Civil Rights Leaders and Scholars Share CRP Study's Concerns about Equity and Nation's Charter Schools

New Report - Charter Schools' Political Success is a Civil Rights Failure

CRP's analysis of the 40 states, the District of Columbia, and several dozen metropolitan areas with large enrollments of charter school students reveals that not only are charter schools more racially isolated than traditional public schools in virtually every instance, but troubling data gaps also make it impossible to assess charter schools enrollments of low-income and English Learner students.

New Report Offers Data On Subsidized Housing and Failing Schools in California

A new report, The Opportunity Illusion: Subsidized Housing and Failing Schools in California, finds that the government's largest program for building subsidized housing places new homes in areas with very weak schools unlikely to prepare the children attending them for higher education and a future in California's economy.
Download the report here.
Download the news advisory here.
December 9, 2009

New Report Challenges Charter School Civil Rights Policy

The Civil Rights Project issues a new report, Equity Overlooked: Charter Schools and Civil Rights Policy, which provides a much-needed overview of the origins of charter school policy; examines the failure of the Bush Administration to provide civil rights policies for charters; outlines state civil rights provisions, and highlights the lack of basic data in federal charter school statistics.
Download the report here.
Download the news advisory here.
November 12, 2009

New UC Report Says Districts Should Look to Berkeley Public Schools for Ideas on Desegregation Plans

According to a new report by researchers at the Civil Rights Project/Proyecto Derechos Civiles and the UC Berkeley's Warren Institute, the Berkeley Unified School District's plan to maintain diversity could serve as a model for other public schools nationwide that are seeking constitutionally sound desegregation programs.
Download the report here.
Download the BUSD policy brief here. UPDATED October 3, 2009

Statement on the Flores Decision of the U.S. Supreme Court

The CRP issues a full statement in regards to the recent Flores decision. Excerpt: "We deeply regret the 5-4 decision of the Supreme Court today in the Horne v. Flores case, which reversed the previous decisions of lower federal courts upholding minimum standards and necessary resources for the education of the large population of English language learners in the Arizona public schools." Click the headline for the complete statement. June 30, 2009

Districts' Integration Efforts in a Changing Climate Two Years after the PICS Decision

Two years after the Supreme Court's voluntary integration decision and in the midst of tightening budgets, school districts around the country are balancing a number of goals including pursuing diverse schools. This memo includes examples of major trends we identified in districts' actions regarding diversity. June 30, 2009

School Resegregation and Civil Rights Challenges for the Obama Administration

Unimaginable a half century ago, the election of Barack Obama is a breakthrough and triumph of the long movement for racial justice. But the newest report in a series of CRP annual reports on desegregation trends, Reviving the Goal of an Integrated Society: A 21st Century Challenge, points out that it would be wrong to assume that our nation has realized Dr. King's dream and created a society where race no longer matters. In fact, the report concludes the opposite. The U.S. continues to move backward toward increasing minority segregation in highly unequal schools. January 14, 2009

NEW BOOK: "New Studies on Race Relations in the U.S."

The CRP is proud to announce the publication of Twenty-First Century Color Lines: Multiracial Change in Contemporary America from Temple University Press. Edited by Andrew Grant-Thomas, deputy director of the Kerwin Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity at Ohio State University, and Gary Orfield, co-director of the Civil Rights Project, the book offers a wide variety of new perspectives about moving from the traditional racial issues of the U.S. toward an understanding of a vastly more complex multiracial setting. November 28, 2008

NEW BOOK: "The Latino Education Crisis: The Consequences of Failed Social Policies"

The Civil Rights Project announces the publication of a new book, The Latino Education Crisis: The Consequences of Failed Social Policies by CRP Co-Director, Professor Patricia Gándara and Frances Contreras, professor at University of Washington. The first book to take a comprehensive look at the social and educational landscape for Latinos in the US, The Latino Education Crisis highlights programs that show promise and offers policy recommendations that can set the nation on a more hopeful path. November 24, 2008

Reflections on the One-year Anniversary of the Supreme Court's Voluntary Integration Decision

One year ago this week, the Supreme Court issued a decision reaffirming the value of racial diversity in our nation's schools, yet limiting the options available to districts interested in ensuring such diversity. The ruling not only came into conflict with a body of mounting social science evidence documenting the benefits of racial diversity but it also ignored the variety of harms stemming from segregated school environments. June 27, 2008

