News

This section includes press releases and statements about education and racial justice issues.

Millions of Children Find the Schoolhouse Door Locked

UCLA Center for Civil Rights Remedies Finds Shocking Suspension Rates in thousands of districts across the nation.

Bans on Affirmative Action Shown to Reduce Enrollment of Graduate Students of Color at Universities in CA, FL, TX, WA

This study examines the impact of affirmative action bans, across a number of years in several states, on the enrollment of underrepresented students of color. These latest data show that the bans have led to marked declines in key areas of graduate studies.

Fall River Public Schools Suspend Black and Latino Students, and Students with Disabilities, at Unusually High Rates

Civil Rights Project at UCLA and ACLU of Massachusetts file complaint with U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights, alleging violations of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

UCLA Report Links School Integration with Positive Leadership and Better Community Relations

Teachers’ perceptions differ widely by the racial and socioeconomic makeup of their school

Out-of-School Suspensions in California’s School Districts Reveal Hidden Crisis

A new report from the Center for Civil Rights Remedies at the Civil Rights Project estimates that more than 400,000 students were suspended and removed from classrooms at least one time during the 2009-10 school year in California.

CRP Mourns Loss of Dedicated Civil Rights Attorney John Payton

John Payton, the superb leader of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, a preeminent force in the battle for civil rights, passed away on March 22, 2012.

CRP Response to Release of the 2009-10 Civil Rights Data

The Civil Rights Project commends the U.S. Department of Education for recent changes to the Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) and public release of the 2009-10 school year data but also highlights the need for additional changes.

Project SOL Teachers Receive "Courage to Act" Awards

Eight Project SOL teachers received “Courage to Act, Bilingual Teacher Awards” from the California Association of Bilingual Educators and were also recognized by the California Legislature and the Secretary of Foreign Relations of Mexico for their exceptional dedication and talent in bringing college preparatory curriculum to immigrant students in high school.

CRP Calls for Fundamental Changes in California's Community Colleges

Almost 75% of all Latino and two-thirds of all Black students who go on to higher education in California go to a community college, yet in 2010 only 20% of all transfers to four-year institutions were Latino or African American. Pathways to the baccalaureate are segregated; students attending low-performing high schools usually go directly into community colleges that transfer few students to 4-year colleges. Conversely, a handful of community colleges serving high percentages of white, Asian and middle class students are responsible for the majority of all transfers in the state. California ranks last among the states in the proportion of its college students who attend a 4-year institution, which is a key factor in the state’s abysmal record on BA attainment. In a state in which half of all high school graduates are Black and Latino, this situation spells economic disaster for the future of the state.

Policy Brief Highlights Student Achievement and Parent Demand for Magnet Schools

This new research is based on a 2011 survey of magnet school leaders from over 50 school districts across the country. Magnet school leaders responding to the survey reported that student achievement rose during periods of federal magnet funding via the Magnet Schools Assistance Program (MSAP) and that parent demand for magnet school placements was high. Inclusive admissions processes and inter-district transfer policies were increasing, both of which are particularly effective in reducing racial isolation in schools.

Call for Papers: Exploring Possible Benefits of Bilingualism in the Labor Market and Beyond

The Civil Rights Project/Proyecto Derechos Civiles, in collaboration with the Educational Testing Service (ETS), is pleased to issue a call for papers under the general topic of “The Benefits of Bilingualism.”

Collected Works of University of California’s Lingusitic Minority Research Institute now available

CRP makes LMRI documents available to the public via the University of California's eScholarhip, an open-access, scholarly publishing service.

Report Shows Poorly Educated Workers at Bottom of So Cal's Broken Economic Ladder

By focusing on underemployment rates in addition to the numbers of unemployed, this report provides a more accurate measure of the health of the labor market in Southern California and finds a marked increase in the concentration of people clinging to the bottom of the state’s social and economic ladder, with Latino and Black males comprising the economy's hardest hit sectors.

Call for Papers to Inform Policymakers About Race and Gender Disparities in School Discipline

The Center for Civil Rights Remedies (CCRR) at the Civil Rights Project, in collaboration with the Research-to-Practice Collaborative on Race and Gender Disparities in School Discipline, seeks research papers that will inform school discipline policies at the district, state, and federal levels.

Statement on Devastating Cuts to Magnet Schools in LA Unified

The state now threatens the coup de grace, which is to eliminate entirely magnet bus transportation, and with it the possibility for students who can’t provide their own transportation to attend magnet schools. Cutting bus transportation will substantially eliminate the diversity in the magnet schools and the magnets will become more segregated over time. We need to make sure that students from all parts of the city have the right to participate in this important alternative, which is one of the only real paths to college, particularly for disadvantaged students, that’s left in the City of Los Angeles. We think of this as a very important civil rights issue and believe that Superintendent Deasy is correct in suing the state government over this issue.

Statement on New Guidance from Departments of Education and Justice

CRP statement on the long awaited policy guidance from the U.S. Departments of Education and Justice to K-12 schools and colleges and universities across the U.S., about the ways in which they can legally and effectively pursue their compelling educational interest of reducing the very high level of separate and unequal schooling now prevailing in much of the country.

CRP Announces New Book published by UNC Press

The Civil Rights Project announces the publication of Integrating Schools in a Changing Society: New Policies and Legal Options for a Multiracial Generation, a new book of cutting-edge scholarship on the forces shaping the future of school integration policy following the Supreme Court’s 2007 PICS decision.

Reports show harsh discipline policies applied disproportionately to students of color

The Civil Rights Project/Proyecto Derechos Civiles (CRP) announces the release of two reports and resource materials by Daniel Losen, director of the Center for Civil Rights Remedies at the CRP and one of the nation’s top experts on school discipline.

Civil Rights Project proposes new integration plan for Jefferson County schools

The CRP makes available to the public a new proposed integration plan for the JCPS schools.

Statement on the California Budget Crisis and College Opportunity

Tiny Tax Cut for Most Californians Equals Huge and Hidden Tax on California’s College Students