Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Education Department Civil Rights Data Underscore Need to Push for Equity in Education, Says CAP's Carmel Martin

  • 06/07/16

Washington, D.C. — Educational inequities—from access to early learning opportunities and advanced courses to the use of school discipline—are persistent across U.S. schools, new data from the Office for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Education show. Carmel Martin, executive vice president for Policy at the Center for American Progress, released the following statement:

More than 50 years ago, civil rights laws enacted by President Lyndon Johnson, such as the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, laid the groundwork for the notion that the U.S. education system should serve as a critical tool in the war against poverty and inequality. That law, and other civil rights bills that followed in its footsteps—such as the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act—have helped move our education system in the direction of justice and equality for all. New data from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights show that, while we have made significant progress, far more needs to be done to ensure that all students—regardless of their background, ZIP code, ability, or the color of their skin—have access to a high-quality education.

More often than not, it is our most vulnerable children—students of color, low-income students, English language learners, and students with disabilities—who bear the brunt of such inequality, including a lack of access to early learning opportunities and advanced courses. In K-12 settings, these children are also disproportionately the recipients of school disciplinary actions and suspensions. In early childhood settings, very young African American children see far higher rates of such actions.  Inequality has no place in our schools, and these stark statistics remind us of the need to continue the fight for real and tangible equity in education.

For more information, visit www.Amrivcanprogress.org.

Featured

  • Hawaii Elementary School Reopens Following $25M Campus Modernization

    Haʻaheo Elementary School in Hilo, Hawaii, has reopened to students following a three-year, $25-million campus modernization and expansion project that significantly increases the school's instructional space while preserving one of the island's oldest educational institutions, according to local news.

  • University of Pennsylvania Releases Design of Future Physical Sciences Building

    The University of Pennsylvania (Penn) in Philadelphia, Penn., recently released renderings of an upcoming 350,000-square-foot Physical Sciences Building, according to news release. The facility was designed by CO Architects and will unite the university’s departments of Physics and Astronomy, Mathematics, and Earth and Environmental Science.

  • Construction Begins on 100+ Acre K–12 Campus Designed for Lakota Culture

    The Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe (CRST) and the Cheyenne-Eagle Butte School District in Eagle Butte, S.D., recently broke ground on a new K–12 campus that will cover more than 100 acres and serve students and families across 1,600 square miles, according to a news release.

  • UNH Marks Construction Milestone on Oceanic Exploration Facility

    The University of New Hampshire in Durham, N.H., recently celebrated a major construction milestone with a beam-signing ceremony for the new Center of Excellence for Operational Ocean and Great Lakes Mapping, according to a news release. The facility’s ultimate goal is to support research, training and technical assistance in ocean mapping.