National Call for Research Papers and Notice of Upcoming Conference

"Looking to the Future: Legal and Policy Options for Racially Integrated Education in the South" Deadline for proposals is September 2, 2008. The Conference will take place on April 2, 2009 at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. June 20, 2008

NEW BOOK: "Holding NCLB Accountable"

Holding NCLB Accountable: Achieving Accountability, Equity, and School Reform, a new book from The Civil Rights Project/Proyecto Derechos Civiles (CRP/PDC) at UCLA’s Graduate School of Education and Information Studies, evaluates and assesses the efficacy of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) test-based accountability in today’s schools. The book published by Corwin Press is edited by CRP/PDC senior researcher Gail L. Sunderman. January 9, 2008

BOOK: Lessons in Integration

Coinciding with the beginning of the 2007-8 school year is the publication of Lessons in Integration: Realizing the Promise of Racial Diversity in American Schools (University of Virginia Press), edited by Civil Rights Project Researcher Erica Frankenberg and Co-director Gary Orfield. This research, produced with the support of the Southern Poverty Law Center, provides new evidence on the benefits of integration, and points out that a majority of schools - particularly segregated white schools in suburban America - will inevitably become multiracial, and experience dramatic racial change as a demographic transformation of America proceeds. Lessons in Integration shows ways in which teachers, administrators, and district officials can more effectively teach in diverse classrooms and equitably structure welcoming schooling environments for students from all backgrounds. August 29, 2007

Response to U.S. Supreme Court decision about voluntary school integration

The Supreme Court has issued its first major decision on school desegregation in twelve years, a decision affirming the goal of integrated education as a compelling interest but rejecting the means many school districts use to maintain some integration in a rapidly resegregating society. June 28, 2007

New Harvard Research on the Segregation of American Teachers

Data from a survey of over 1,000 teachers in K-12 public schools across the country show that our teaching force—like public school students—is largely segregated according to a new CRP report. Teachers of different races are teaching students of very different racial composition, adding an extra dimension to growing student racial segregation.

Statement of American Social Scientists of Research on School Desegregation Submitted to US Supreme Court

A social science statement has been submitted to the United States Supreme Court with the signatures of 553 social scientists and researchers, urging the Court to permit the continuation of voluntary race-conscious student assignment plans in American public schools. October 10, 2006

Data Proposals Threaten Education and Civil Rights Accountability

The U.S. Department of Education has proposed sweeping changes in the way
we count minority and white students in our schools, changes that would
dramatically alter the reported enrollment by race and ethnicity in our
states and in many of our educational institutions. Our findings show that
the proposed changes would very seriously undermine both research and
policy analysis work that is essential to understanding racial change and
racial inequality.

Testing the NCLB: Study shows that NCLB hasn’t significantly impacted national achievement scores or narrowed the racial gaps
A primary goal of the federal No Child Left Behind Act is to improve achievement and narrow the achievement gap. This study compares scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) with state assessment results and concludes that the high stakes testing and sanctions required by NCLB are not working as planned. June 15, 2006

New Harvard Research Shows How the US. Department of Education is Changing the Meaning of 'No Child Left Behind' Through Negotiated Deals with States
This study reports that Department officials have been approving changes in how states implement NCLB by negotiating changes individually with each state. The authors contend that this process of making compromises with individual states has altered the meaning of accountability since no two states are now subject to the same requirements. February 13, 2006

Racial Transformation and the Changing Nature of Segregation
”Racial Transformation and the Changing Nature Of Segregation,” co-authored by Professor Gary Orfield and Research Associate Chungmei Lee addresses the changing patterns of segregation in the American public school system for the past four decades, focusing on the changes brought on by the dismantling of the desegregation orders in the last decade in districts that have been declared unitary. January 12, 2006

Civil Rights Organization and Academic Centers Release Advocacy Manual to Combat Resegregation and Promote Greater Racial and Ethnic Diversity
“Looking to the Future” is designed to help parents, students, community leaders, school board members, administrators, and attorneys understand the legal, political, and policy issues related to the promotion of racial and ethnic diversity in public schools. The manual explains and describes how to apply recent federal court cases from around the United States which uphold the ability of school districts to voluntarily desegregate themselves and obtain the educational and societal benefits of diversity in our schools.The manual summarizes the research that demonstrates the profound educational and societal benefits of diversity in our schools. October 11, 2005

>> For more Press Releases, visit our News section.

