Sixty  years ago, the Supreme Court declared in *Brown  v. Board of Education* that public education “is a right which must be made  available to all on equal terms.” Despite major progress in some areas, many  students continue to lack the opportunity of a quality education. In too many  communities, gaps in essential educational resources and opportunities exist –  and too often, it is low-income students, students of color, or otherwise  traditionally underserved student groups that receive less.

Because  every student is entitled to equal educational opportunities regardless of  race, color, or national origin, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has issued new  guidance that highlights and explains what Federal law requires regarding the  provision of educational resources, how OCR investigates resource disparities,  and what States, school districts, and schools can do to meet their obligations  to all their students. 

The  following materials include OCR’s guidance and data on access to educational resources,  as well as links to a variety of additional resources with related information.

**OCR Guidance and Resources**

- Resource Comparability Guidance Package (October 1, 2014)

 -Dear Colleague Letter PDF (469K)  | En  español  PDF (308K)  -Fact Sheet PDF (179K) | En  español PDF (510K)  | Chinese simplified PDF (299K)  | Chinese traditional PDF (431K)  | Korean PDF (352K)  | Russian PDF (254K)  | Tagalog  PDF (180K)  | Vietnamese PDF (233K)  -Press Release | En español-Remarks of Secretary Arne Duncan | En español-ED Blog Post by Assistant Secretary Catherine  Lhamon

- Civil Rights Data Collection Snapshots (March 2014)

-College and Career Readiness | Página  1 en español  -Teacher and Counselor Equity | Página  1 en español  -Early Childhood Education | Página  1 en español

- Resource Equity Guidance Package (January 19, 2001)

-Dear Colleague Letter PDF (852K)

**Links to Other Resources**

OCR offers technical assistance on the legal obligation to provide students with equal access to educational resources without regard to race, color, or national  origin. To request such assistance, contact the OCR office serving your state  by visiting www.ed.gov/ocr or call OCR’s customer service team at 1-800-421-3481. Additional  resources regarding equal access to educational resources, both those generated  by the Department and otherwise, are provided below.

- U.S. Department of Education Resources:

Guide to U.S. Department of Education Programs
 (federal  funding)
Civil Rights Data Collection
 (school and district equity data)
Common Core of Data
 (school and district data)
ED*Facts* Initiative
 (state data)
Schools and Staffing Survey
 (teacher and leader data)

- U.S. Department of Education Funded Resources and Partnerships :

The Department funds a variety of resources through grants,  cooperative agreements or contracts that may support efforts to provide  students with equal access to educational resources.  The Department does not control or guarantee  the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of outside information,  including from grantees and contractors.   Reliance on these materials does not guarantee that a State, school district,  or school is meeting its statutory requirements.  Further, the inclusion of information,  addresses, or websites for particular items, does not reflect their importance,  nor is it intended to endorse any views expressed, or products or services offered.  Note that although some of these resources  were designed specifically for Race to the Top grantees, the Department  believes that the information they contain may be useful to all SEAs and LEAs.

- ConnectED Initiative (technology)
- Educator Equity Support Network (technical assistance)
- Equity Assistance  Centers (technical assistance)
- Gaining  Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) (academic programs)
- Green  Ribbon Schools (facilities)
- Jacob K. Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education Program (academic programs)
- Institute for Education Sciences: Transfer Incentives for High-Performing Teachers: Final Results from a Multisite Randomized Experiment (2014)
- National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research (CALDER)
Right-Sizing the Classroom:  Making the Most of Great Teachers (2014)
Portability of Teacher  Effectiveness Across Schools (2012)
Value Added of Teachers in  High-Poverty Schools and Lower-Poverty Schools (2010)
Teacher Mobility, School  Segregation, and Pay-Based Policies to Level the Playing Field (2010)

- National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition, National Technical Assistance Network
- National Content Comprehensive Centers (technical assistance) including:
College and Career Readiness and Success Center, Resource Database
Center on Great Teachers and Leaders
- Moving Toward Equity
- Teacher Effectiveness and Equity in K-12 Classrooms (2009)
- Increasing  Teacher Retention to Facilitate the Equitable Distribution of Effective  Teachers (2009)
- The  Distribution of Highly Qualified, Experienced Teachers: Challenges and  Opportunities (2009)
- Thinking  Systemically: Steps for States to Improve Equity in the Distribution of  Teachers (2009)
- Ensuring  the Equitable Distribution of Teachers: Strategies for School, District, and State Leaders (2010)

- Race to the Top Technical Assistance and Communities of Practice (technical assistance)
- Teach to Lead, Commit to Lead
- Toolkit on Teaching and Assessing Students with Disabilities (resources and technical assistance)

- Other Resources:

The following information is provided for the reader’s  convenience.  The Department does not  control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of  outside information.  Further, the inclusion  of information, addresses, or websites for particular items, does not reflect  their importance, nor is it intended to endorse any views expressed, or  products or services offered.

      - American Association of School Administrators, Equity at the Core (2013)
      - American Federation of Teachers, How to Give All Children a Real Opportunity (2011)
      - Annenberg Institute for School Reform, College Readiness Indicator Systems: District Self-Assessment Tool (2014)
      - Appleseed, Resource Equity Assessment Document
      - Broad Foundation, The Road  to Equity: Expanding AP Access and Success (2013)
      - Campaign for High School Equity, Plan for Success
      - Center for American Progress, Attaining Equitable Distribution of Effective Teachers (2014)
      - College Board, Achieving Equity
      - Council of Chief State School Officers, Equity Resources
      - Council of the Great City Schools, A Call for Change (2012)
      - Education Commission of the States, Closing the Achievement Gap Research and Readings
      - Education Counsel, Bringing Course Access to All Students (2014)
      - Education Resource Strategies, Resource Tools including District Resource Check and School Funding Resource Check
      - Education Trust, Missing Students (2013) and Falling Out of the Lead (2014)
      - Equity and Excellence Commission, For Each and Every Child (2013)
      - Leadership Conference on Civil and Human  Rights, Achieving Educational Equity for Each and Every Child (2013)
      - NAACP LDF and National Women’s Law Center, Unlocking Opportunity for African American Girls (2014)
      - National Association of Elementary School Principals, Where are All the Students of Color in Gifted Education? (2009)
      - National Association of Secondary School  Principals, Equity: Philosophy, Practice, & Policy / Technology & Equity (2000)
      - National Conference of State Legislatures, School Finance, School Principals, Teachers, Technology, Rigorous Courses
      - National Education Association, Effective  Practices in Closing Achievement Gaps
      - National Governors Association, A Commitment to Quality Education (2013)
      - National School Boards Association, Equity and  Discrimination Resources
      - TNTP, Publications on Retention,  School Climate, Teacher Training, Evaluation and Development, and School Staffing