CLE’s Statement Supporting Civil Rights Data Collection

The Center for Learner Equity (CLE) is thrilled with Secretary Cardona’s announcement today that the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) will collect data via the Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) from all public school districts and their schools, two years in a row, for the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 school years. CLE, through the initiative of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, supported a recommendation made in March 2021, urging OCR to begin “universal and annual collection” of school-level data in the 2021-2022 school year. As a leading voice for equity for students with disabilities in all public schools and author of the only reports available on the status of these students in charter schools, we know the value of the CRDC data in informing policy, research, and best practice. We look forward to supporting OCR and schools in this important endeavor.