NEW PROJECTS                               

Project SOL (Secondary Online Learning)

Project SOL is a demonstration project focused on specific school-based interventions and teacher-supported, online curriculum designed to accelerate the content learning of Spanish-dominant secondary school students.

Recently Added: April 22, 2009

NCLB Ignores What We Know about School Change and Is Motivated by Politics

A new report finds that some of the basic assumptions of NCLB are not working and may well be making things worse. In this study, Why High Stakes Accountability Sounds Good but Doesn't Work-- And Why We Keep on Doing It Anyway, Researchers Gail Sunderman and Heinrich Mintrop evaluate whether the accountability system endorsed by NCLB is likely to succeed or fail, and whether it is compatible with what researchers across the country have learned about the conditions needed for lasting school reforms. April 22, 2009

Civil Rights Project Releases Findings of Study on Nation's Largest System of School Choice—Public Magnet Schools

Historically, magnet schools have been an important part of school districts' efforts to improve equity and quality in our nation's schools and enroll twice as many students as charter schools. But as charters – created without fundamental civil rights considerations - have become a central focus of school choice proponents, federal funds for magnet schools have been frozen. A new report, The Forgotten Choice? Rethinking Magnet Schools in a Changing Landscape, looks at the policy effects of neglecting magnet schools. November 26, 2008

Building on Success

The Civil Rights Project/Proyecto Derechos Civiles yesterday presented its report, Building on Success, to the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE) in Lexington, KY. This comprehensive study of equity in the entire Kentucky system not only assesses the state's progress under plans developed to comply with federal civil rights law over the past 26 years, but also recommends strategies for the next generation. September 29, 2008

Resources for English Learners

The University of California Linguistic Minority Research Institute Education Policy Center (UC LMRI) announce the release of Resource Needs for English Learners: Getting Down to Policy Recommendations. The resource guide sets the foundation of English Learners in California and identifies seven factors that manifest an inferior education for this population of students. Relevant policy recommendations discuss a variety of factors from funding, accountability, infrastructure and teacher training and development. June 2008

Preserving Integration Options for Latino Children

The Mexican American Legal Defense Fund (MALDEF) and the Civil Rights Project/Proyecto Derechos Civiles (CRP/PDC) announce the release of Preserving Integration Options for Latino Children: A Manual for Educators, Civil Rights Leaders, and the Community. The Manual outlines the history of segregation and racial isolation that Latinos have experienced, the struggles they have waged, and the consequences for children and communities. This invaluable resource is being issued on the heels of the Supreme Court's June 2007 decision in Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District No. 1. February 12, 2008

Honoring Martin Luther King, Jr.

Honoring the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr., two new studies were released today that are part of the Initiative on School Integration, recently created by the CRP/PDC after the Supreme Court’s June 2007 decisions limited voluntary integration in our nations’ schools. The Last Have Become First: Rural and Small Town America Lead the Way on Desegregation, by Gary Orfield and Erica Frankenberg, is the latest in a series of CRP annual reports on desegregation trends. Are Teachers Prepared for Racially Changing Schools? by Erica Frankenberg and Genevieve Siegel-Hawley, reveals the challenges for teachers and school leaders as they face many different kinds of situations with regard to race, ethnicity and class. January 18, 2008

Inaugural Issue of "The Integration Report"

The first issue of The Integration Report, a new biweekly web "toolkit" launched today, links readers to the most up-to-date integration news and illuminates key issues in diversity at our nation's K-12 schools. The Integration Report is part of CRP/PDC's new Initiative on School Integration, made possible with the support of the Open Society Institute. January 15, 2008

Still Looking to the Future - School Integration Manual

Honoring the nation's celebration of Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, The CRP/PDC and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund (LDF) release Still Looking to the Future: Voluntary K-12 School Integration; A Manual for Parents, Educators and Advocates. This Second Edition of The Manual provides valuable guidance and information about how communities and school districts can promote racial diversity and address racial isolation in schools nationwide. Download the manual here or request a hard copy from LDF by sending an email to manual@naacpldf.org. January 15, 2008

NCLB Supplemental Educational Services Policy Brief

The supplemental educational services (SES) provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act promise to expand educational opportunities by providing low-income families access to the private tutoring market. In this policy brief, the Civil Rights Project/Proyecto Derechos Civiles at UCLA reviewed data on participation in the program and found that demand for SES has either declined or leveled off after five years. This comes as the number of students eligible for services has increased. October 31, 2007

