
Friday, April 29, 2016
Education Department Announces New Tools to Support Successful Reentry for Formerly Incarcerated Youth and Adults
New Toolkit and Grants Announced As Part of National Reentry Week
APRIL 25, 2016 Contact: Press Office, (202) 401-1576, press@ed.gov
The U.S. Department of Education, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, announced today $5.7 million in new grants aimed at improving outcomes for students who have been involved in the criminal justice system. The Department also released a new toolkit providing guidance to educators and others to support a successful reentry system for formerly incarcerated youth and adults.
Read the story here.
Monday, April 25, 2016
Oklahoma City Public Schools, U.S. Education Department Reach Settlement to Address Disproportionate Discipline of Black Students
U.S. Department of Education
The U.S. Department of Education today reached a settlement agreement with the Oklahoma City Public Schools to address disproportionate discipline of black students. An investigation revealed black students were significantly overrepresented in disciplinary actions.
Read the press release here.
Related content:
- Oklahoma City schools agree to revamp discipline amid federal civil rights investigation (The Washington Post)
Tuesday, March 29, 2016
ED Secretary: U.S. Higher Ed Becoming ‘Caste System’
By Jamaal Abdul-Alim, Diverse Issues in Higher Education
WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of Education John B. King praised colleges and universities that do an exceptional job when it comes to admitting and graduating students who rely on Pell Grants but also called on leaders of those institutions to do more to encourage others to follow suit.
Read the story here.
Students to Education Dept.: Small changes can make big payoffs in graduation rates
By Nick Anderson, The Washington Post
Sometimes it pays for Washington officials to hear directly from the kinds of students they want to help. About a dozen students and recent graduates from minority-serving colleges visited the Education Department in Washington late last week to tell about their experiences and what they think helps and doesn’t help in the quest to get a college diploma. Among them were African Americans, native Americans, Asian Americans, Latinos and first-generation immigrants.
Read the story here.
Sometimes it pays for Washington officials to hear directly from the kinds of students they want to help. About a dozen students and recent graduates from minority-serving colleges visited the Education Department in Washington late last week to tell about their experiences and what they think helps and doesn’t help in the quest to get a college diploma. Among them were African Americans, native Americans, Asian Americans, Latinos and first-generation immigrants.
Read the story here.
Monday, March 21, 2016
FACT SHEET: Spurring African-American STEM Degree Completion
U.S. Department of Education
Early in his Administration, President Obama made improving science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education a priority. To meet the nation's evolving workforce needs, America will need to add 1 million more STEM professionals by 2022. [ 1 ] To meet this need and bring welcome diversity to STEM industries, we must continue to support and encourage STEM degree completion, especially for African-Americans and others who are underrepresented in these fields yet have a long history of achievement in STEM fields.
Early in his Administration, President Obama made improving science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education a priority. To meet the nation's evolving workforce needs, America will need to add 1 million more STEM professionals by 2022. [ 1 ] To meet this need and bring welcome diversity to STEM industries, we must continue to support and encourage STEM degree completion, especially for African-Americans and others who are underrepresented in these fields yet have a long history of achievement in STEM fields.
Read the press release here.
Related content:
Monday, January 25, 2016
Ed Dept. Pledges Transparency on Title IX Exemptions
Inside Higher Ed
The Education Department's Office for Civil Rights has pledged to make it easier for prospective students to find out if colleges they may want to attend have applied for or received exemptions to parts of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. Under the law, religious colleges may receive exemptions to provisions that conflict with the teachings of their various faiths. In the last two years, many such colleges have sought and received exemptions that apply to gay, lesbian and transgender students. Many of these colleges bar those in same-sex relationships or who are transgender from being either students or employees. The Education Department has responded to requests for names of the colleges receiving exemptions, but some groups and some lawmakers have said the department should go further and make sure this information is public.
The Education Department's Office for Civil Rights has pledged to make it easier for prospective students to find out if colleges they may want to attend have applied for or received exemptions to parts of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. Under the law, religious colleges may receive exemptions to provisions that conflict with the teachings of their various faiths. In the last two years, many such colleges have sought and received exemptions that apply to gay, lesbian and transgender students. Many of these colleges bar those in same-sex relationships or who are transgender from being either students or employees. The Education Department has responded to requests for names of the colleges receiving exemptions, but some groups and some lawmakers have said the department should go further and make sure this information is public.
Read the story here.
Related content:
- Education Dept. Releases Title IX Exemptions, Requests (Inside Higher Ed)
- The Religious Exemption to Title IX—What It Is and How It Works (Husch Blackwell LLP)
- Investigating Sexual Assault, Regionally, in Virginia (Inside Higher Ed)
- Government to Reveal Colleges With Title IX Waivers (The New York Times)
Tuesday, December 8, 2015
Settlement Reached with Palatine, Ill., Township High School District 211 to Remedy Transgender Discrimination
The U.S. Department of Education announced today that it has entered into a resolution agreement with Township High School District 211 based in Palatine, Illinois, after finding the district in violation of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 for discriminating against a transgender high school student by denying her access to the girls' locker rooms.
Read the press release here.
Read the press release here.
Related content:
- Restroom Access For Transgender People Becoming A Contentious Issue (LeClairRyan)
- Will This Locker Room Saga Set a Precedent for Transgender Students All Over the Country? (Salon)
- Transgender student locker room case settled, but controversy remains (Chicago Tribune)
- Under federal pressure, Illinois school district allows transgender student to use locker room (The Washington Post)
- Dist. 211 transgender student must use separate changing area; ACLU disappointed (The Daily Herald)
Monday, March 26, 2012
Bad Inner City Schools: Tell Us What We Don’t Know
politic365.com
Jeneba Ghatt
March 17, 2012 | Education
In case you didn’t hear, the Department of Education released a report that essentially told many of us what we already knew: inner city schools are in a bad state. Its Office of Civil Rights’ study on college and career readiness, discipline, school finance and student retention showed that minority children face harsher discipline, have less access to rigorous high school curriculum and are taught by lower-paid and less experienced teachers.
