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U.S. Department of Education

U.S. Department of Education

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About EDOVERVIEW
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LOOKING AHEAD

The mission of the Office for Civil  Rights is “ensuring equal access to education and promoting educational  excellence throughout the nation through vigorous enforcement of civil  rights.”  This responsibility is not one  to be taken lightly.  OCR is committed  to ensuring that all students, regardless of race, color, national origin, sex,  disability or age, receive access to education.  

As a part of this commitment, OCR  must fairly and vigorously enforce civil rights laws to seek compliance by  education institutions nationwide.   While its primary function is to investigate and resolve allegations of  discrimination, OCR remains committed to helping institutions understand their  responsibilities under the laws it enforces.   Thus, OCR will continue to provide technical assistance to help schools  develop a better understanding of their legal obligations, as well as to help  parents, students, and educators know their rights.  OCR also will continue to initiate compliance reviews to evaluate  whether programs, procedures, and facilities are in compliance with federal  law.

In addition to these core  enforcement activities, OCR also is dedicated to implementing the objectives of the *No Child Left Behind Act*, as well as the President’s American  Competitiveness Initiative (ACI), which focuses on increasing American  performance in math and science.  The  ACI also focuses on increasing the number of Advanced Placement classes  available to low-income and minority high school students.  OCR will advance the principles of the ACI  by ensuring discrimination does not contribute to the under-performance of, or  lack of participation by, students in math and science.

Assistant  Secretary for Civil Rights Stephanie Monroe, who is finishing her first six  months as assistant secretary, has completed comprehensive reviews of OCR’s  operations, procedures, and resources. She has visited the 12 regional offices  to meet with staff to analyze the issues facing employees active in the field  and will continue to work with all staff to ensure that OCR is functioning at  maximum capacity and producing work of the highest quality.

| President and Mrs. Bush believe that with a great teacher, every student can succeed—no matter what ZIP Code they live in, what language they speak, or what special needs they may have.... 

***Margaret  Spellings,     Secretary of Education, 2005***
Assistant Secretary Monroe and the  OCR staff look forward to addressing the challenges that lie ahead.
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