Sixty years ago, the Supreme Court declared in Brown v. Board of Education that public education “is a right which must be made available to all on equal terms.” Despite major progress in some areas, many students continue to lack the opportunity of a quality education. In too many communities, gaps in essential educational resources and opportunities exist – and too often, it is low-income students, students of color, or otherwise traditionally underserved student groups that receive less.

Because every student is entitled to equal educational opportunities regardless of race, color, or national origin, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has issued new guidance that highlights and explains what Federal law requires regarding the provision of educational resources, how OCR investigates resource disparities, and what States, school districts, and schools can do to meet their obligations to all their students.

The following materials include OCR’s guidance and data on access to educational resources, as well as links to a variety of additional resources with related information.

OCR Guidance and Resources

• Resource Comparability Guidance Package (October 1, 2014)

• Civil Rights Data Collection Snapshots (March 2014)

• Resource Equity Guidance Package (January 19, 2001)

Links to Other Resources

OCR offers technical assistance on the legal obligation to provide students with equal access to educational resources without regard to race, color, or national origin. To request such assistance, contact the OCR office serving your state by visiting www.ed.gov/ocr or call OCR’s customer service team at 1-800-421-3481. Additional resources regarding equal access to educational resources, both those generated by the Department and otherwise, are provided below.

• U.S. Department of Education Resources:

• Guide to U.S. Department of Education Programs (federal funding)
• Civil Rights Data Collection (school and district equity data)
• Common Core of Data (school and district data)
• EDFacts Initiative (state data)
• Schools and Staffing Survey (teacher and leader data)

• U.S. Department of Education Funded Resources and Partnerships:

The Department funds a variety of resources through grants, cooperative agreements or contracts that may support efforts to provide students with equal access to educational resources. The Department does not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of outside information, including from grantees and contractors. Reliance on these materials does not guarantee that a State, school district, or school is meeting its statutory requirements. Further, the inclusion of information, addresses, or websites for particular items, does not reflect their importance, nor is it intended to endorse any views expressed, or products or services offered. Note that although some of these resources were designed specifically for Race to the Top grantees, the Department believes that the information they contain may be useful to all SEAs and LEAs.

• ConnectED Initiative (technology)

• Educator Equity Support Network (technical assistance)

• Equity Assistance Centers (technical assistance)

• Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) (academic programs)

• Green Ribbon Schools (facilities)

• Jacob K. Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education Program (academic programs)

• Institute for Education Sciences: Transfer Incentives for High-Performing Teachers: Final Results from a Multisite Randomized Experiment (2014)

• National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research (CALDER)

• Right-Sizing the Classroom: Making the Most of Great Teachers (2014)

• Portability of Teacher Effectiveness Across Schools (2012)

• Value Added of Teachers in High-Poverty Schools and Lower-Poverty Schools (2010)

• Teacher Mobility, School Segregation, and Pay-Based Policies to Level the Playing Field (2010)

• National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition, National Technical Assistance Network

• National Content Comprehensive Centers (technical assistance) including:

• College and Career Readiness and Success Center, Resource Database

• Center on Great Teachers and Leaders

• Moving Toward Equity

• Teacher Effectiveness and Equity in K-12 Classrooms (2009)

• Increasing Teacher Retention to Facilitate the Equitable Distribution of Effective Teachers (2009)

• The Distribution of Highly Qualified, Experienced Teachers: Challenges and Opportunities (2009)

• Thinking Systemically: Steps for States to Improve Equity in the Distribution of Teachers (2009)

• Ensuring the Equitable Distribution of Teachers: Strategies for School, District, and State Leaders (2010)

• Race to the Top Technical Assistance and Communities of Practice (technical assistance)

• Teach to Lead, Commit to Lead

• Toolkit on Teaching and Assessing Students with Disabilities (resources and technical assistance)

• Other Resources:

The following information is provided for the reader’s convenience. The Department does not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of outside information. Further, the inclusion of information, addresses, or websites for particular items, does not reflect their importance, nor is it intended to endorse any views expressed, or products or services offered.