Full Story: http://politic365.com/2012/03/17/bad-inner-city-schools-tell-us-what-we-dont-know/
Jeneba Ghatt
March 17, 2012 | Education
In case you didn’t hear, the Department of Education released a report that essentially told many of us what we already knew: inner city schools are in a bad state. Its Office of Civil Rights’ study on college and career readiness, discipline, school finance and student retention showed that minority children face harsher discipline, have less access to rigorous high school curriculum and are taught by lower-paid and less experienced teachers.
Full Story: http://politic365.com/2012/03/17/bad-inner-city-schools-tell-us-what-we-dont-know/
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Civil Rights Data Show Retention Disparities
Education Week
Published Online: March 6, 2012
Original data analysis was conducted by Michele McNeil and Ms. Shah.
New nationwide data collected by the U.S. Department of Education's civil rights office reveal stark racial and ethnic disparities in student retentions, with black and Hispanic students far more likely than white students to repeat a grade, especially in elementary and middle school.
The contrast is especially strong for African-Americans. In the most extreme case, more than half of all 4th graders retained at the end of the 2009-10 academic year—56 percent—were black, according to the data, which account for about 85 percent of the nation's public school population. In 3rd grade, 49 percent of those held back were black.
Full Story: http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2012/03/07/23data_ep.h31.html?tkn=PXXF3udWSh0DotmOZ8qMhv0zBNEh0fXDNOnt&cmp=ENL-EU-NEWS1
Published Online: March 6, 2012
Original data analysis was conducted by Michele McNeil and Ms. Shah.
New nationwide data collected by the U.S. Department of Education's civil rights office reveal stark racial and ethnic disparities in student retentions, with black and Hispanic students far more likely than white students to repeat a grade, especially in elementary and middle school.
The contrast is especially strong for African-Americans. In the most extreme case, more than half of all 4th graders retained at the end of the 2009-10 academic year—56 percent—were black, according to the data, which account for about 85 percent of the nation's public school population. In 3rd grade, 49 percent of those held back were black.
Full Story: http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2012/03/07/23data_ep.h31.html?tkn=PXXF3udWSh0DotmOZ8qMhv0zBNEh0fXDNOnt&cmp=ENL-EU-NEWS1
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Bullying Based on Sexual Orientation May Violate Civil Rights, Ed. Dept. Warns
Education Week
By Alyson Klein on October 26, 2010 6:01 AM
By guest blogger Christina A. Samuels
Certain types of harassment rooted in sexual orientation or religious differences may be a federal civil rights violation, even though members of those groups are not specifically protected in federal law, according to new guidance released today by the U.S. Department of Education's office of civil rights.
Title VI of the Civil Rights Act already prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin; Title IX prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex; and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as well as the Americans with Disabilities Act, prohibit discrimination based on disability status. Many local districts and schools have anti-bullying and harassment policies that go beyond those protected groups, said Russlyn H. Ali, the department's assistant secretary for civil rights.
Full Story: http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2010/10/sexual_orientation_harassment.html
By Alyson Klein on October 26, 2010 6:01 AM
By guest blogger Christina A. Samuels
Certain types of harassment rooted in sexual orientation or religious differences may be a federal civil rights violation, even though members of those groups are not specifically protected in federal law, according to new guidance released today by the U.S. Department of Education's office of civil rights.
Title VI of the Civil Rights Act already prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin; Title IX prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex; and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as well as the Americans with Disabilities Act, prohibit discrimination based on disability status. Many local districts and schools have anti-bullying and harassment policies that go beyond those protected groups, said Russlyn H. Ali, the department's assistant secretary for civil rights.
Full Story: http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2010/10/sexual_orientation_harassment.html
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Senate Panel Approves Nominee for Key Post at Education Department
The Chronicle of Higher Education
May 5, 2010
By Kelly Field
Washington
The U.S. Senate education committee has approved President Obama's nomination of Eduardo M. Ochoa as assistant secretary for postsecondary education, a long-open leadership spot at the Education Department.
If confirmed by the full Senate, Mr. Ochoa, who is now provost and vice president for academic affairs at Sonoma State University, in California, would take charge of the Education Department's Office of Postsecondary Education, which administers most of the federal government's programs for colleges and college students. The assistant secretary has also typically served as the chief adviser to the education secretary on higher-education issues.
Full Story: http://chronicle.com/article/Senate-Panel-Approves-Nominee/65414/?sid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
May 5, 2010
By Kelly Field
Washington
The U.S. Senate education committee has approved President Obama's nomination of Eduardo M. Ochoa as assistant secretary for postsecondary education, a long-open leadership spot at the Education Department.
If confirmed by the full Senate, Mr. Ochoa, who is now provost and vice president for academic affairs at Sonoma State University, in California, would take charge of the Education Department's Office of Postsecondary Education, which administers most of the federal government's programs for colleges and college students. The assistant secretary has also typically served as the chief adviser to the education secretary on higher-education issues.
Full Story: http://chronicle.com/article/Senate-Panel-Approves-Nominee/65414/?sid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Reversing Bush on Title IX
Inside Higher Ed
April 20, 2010
WASHINGTON -- Undoing another legacy of its predecessor, the Obama administration today plans to withdraw a 2005 clarification of a federal anti-discrimination law that critics saw as weakening enforcement of gender equity in college athletics.
Vice President Biden, joined by Education Secretary Arne Duncan and other administration officials, will announce at an event at George Washington University today that they have issued a “Dear Colleague” letter overturning the 2005 interpretation of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. That policy allowed colleges and schools to use an e-mailed or Web-based survey alone to prove that they are “fully and effectively” meeting the athletics “interests and abilities” of female athletes.
Title IX, which bars gender discrimination by educational institutions that receive federal funds, gives colleges and schools three options for proving that they are providing equitable athletics opportunities to both sexes: they can have percentages of male and female athletes that are substantially proportionate to the percentage of enrolled male and female students; have a history and continuing practice of expanding participation opportunities for the underrepresented sex (almost always women); or “fully and effectively" accommodate the interests and abilities of the underrepresented sex.