Historic Reversals, Accelerating Resegregation, and the Need for New Integration Strategies

This new report released by The Civil Rights Project at UCLA finds that for the first time in three decades, the South is in danger of losing its leadership as the nation's most integrated schools. The report examines the effects of the dual processes of racial transformation and resegregation on the educational opportunity of students, as well as the relationship between race and poverty and its implications in light of the recent Supreme Court decisions. The report concludes with recommendations for school districts. August 29, 2007

Charting the Future of College Affirmative Action: Legal Victories, Continuing Attacks, and New Research

This volume presents the views of leading scholars across the country on a variety of topics directly linked to the present situation, existing challenges, and the future of race-conscious policies in educational institutions across the country. As is our consistent practice, we have not sought and do not present a single position, but offer the interpretations of researchers who have discussed their work in a roundtable and have responded to questions raised in a peer review process. What we present is not a cookbook for college authorities but important perspectives for all engaged in this discussion to consider.

Research Roundtable concerning NCLB

The Civil Rights Project at Harvard University and the Chief Justice Earl Warren Institute on Race, Ethnicity and Diversity at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law commissioned a series of new research concerning the effects of No Child Left Behind (NCLB). This research, presented at a series of roundtables, examines the effects of NCLB for low-income and minority students and their schools from a civil rights perspective.

School Accountability under NCLB: Aid or Obstacle for Measuring Racial Equity?

A review of state progress towards meeting the NCLB accountability requirements finds that many schools, once identified as needing improvement, are not moving out of improvement status and new schools continue to be added to the list of schools needing improvement.

Confronting the Graduation Rate Crisis in Texas

Every year, across the country, a dangerously high percentage of students -- disproportionately poor and minority -- disappear from the educational pipeline before graduating from high school. As this report demonstrates, the graduation rate in Texas is far too low.

The End of Keyes -- Resegregation Trends and Achievement in the Denver Public Schools

This report describes the academic achievement trends of students in Denver’s elementary schools from 1994 to 2000, beginning with a brief introduction to the original 1973 Keyes decision and the path to its conclusion in 1995.

Latino Educational Opportunity--A Volume in New Directions for Community College Series (#133)

State and federal policy has increasingly looked to the community college to educate Latinos—the largest minority group in the United States—and other students traditionally underrepresented in higher education. The studies presented in this volume of New Directions for Community Colleges aim to foster a better understanding of the ways and extent to which community colleges provide Latino students with educational access and opportunity.

The Unraveling of No Child Left Behind: How Negotiated Changes Transform the Law
Over the past two years, the U.S. Department of Education’s (ED) has made such extensive compromises in implementing the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) that the law’s legitimacy is in serious question. In response to growing state and local opposition to the law, political and professional criticisms of its requirements, and the increasing number of schools and districts identified for improvement, the administration has allowed a wide variety of changes in state accountability plans.

Denver Public Schools: Resegregation, Latino Style
The Denver Public Schools (DPS) provide a unique opportunity to study the dynamics of school segregation within the context of rapid demographic changes and key policy changes.

Looking To The Future: Voluntary K-12 School Integration
The purpose of this manual is to help you—parents, students, community activists, and school board members, administrators, and attorneys—navigate through the maze of legal, political, and policy issues related to the promotion of racial and ethnic diversity in public schools.

NCLB Educational and Advocacy Video Series
Resource and Video Guide
The Civil Rights Project at Harvard University has prepared this series of videotapes and accompanying resource guide to examine what the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) means for your children and the public schools in your community. The purpose of these videos and this manual is to introduce you to the NCLB legislation and to help you understand how the Act works, how we can make it work better, and how we can avoid an educational catastrophe if it doesn't work.

BOOK: NCLB Meets School Realities Lessons From the Field
The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 is one of the biggest educational forces of our time. So why is it one of the least understood? NCLB Meets School Realities is an essential resource for educators wanting to explore and understand the issues raised by NCLB. Based on original research by The Civil Rights Project at Harvard University of 11 districts across 6 states, this text details how NCLB is put into practice, the issues it raises, and how it affects minority and low-income students.

Metro Boston Equity Initiative
The Metropolitan Boston Equity Initiative is a yearlong effort investigating racial change and the implications of such change for social and economic opportunity within the region’s diverse population.