The U.S. Department of Education's (ED) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) administers the Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC), which is a mandatory survey of all public schools and school districts in the 50 states, Washington, D.C., and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. This Data Snapshot provides an overview of the CRDC for the 2020-21 school year.

President Donald Trump has instructed U.S. Department of Education Secretary Linda McMahon to "take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education" using her authority to "the maximum extent appropriate and permitted by law." As Secretary McMahon considers such steps, she has already indicated that…

The U.S. Department of Education's (ED) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) administers the Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC), which is a mandatory survey of all public schools and school districts in the 50 states, Washington, D.C., and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. To support school districts' timely submission of accurate data, OCR takes steps…

For two decades, during the tenures of the Obama and Biden Administrations, the Department of Education has tried to curtail access to for-profit colleges and universities (known as the "proprietary" sector in higher education) through a growing tome of federal regulations. Oversight of the nonprofit and public sectors has been much…

In the United States, more than 68 million students are enrolled in public elementary and secondary (K-12) schools or degree-granting postsecondary institutions. School and campus safety and security for these students encompasses many issues, including violence prevention and response, school climate, and the physical and mental health of the…

This position statement focuses on the importance of the federal role in the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) and why federal involvement matters. The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) recognizes the crucial role that the federal government has played in the education of students with disabilities. CEC is committed to ensuring…

Geography provides context to the information collected, tabulated, and disseminated by the Census Bureau, whether data for the United States as a whole, a state, a congressional district, a county or city, or a census tract (roughly the size of a neighborhood). Geographers perform the activities necessary to update and maintain the geographic…

This guide is designed for use by school, district, and state education agency staff to improve the effectiveness of efforts to collect and use discipline data, including reporting accurate and timely data to the federal government. It explains the importance of collecting discipline data, identifies key considerations for agencies implementing…

Our current federal postsecondary data system is incomplete and fails to provide today's students with the accurate, timely information that they need to inform their college choices and promote their success. As policymakers consider proposals to improve this federal data system, it is critical that they work in tandem to protect students'…

The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016 (Pub. L. 114-113) provided $75 million for the Comprehensive School Safety Initiative (CSSI, or the Initiative) and the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017 (Pub. L. 115-31) provided $50 million for CSSI. Senate Report 114-57 and Senate Report 114-239 instruct the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) to…

Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities are growing at a faster rate than any other racial group in the United States. The opportunity to address significant inequities impacting this community is hiding in our country's postsecondary data. Collections of data at the U.S. Department of Education and our institutions of higher…

The collection of data by government authorities has a complex history. In Australia, this began with the establishment of British government settlements as a way to account for fiscal viability and social prospects. As the colonies became self-governing entities, the collection of social and economic data increased in importance, and included…

The Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins Act) is the primary federal law aimed at developing and supporting career and technical education (CTE) programs for secondary and postsecondary students. In the 109th Congress, the Perkins Act was reauthorized by the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act of…

As of June 2020, it is still too early to know how state early childhood systems will be permanently changed by the COVID-19 crisis. But the need for early childhood data is not new to the pandemic and recovery. States can benefit from data to better understand the landscape of local early childhood services--and about resources needed to help…

Accurate and complete data can empower college choices, promote student success, and inform federal, state and institutional policies. Yet existing postsecondary student data systems are disconnected, duplicative and incomplete. "A Blueprint for Better Information: Recommendations for a Federal Postsecondary Student-Level Data Network"…