Full Story: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/04/20/titleix
For a copy of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights' position on Title IX surveys, go to: http://www.usccr.gov/pubs/TitleIX-2010.pdf
April 20, 2010
WASHINGTON -- Undoing another legacy of its predecessor, the Obama administration today plans to withdraw a 2005 clarification of a federal anti-discrimination law that critics saw as weakening enforcement of gender equity in college athletics.
Vice President Biden, joined by Education Secretary Arne Duncan and other administration officials, will announce at an event at George Washington University today that they have issued a “Dear Colleague” letter overturning the 2005 interpretation of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. That policy allowed colleges and schools to use an e-mailed or Web-based survey alone to prove that they are “fully and effectively” meeting the athletics “interests and abilities” of female athletes.
Title IX, which bars gender discrimination by educational institutions that receive federal funds, gives colleges and schools three options for proving that they are providing equitable athletics opportunities to both sexes: they can have percentages of male and female athletes that are substantially proportionate to the percentage of enrolled male and female students; have a history and continuing practice of expanding participation opportunities for the underrepresented sex (almost always women); or “fully and effectively" accommodate the interests and abilities of the underrepresented sex.
Full Story: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/04/20/titleix
For a copy of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights' position on Title IX surveys, go to: http://www.usccr.gov/pubs/TitleIX-2010.pdf
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Department of Education to reinvigorate its Office for Civil Rights
Lexology.com
Franczek Radelet PC
Dana Fattore Crumley and Jacqueline F. Wernz USA April 5 2010
The U.S. Department of Education recently indicated plans to intensify civil rights oversight and enforcement efforts by its Office for Civil Rights (OCR). The OCR division of the Department of Education enforces federal laws prohibiting discrimination against students based on sex, race, national origin and disability status in schools, colleges and universities. On March 8, 2010, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced plans to “reinvigorate” OCR, including a new focus on enforcement of relevant federal laws, the release of new policy guidance to educational institutions and the provision of technical assistance to schools, parents and students. The announcement was made in Selma, Alabama, on the 45th anniversary of “Bloody Sunday,” an incident during which peaceful civil rights protesters were battered by state troopers, and which ultimately led to the passage of the 1965 Voting Right Act.
In the area of enforcement, Secretary Duncan indicated that the Department plans to conduct 38 investigations, or “compliance reviews,” addressing approximately 40 issues over the coming year. On March 10, two days after Secretary Duncan’s speech in Selma, the Department announced the first of these compliance reviews, which will investigate access to educational opportunities for English Learner (EL) students in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). If OCR finds that an educational institution is not compliant with federal law, the educational institution must become compliant or face the potential loss of federal funding.
Full Story: http://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=3f723a54-4836-41e8-b606-36f017505e58&utm_source=Lexology%20Daily%20Newsfeed&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Lexology%20subscriber%20daily%20feed&utm_content=Lexology%20Daily%20Newsfeed%202010-04-14&utm_term=
Franczek Radelet PC
Dana Fattore Crumley and Jacqueline F. Wernz USA April 5 2010
The U.S. Department of Education recently indicated plans to intensify civil rights oversight and enforcement efforts by its Office for Civil Rights (OCR). The OCR division of the Department of Education enforces federal laws prohibiting discrimination against students based on sex, race, national origin and disability status in schools, colleges and universities. On March 8, 2010, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced plans to “reinvigorate” OCR, including a new focus on enforcement of relevant federal laws, the release of new policy guidance to educational institutions and the provision of technical assistance to schools, parents and students. The announcement was made in Selma, Alabama, on the 45th anniversary of “Bloody Sunday,” an incident during which peaceful civil rights protesters were battered by state troopers, and which ultimately led to the passage of the 1965 Voting Right Act.
In the area of enforcement, Secretary Duncan indicated that the Department plans to conduct 38 investigations, or “compliance reviews,” addressing approximately 40 issues over the coming year. On March 10, two days after Secretary Duncan’s speech in Selma, the Department announced the first of these compliance reviews, which will investigate access to educational opportunities for English Learner (EL) students in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). If OCR finds that an educational institution is not compliant with federal law, the educational institution must become compliant or face the potential loss of federal funding.
Full Story: http://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=3f723a54-4836-41e8-b606-36f017505e58&utm_source=Lexology%20Daily%20Newsfeed&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Lexology%20subscriber%20daily%20feed&utm_content=Lexology%20Daily%20Newsfeed%202010-04-14&utm_term=
Monday, March 8, 2010
Officials Step Up Enforcement of Rights Laws in Education
The New York Times
By SAM DILLON
Published: March 7, 2010
Seeking to step up enforcement of civil rights laws, the federal Department of Education says it will be sending letters in coming weeks to thousands of school districts and colleges, outlining their responsibilities on issues of fairness and equal opportunity.
As part of that effort, the department intends to open investigations known as compliance reviews in about 32 school districts nationwide, seeking to verify that students of both sexes and all races are getting equal access to college preparatory curriculums and to advanced placement courses. The department plans to open similar civil rights investigations at half a dozen colleges.
Education Secretary Arne Duncan is to announce the initiatives in a speech on Monday in Selma, Ala., where on March 7, 1965, hundreds of civil rights marchers were beaten by Alabama state troopers.
Mr. Duncan plans to say that in the past decade the department’s Office for Civil Rights “has not been as vigilant as it should have been in combating gender and racial discrimination and protecting the rights of individuals with disabilities,” according to a text of the speech distributed to reporters on Sunday.
It continues, “We are going to reinvigorate civil rights enforcement....”
The department intends to send letters offering guidance to virtually all of the nation’s 15,000 school districts and several thousand institutions of post-secondary education, officials said.
The letters will focus on 17 areas of civil rights concern, including possible racial discrimination in student assignments and admissions, in the meting out of discipline, and in access to resources, including qualified teachers. Other areas include possible sex and gender bias in athletics programs, as well as sexual harassment and violence. Other letters will remind districts and colleges of their responsibilities under federal law with regard to disabled students.
Full Story: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/08/education/08educ.html?scp=10&sq=university&st=cse
By SAM DILLON
Published: March 7, 2010
Seeking to step up enforcement of civil rights laws, the federal Department of Education says it will be sending letters in coming weeks to thousands of school districts and colleges, outlining their responsibilities on issues of fairness and equal opportunity.
