Mike Magee, CEO of Chiefs for Change, a bipartisan network of district and state education leaders, today released the following statement in response to news that the U.S. Department of Education will conduct the Civil Rights Data Collection during the 2021-2022 school year.
We commend the U.S. Department of Education for its decision to conduct the Civil Rights Data Collection this year. These data provide critical information that can help to ensure America’s schools are upholding civil rights protections for all students and are providing children with access to an equitable, high-quality education. In addition, the data will give us information on whether funding is being equitably distributed and whether schools serving students with the most intensive needs are receiving resources proportionate to that challenge. This fiscal accountability is always important, but it is especially imperative now given the unprecedented amount of federal aid for K-12 education.
As a bipartisan network of school superintendents and state education leaders, one of our core beliefs is that all children should feel safe and welcome in school, every day. We must protect students’ physical health and safety, support their mental health and social and emotional wellbeing, and create a positive school culture. The Civil Rights Data Collection is one of the best tools that we have to determine whether America’s schools are places where all children are safe, feel like they belong, and have the same opportunities as their peers to succeed.