As part of that effort, the department intends to open investigations known as compliance reviews in about 32 school districts nationwide, seeking to verify that students of both sexes and all races are getting equal access to college preparatory curriculums and to advanced placement courses. The department plans to open similar civil rights investigations at half a dozen colleges.
Education Secretary Arne Duncan is to announce the initiatives in a speech on Monday in Selma, Ala., where on March 7, 1965, hundreds of civil rights marchers were beaten by Alabama state troopers.
Mr. Duncan plans to say that in the past decade the department’s Office for Civil Rights “has not been as vigilant as it should have been in combating gender and racial discrimination and protecting the rights of individuals with disabilities,” according to a text of the speech distributed to reporters on Sunday.
It continues, “We are going to reinvigorate civil rights enforcement....”
The department intends to send letters offering guidance to virtually all of the nation’s 15,000 school districts and several thousand institutions of post-secondary education, officials said.
The letters will focus on 17 areas of civil rights concern, including possible racial discrimination in student assignments and admissions, in the meting out of discipline, and in access to resources, including qualified teachers. Other areas include possible sex and gender bias in athletics programs, as well as sexual harassment and violence. Other letters will remind districts and colleges of their responsibilities under federal law with regard to disabled students.
Full Story: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/08/education/08educ.html?scp=10&sq=university&st=cse
U.S. EDUCATION SECRETARY DUNCAN TO VISIT ALABAMA, ANNOUNCE PLANS FOR A REINVIGORATED OFFICE FOR CIVIL RIGHTS
Media Advisory
U.S. Department of Education
Event Date: Monday, March 8, 2010
Contact: Jim Bradshaw, 401-1576 or press@ed.gov
U.S. EDUCATION SECRETARY DUNCAN TO VISIT ALABAMA, ANNOUNCE PLANS FOR A REINVIGORATED OFFICE FOR CIVIL RIGHTS
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will visit Alabama Monday where he will commemorate the 45th anniversary of the "Bloody Sunday" civil rights confrontation in Selma, Ala., by announcing plans for a reinvigorated Office for Civil Rights to ensure equal educational opportunities for all children.
Secretary Duncan will first visit students and teachers at Robert E. Lee High School in Montgomery, then travel to Selma where he will hold a national press conference call on his intentions for the Education Department's Office for Civil Rights. (Dial-in information below)
Following the call, he will march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma with students and civil rights activists, recognizing the 45th anniversary of the "Bloody Sunday" confrontation which became one of the defining events of America's civil rights movement. Afterwards, he will address students and adults, announcing his plans for reinvigorating the Office for Civil Rights, which protects against discrimination on the basis of sex, race, national origin and disability status.
EVENT ONE
Who:U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan
What:Meet students and teachers at Robert E. Lee High School
Where:225 Ann St., Montgomery, Ala.
When:12:05-12:45 p.m. CT Monday, March 8
EVENT TWO
What:National press conference call on reinvigorating Office for Civil Rights
Where:Dial-in: 888-769-8523, passcode: civil rights..
When:2-2:30 p.m. CT Monday, March 8
EVENT THREE
What:March across Edmund Pettus Bridge
Where:Edmund Pettus Bridge, 1012 Water Ave., Selma, Ala.
When:2:30-2:45 p.m. CT Monday, March 8
EVENT FOUR
What:Speech announcing plans for a reinvigorated Office for Civil Rights to ensure equal educational opportunities for all children.
Where:Edmund Pettus Bridge, 1012 Water Ave., Selma, Ala.
When:3-4 p.m. CT Monday, March 8
###
U.S. Department of Education
Event Date: Monday, March 8, 2010
Contact: Jim Bradshaw, 401-1576 or press@ed.gov
U.S. EDUCATION SECRETARY DUNCAN TO VISIT ALABAMA, ANNOUNCE PLANS FOR A REINVIGORATED OFFICE FOR CIVIL RIGHTS
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will visit Alabama Monday where he will commemorate the 45th anniversary of the "Bloody Sunday" civil rights confrontation in Selma, Ala., by announcing plans for a reinvigorated Office for Civil Rights to ensure equal educational opportunities for all children.
Secretary Duncan will first visit students and teachers at Robert E. Lee High School in Montgomery, then travel to Selma where he will hold a national press conference call on his intentions for the Education Department's Office for Civil Rights. (Dial-in information below)
Following the call, he will march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma with students and civil rights activists, recognizing the 45th anniversary of the "Bloody Sunday" confrontation which became one of the defining events of America's civil rights movement. Afterwards, he will address students and adults, announcing his plans for reinvigorating the Office for Civil Rights, which protects against discrimination on the basis of sex, race, national origin and disability status.
EVENT ONE
Who:U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan
What:Meet students and teachers at Robert E. Lee High School
Where:225 Ann St., Montgomery, Ala.
When:12:05-12:45 p.m. CT Monday, March 8
EVENT TWO
What:National press conference call on reinvigorating Office for Civil Rights
Where:Dial-in: 888-769-8523, passcode: civil rights..
When:2-2:30 p.m. CT Monday, March 8
EVENT THREE
What:March across Edmund Pettus Bridge
Where:Edmund Pettus Bridge, 1012 Water Ave., Selma, Ala.
When:2:30-2:45 p.m. CT Monday, March 8
EVENT FOUR
What:Speech announcing plans for a reinvigorated Office for Civil Rights to ensure equal educational opportunities for all children.
Where:Edmund Pettus Bridge, 1012 Water Ave., Selma, Ala.
When:3-4 p.m. CT Monday, March 8
###
US education secretary to visit 2nd Ala. school
Associated Press
Posted on Mon, Mar. 8, 2010
MONTGOMERY, Ala. - U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan has decided to visit a second Montgomery school after a complaint by a veteran black legislator.
Officials with Duncan's office in Washington confirmed that Monday's visit to Montgomery would include a stop at King Elementary.
Democratic Rep. Alvin Holmes of Montgomery had complained that Duncan had chosen to visit Robert E. Lee High School. Holmes said that in 1965, the school and its then-principal publicly opposed the Rev. Martin Luther King and the Selma-to-Montgomery voting rights march.
Duncan still plans to visit Lee high school. Officials in Duncan's office said the school is now majority black and the current principal was 2 years old at the time of the march.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
The federal Department of Education plans to intensify its civil rights enforcement efforts in schools around the country, including a deeper look at issues ranging from programs for immigrant students learning English to equal access to a college preparatory courses.
Education Secretary Arne Duncan plans to outline the department's plans in a speech delivered Monday in Alabama to commemorate the 45th anniversary of "Bloody Sunday," in which several hundred civil rights protesters were beaten by state troopers on Selma's Edmund Pettus Bridge during a voting rights march in 1965.
"For us, this is very much about working to meet the president's goal, that by 2020 we will regain our status in the world as the number one producer of college graduates," Russlynn Ali, assistant secretary for civil rights in the Education Department, told The Associated Press.
The department is expecting to conduct 38 compliance reviews around 40 different issues this year, she said.
Though the investigations have been conducted before, the department's Office of Civil Rights is looking to do more complicated and broad reviews that will look not just at whether procedures are in place, but at the impact district practices have on students of one race or another, and if student needs are being met.
Full Story: http://www.philly.com/philly/wires/ap/news/nation/20100308_ap_useducationsecretarytovisit2ndalaschool.html
Posted on Mon, Mar. 8, 2010
MONTGOMERY, Ala. - U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan has decided to visit a second Montgomery school after a complaint by a veteran black legislator.
Officials with Duncan's office in Washington confirmed that Monday's visit to Montgomery would include a stop at King Elementary.
Democratic Rep. Alvin Holmes of Montgomery had complained that Duncan had chosen to visit Robert E. Lee High School. Holmes said that in 1965, the school and its then-principal publicly opposed the Rev. Martin Luther King and the Selma-to-Montgomery voting rights march.
Duncan still plans to visit Lee high school. Officials in Duncan's office said the school is now majority black and the current principal was 2 years old at the time of the march.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
The federal Department of Education plans to intensify its civil rights enforcement efforts in schools around the country, including a deeper look at issues ranging from programs for immigrant students learning English to equal access to a college preparatory courses.
Education Secretary Arne Duncan plans to outline the department's plans in a speech delivered Monday in Alabama to commemorate the 45th anniversary of "Bloody Sunday," in which several hundred civil rights protesters were beaten by state troopers on Selma's Edmund Pettus Bridge during a voting rights march in 1965.
"For us, this is very much about working to meet the president's goal, that by 2020 we will regain our status in the world as the number one producer of college graduates," Russlynn Ali, assistant secretary for civil rights in the Education Department, told The Associated Press.
The department is expecting to conduct 38 compliance reviews around 40 different issues this year, she said.
Though the investigations have been conducted before, the department's Office of Civil Rights is looking to do more complicated and broad reviews that will look not just at whether procedures are in place, but at the impact district practices have on students of one race or another, and if student needs are being met.
Full Story: http://www.philly.com/philly/wires/ap/news/nation/20100308_ap_useducationsecretarytovisit2ndalaschool.html
Friday, September 19, 2008
Statement of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund on Promoting Diversity in Schools
September 16, 2008
Statement of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund on Promoting Diversity in Schools
A Response to OCR's August 28, 2008 "Dear Colleague" Letter
On August 28, 2008, the Office for Civil Rights in the U.S. Department of Education (OCR) issued a "Dear Colleague" letter providing informal guidance regarding how OCR plans to assess the use of race in assigning students to schools. OCR adopted a narrow and limited reading of the United States Supreme Court's decision in Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School Dist. No. 1, 127 S.Ct. 2738 (2007) as support for this guidance. Because LDF believes that OCR's interpretation of the decision is inaccurate in a number of respects, we now write to clarify the legal standards applicable to elementary and secondary schools. In Parents Involved, a majority of the Supreme Court justices (the four Justices who would have upheld the student assignment plans from Seattle and Louisville at issue in the case, and Justice Kennedy, who found some aspects of those plans unacceptable but approved of their purpose) recognized that school districts have compelling interests in promoting student diversity and avoiding racial isolation in elementary and secondary school settings. The majority agreed that, in Justice Kennedy's words, a school district can, in its "discretion and expertise", take affirmative steps to avoid racial isolation and to achieve a diverse student population, Parents Involved, 127 S.Ct. at 2797, and that school officials may "consider the racial makeup of schools and adopt general policies to encourage a diverse student body, one aspect of which is its racial composition." Parents Involved, 127 S.Ct. at 2792. Specifically, schools and communities may take account of race in using the following student assignment methods to promote diversity: "strategic site selection of new schools; drawing attendance zones in general recognition of the demographics of neighborhoods; allocating resources for special programs; recruiting students and faculty in a targeted fashion; and tracking enrollments, performance, and other statistics by race." Parents Involved, 127 S.Ct. at 2792. The Court also clarified what school districts cannot do: individual students cannot be assigned to school solely on the basis of their race. Instead, school districts should consider race along with other demographic factors when implementing specific student assignment methods. Parents Involved, 127 S.Ct. at 2797. Furthermore, while the Court held that the Seattle and Louisville school districts had not presented sufficient evidence that they had seriously considered "race-neutral" alternatives, there is no requirement in Parents Involved that school districts only use race-neutral means to promote the compelling interests in diversity and avoiding racial isolation in their schools. School districts should be able to demonstrate that they seriously considered workable race-neutral alternatives, but need not exhaust every possibility. As Justice Kennedy recognized, "[t]his Nation has a moral and ethical obligation to fulfill its historic commitment to creating an integrated society that ensures equal opportunity for all of its children." Parents Involved, 127 S.Ct. at 2797. Schools and communities nationwide therefore can and should continue to take steps to promote a high quality, inclusive education for all children and to address the pervasive harms of continued racial isolation in schools. The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund is America's legal counsel on issues of race. LDF pursues racial justice to move our nation toward a society that fulfills the promise of equality for all Americans. Following the Supreme Court's Parents Involved ruling, LDF issued Still Looking to the Future: Voluntary K-12 School Integration, a Manual for educators, parents and advocates that provides comprehensive information about what we can and should do to promote high quality, inclusive schools in our communities. Click on the link under Publications in the right hand column to access the Manual. Other related resources are also located on this website. http://www.naacpldf.org/content.aspx?article=1317
Statement of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund on Promoting Diversity in Schools
A Response to OCR's August 28, 2008 "Dear Colleague" Letter
On August 28, 2008, the Office for Civil Rights in the U.S. Department of Education (OCR) issued a "Dear Colleague" letter providing informal guidance regarding how OCR plans to assess the use of race in assigning students to schools. OCR adopted a narrow and limited reading of the United States Supreme Court's decision in Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School Dist. No. 1, 127 S.Ct. 2738 (2007) as support for this guidance. Because LDF believes that OCR's interpretation of the decision is inaccurate in a number of respects, we now write to clarify the legal standards applicable to elementary and secondary schools. In Parents Involved, a majority of the Supreme Court justices (the four Justices who would have upheld the student assignment plans from Seattle and Louisville at issue in the case, and Justice Kennedy, who found some aspects of those plans unacceptable but approved of their purpose) recognized that school districts have compelling interests in promoting student diversity and avoiding racial isolation in elementary and secondary school settings. The majority agreed that, in Justice Kennedy's words, a school district can, in its "discretion and expertise", take affirmative steps to avoid racial isolation and to achieve a diverse student population, Parents Involved, 127 S.Ct. at 2797, and that school officials may "consider the racial makeup of schools and adopt general policies to encourage a diverse student body, one aspect of which is its racial composition." Parents Involved, 127 S.Ct. at 2792. Specifically, schools and communities may take account of race in using the following student assignment methods to promote diversity: "strategic site selection of new schools; drawing attendance zones in general recognition of the demographics of neighborhoods; allocating resources for special programs; recruiting students and faculty in a targeted fashion; and tracking enrollments, performance, and other statistics by race." Parents Involved, 127 S.Ct. at 2792. The Court also clarified what school districts cannot do: individual students cannot be assigned to school solely on the basis of their race. Instead, school districts should consider race along with other demographic factors when implementing specific student assignment methods. Parents Involved, 127 S.Ct. at 2797. Furthermore, while the Court held that the Seattle and Louisville school districts had not presented sufficient evidence that they had seriously considered "race-neutral" alternatives, there is no requirement in Parents Involved that school districts only use race-neutral means to promote the compelling interests in diversity and avoiding racial isolation in their schools. School districts should be able to demonstrate that they seriously considered workable race-neutral alternatives, but need not exhaust every possibility. As Justice Kennedy recognized, "[t]his Nation has a moral and ethical obligation to fulfill its historic commitment to creating an integrated society that ensures equal opportunity for all of its children." Parents Involved, 127 S.Ct. at 2797. Schools and communities nationwide therefore can and should continue to take steps to promote a high quality, inclusive education for all children and to address the pervasive harms of continued racial isolation in schools. The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund is America's legal counsel on issues of race. LDF pursues racial justice to move our nation toward a society that fulfills the promise of equality for all Americans. Following the Supreme Court's Parents Involved ruling, LDF issued Still Looking to the Future: Voluntary K-12 School Integration, a Manual for educators, parents and advocates that provides comprehensive information about what we can and should do to promote high quality, inclusive schools in our communities. Click on the link under Publications in the right hand column to access the Manual. Other related resources are also located on this website. http://www.naacpldf.org/content.aspx?article=1317
Guidance or Spin on Affirmative Action Rulings?
Inside Higher Ed
September 19, 2008
More than five years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down two landmark decisions about the consideration of race in college admissions decisions — permitting race to be considered, but only in some circumstances.
Citing “numerous inquiries,” the U.S. Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights recently issued a “Dear Colleague” letter to colleges, outlining its interpretations of the rulings. Calling systems that rely on race “highly suspect,” the department draws attention to the limits on the consideration of race. While everyone agrees that that the Supreme Court did set limits, the letter is being criticized in some quarters as designed to discourage colleges from legal and educationally necessary use of affirmative action.
OCR interpretations of the state of the law are important because the agency investigates complaints from people who believed they have suffered illegal discrimination in education. Many times colleges will settle complaints with OCR, even saying that they disagree with the agency, to avoid a protracted fight with the agency. On the other hand, the Bush administration is in a lame duck stage that gives colleges more leeway.
The OCR’s new letter and the controversy over it concerns what everyone agrees was a “yes, but…” answer from the Supreme Court on the legality of affirmative action. While the Supreme Court absolutely barred quotas (as it had previously) and affirmed that race and ethnicity could be considered, it is in the limitations that the Supreme Court set that the legal fights continue. Generally, the Supreme Court said that colleges needed to consider applicants — minority and white alike — as individuals, going through the same admissions system, and that there are broad reasons to pursue diversity.
After the Supreme Court decisions came down, many colleges adjusted their admissions policies, with systems that gave points for minority status replaced with programs that involved more individual consideration of applicants. Other colleges added essays or eliminated the use of standardized test scores.
In its letter to colleges, OCR reminded them that they “bear the burden of providing sufficient detail” about programs so the agency can judge their legality. The agency then described the “parameters” it would use in evaluating the consideration of race in admissions:
“Use of race must be essential to an institution’s mission and stated goals.”
“The diversity sought by the postsecondary institution must be broader than mere racial diversity.”
“Providing individualized consideration is paramount and there must be no undue burden on other-race applicants.”
“Before using race, there must be serious good faith consideration of workable race-neutral alternatives.”
“Periodic reviews are necessary and the use of race must have a logical end point.”
Taking issue with the letter on Thursday was the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, which noted that the legal standards were set by the Supreme Court five years ago, and raised questions about why this guidance would be arriving now. “There is no reason for such clarification at this time,” the Legal Defense Fund said in a statement. “Rather, it seems that more than five years after those decisions, OCR is issuing this letter to further its efforts to subvert and give unnecessary pause to higher education institutions that are pursuing a racially diverse student population in a constitutional manner.” [To read the entire story, go to: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2008/09/19/ocr ]
AAAA NOTE: The OCR Guidance Letter is printed in its entirety on this blog. See below.
September 19, 2008
More than five years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down two landmark decisions about the consideration of race in college admissions decisions — permitting race to be considered, but only in some circumstances.
Citing “numerous inquiries,” the U.S. Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights recently issued a “Dear Colleague” letter to colleges, outlining its interpretations of the rulings. Calling systems that rely on race “highly suspect,” the department draws attention to the limits on the consideration of race. While everyone agrees that that the Supreme Court did set limits, the letter is being criticized in some quarters as designed to discourage colleges from legal and educationally necessary use of affirmative action.
OCR interpretations of the state of the law are important because the agency investigates complaints from people who believed they have suffered illegal discrimination in education. Many times colleges will settle complaints with OCR, even saying that they disagree with the agency, to avoid a protracted fight with the agency. On the other hand, the Bush administration is in a lame duck stage that gives colleges more leeway.
The OCR’s new letter and the controversy over it concerns what everyone agrees was a “yes, but…” answer from the Supreme Court on the legality of affirmative action. While the Supreme Court absolutely barred quotas (as it had previously) and affirmed that race and ethnicity could be considered, it is in the limitations that the Supreme Court set that the legal fights continue. Generally, the Supreme Court said that colleges needed to consider applicants — minority and white alike — as individuals, going through the same admissions system, and that there are broad reasons to pursue diversity.
After the Supreme Court decisions came down, many colleges adjusted their admissions policies, with systems that gave points for minority status replaced with programs that involved more individual consideration of applicants. Other colleges added essays or eliminated the use of standardized test scores.
In its letter to colleges, OCR reminded them that they “bear the burden of providing sufficient detail” about programs so the agency can judge their legality. The agency then described the “parameters” it would use in evaluating the consideration of race in admissions:
“Use of race must be essential to an institution’s mission and stated goals.”
“The diversity sought by the postsecondary institution must be broader than mere racial diversity.”
“Providing individualized consideration is paramount and there must be no undue burden on other-race applicants.”
“Before using race, there must be serious good faith consideration of workable race-neutral alternatives.”
“Periodic reviews are necessary and the use of race must have a logical end point.”
Taking issue with the letter on Thursday was the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, which noted that the legal standards were set by the Supreme Court five years ago, and raised questions about why this guidance would be arriving now. “There is no reason for such clarification at this time,” the Legal Defense Fund said in a statement. “Rather, it seems that more than five years after those decisions, OCR is issuing this letter to further its efforts to subvert and give unnecessary pause to higher education institutions that are pursuing a racially diverse student population in a constitutional manner.” [To read the entire story, go to: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2008/09/19/ocr ]
AAAA NOTE: The OCR Guidance Letter is printed in its entirety on this blog. See below.
The Use of Race in Postsecondary Student Admissions
OCR Guidance: The Use of Race in Postsecondary Student Admissions
US. Department of Education
Office for Civil Rights
The Office for Civil Rights in the U.S. Department of Education issues this guidance to provide postsecondary institutions with information on how OCR assesses the use of race in admissions consistent with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. 2000d (Title VI). This guidance sets out the applicable Title VI principles, including pertinent standards enunciated by the U.S. Supreme Court in the past five years.
This guidance represents the Department’s current thinking on this topic. It does not create or confer any rights for or on any person. This guidance does not impose any requirements beyond those required under applicable law and regulations.
If you are interested in commenting on this guidance, please email us your comment at OCR@ed.gov or write to us at the following address: Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, D.C. 20202-1100.
AUG 28 2008
Dear Colleague:
I am writing to clarify how the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) in the United States Department of Education evaluates whether the use of race in admissions by a postsecondary institution is consistent with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (hereinafter “Title VI”). OCR is responsible for enforcing Title VI, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color, or national origin by recipients of Federal financial assistance, including public, and most private, postsecondary institutions.
OCR has received numerous inquiries, from postsecondary institutions, individuals and private organizations, about the impact of the Supreme Court’s 2003 decisions in Gratz v. Bollinger, 539 U.S. 244 (2003) (“Gratz”), and Grutter v. Bollinger, 539 U.S. 306, (2003) (“Grutter”). In Grutter v. Bollinger, 539 U.S. 306 (2003), the Supreme Court (hereinafter “the Court”) concluded, “student body diversity is a compelling state interest that can justify the use of race in university admissions.” The Court therefore found lawful the way that the Law School at the University of Michigan had sought to achieve diversity. In contrast, the Court found the use of race in the related case of Gratz v. Bollinger, 539 U.S. 244 (2003), to be unlawful. In Gratz, which involved the undergraduate college of the University of Michigan, the Court found unlawful the way the undergraduate school had made race “a decisive factor for virtually every minimally qualified underrepresented minority applicant.” Id. at 274. The undergraduate school had failed to consider “each applicant's individualized qualifications, including the contribution each individual's race or ethnic identity will make to the diversity of the student body, taking into account diversity within and among all racial and ethnic groups.” Id. at 277.
The Court’s response to the different approaches chosen by the Law School and undergraduate college provides broad parameters to guide postsecondary institutions through the constitutional and Title VI issues that arise if race (as well as color or national origin) is used in admissions. Specifically, the Court applies “strict scrutiny” to admissions policies in order to ensure that burdens placed on individuals because of their race are narrowly tailored to serve a compelling governmental interest.
Consistent with these decisions, OCR’s policy continues to be that racial classifications in admissions policies are impermissible unless they are “narrowly tailored” to meet a “compelling governmental interest” such as the remediation of past discrimination or, in the context of higher education, to achieve appropriate student body diversity. Due to their highly suspect nature, racial classifications will only be permitted if there exists “the most exact connection between justification and classification.” Id. at 270 (quoting Fullilove v. Klutznick, 448 U.S. 448, 537, 65 L. Ed. 2d 902, 100 S. Ct. 2758 (1980) (Stevens, J., dissenting))
As a result, if a postsecondary institution seeks to use racial classifications in admissions, it will bear the burden of providing sufficient detail about its process to enable OCR to determine whether the institution is complying with Title VI. Under the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, a public educational institution is the government actor that must be able to justify its decision to use racial classifications. Both public and private institutions receiving Federal financial assistance are required under Title VI to be able to justify these decisions. The Title VI regulations require recipients to keep records and to submit “timely, complete and accurate compliance reports” when such a report is necessary to enable OCR to ascertain whether the recipient is in compliance with the Title VI regulations, 34 C.F.R. § 100.6(b).
When developing admissions policies, postsecondary institutions must comply with the constitutional principles of equal protection. OCR is available to provide more detailed technical assistance to individual postsecondary institutions on a case-by-case basis.
The parameters outlined below describe factors that have been and will continue to be used by OCR in assessing whether the particular use of race in admissions by a postsecondary institution receiving Federal financial assistance is permissible. OCR will apply these parameters when undertaking Title VI investigations and in OCR’s other applicable enforcement activities:
Use of race must be essential to an institution’s mission and stated goals;
The diversity sought by the postsecondary institution must be broader than mere racial diversity;
Quotas are impermissible;
Providing individualized consideration is paramount and there must be no undue burden on other-race applicants;
Before using race, there must be serious good faith consideration of workable race-neutral alternatives; and
Periodic reviews are necessary and the use of race must have a logical end point.
I look forward to continuing our work together to ensure equal access to education and to promote educational excellence throughout the nation. Thank you for your efforts on behalf of America’s students.
Sincerely,
Stephanie J. MonroeAssistant Secretaryfor Civil Rights
http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/letters/raceadmissionpse.html
US. Department of Education
Office for Civil Rights
The Office for Civil Rights in the U.S. Department of Education issues this guidance to provide postsecondary institutions with information on how OCR assesses the use of race in admissions consistent with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. 2000d (Title VI). This guidance sets out the applicable Title VI principles, including pertinent standards enunciated by the U.S. Supreme Court in the past five years.
This guidance represents the Department’s current thinking on this topic. It does not create or confer any rights for or on any person. This guidance does not impose any requirements beyond those required under applicable law and regulations.
If you are interested in commenting on this guidance, please email us your comment at OCR@ed.gov or write to us at the following address: Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, D.C. 20202-1100.
AUG 28 2008
Dear Colleague:
I am writing to clarify how the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) in the United States Department of Education evaluates whether the use of race in admissions by a postsecondary institution is consistent with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (hereinafter “Title VI”). OCR is responsible for enforcing Title VI, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color, or national origin by recipients of Federal financial assistance, including public, and most private, postsecondary institutions.
OCR has received numerous inquiries, from postsecondary institutions, individuals and private organizations, about the impact of the Supreme Court’s 2003 decisions in Gratz v. Bollinger, 539 U.S. 244 (2003) (“Gratz”), and Grutter v. Bollinger, 539 U.S. 306, (2003) (“Grutter”). In Grutter v. Bollinger, 539 U.S. 306 (2003), the Supreme Court (hereinafter “the Court”) concluded, “student body diversity is a compelling state interest that can justify the use of race in university admissions.” The Court therefore found lawful the way that the Law School at the University of Michigan had sought to achieve diversity. In contrast, the Court found the use of race in the related case of Gratz v. Bollinger, 539 U.S. 244 (2003), to be unlawful. In Gratz, which involved the undergraduate college of the University of Michigan, the Court found unlawful the way the undergraduate school had made race “a decisive factor for virtually every minimally qualified underrepresented minority applicant.” Id. at 274. The undergraduate school had failed to consider “each applicant's individualized qualifications, including the contribution each individual's race or ethnic identity will make to the diversity of the student body, taking into account diversity within and among all racial and ethnic groups.” Id. at 277.
The Court’s response to the different approaches chosen by the Law School and undergraduate college provides broad parameters to guide postsecondary institutions through the constitutional and Title VI issues that arise if race (as well as color or national origin) is used in admissions. Specifically, the Court applies “strict scrutiny” to admissions policies in order to ensure that burdens placed on individuals because of their race are narrowly tailored to serve a compelling governmental interest.
Consistent with these decisions, OCR’s policy continues to be that racial classifications in admissions policies are impermissible unless they are “narrowly tailored” to meet a “compelling governmental interest” such as the remediation of past discrimination or, in the context of higher education, to achieve appropriate student body diversity. Due to their highly suspect nature, racial classifications will only be permitted if there exists “the most exact connection between justification and classification.” Id. at 270 (quoting Fullilove v. Klutznick, 448 U.S. 448, 537, 65 L. Ed. 2d 902, 100 S. Ct. 2758 (1980) (Stevens, J., dissenting))
As a result, if a postsecondary institution seeks to use racial classifications in admissions, it will bear the burden of providing sufficient detail about its process to enable OCR to determine whether the institution is complying with Title VI. Under the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, a public educational institution is the government actor that must be able to justify its decision to use racial classifications. Both public and private institutions receiving Federal financial assistance are required under Title VI to be able to justify these decisions. The Title VI regulations require recipients to keep records and to submit “timely, complete and accurate compliance reports” when such a report is necessary to enable OCR to ascertain whether the recipient is in compliance with the Title VI regulations, 34 C.F.R. § 100.6(b).
When developing admissions policies, postsecondary institutions must comply with the constitutional principles of equal protection. OCR is available to provide more detailed technical assistance to individual postsecondary institutions on a case-by-case basis.
The parameters outlined below describe factors that have been and will continue to be used by OCR in assessing whether the particular use of race in admissions by a postsecondary institution receiving Federal financial assistance is permissible. OCR will apply these parameters when undertaking Title VI investigations and in OCR’s other applicable enforcement activities:
Use of race must be essential to an institution’s mission and stated goals;
The diversity sought by the postsecondary institution must be broader than mere racial diversity;
Quotas are impermissible;
Providing individualized consideration is paramount and there must be no undue burden on other-race applicants;
Before using race, there must be serious good faith consideration of workable race-neutral alternatives; and
Periodic reviews are necessary and the use of race must have a logical end point.
I look forward to continuing our work together to ensure equal access to education and to promote educational excellence throughout the nation. Thank you for your efforts on behalf of America’s students.
Sincerely,
Stephanie J. MonroeAssistant Secretaryfor Civil Rights
http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/letters/raceadmissionpse.html
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