59. Add institutions of higher education to the Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC).

Campus Climate 09.6.24

Here’s what the federal government can do:

  • The U.S. Department of Education should collect information from institutions of higher education — public, private, and for-profit — through the Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC).
  • The U.S. Department of Education should ensure that the CRDC, including data from institutions of higher education, is collected, conducted, and disseminated on an annual basis.
  • The U.S. Department of Education should ensure that CRDC higher education data are disaggregated and cross-tabulated to identify areas where change is needed.
  • The U.S. Department of Education should provide oversight and technical assistance to higher education institutions to ensure full and accurate compliance with data collection.
  • Congress should use the CRDC to inform policy decisions to direct and appropriate federal funding to build safer, more inclusive, and nondiscriminatory campuses.
  • OCR should use the CRDC to support enforcement of civil rights laws.

Here’s what state government can do:

  • State legislatures should use the CRDC to inform policy decisions to direct and appropriate state funding to build safer and more inclusive campuses.

Here’s what institutional leaders can do:

  • Higher education institutions should use the CRDC to inform decisions and protect the civil rights and wellbeing of students.

The CRDC is a federally mandated data collection that K-12 schools and districts that receive federal financial assistance from the Department of Education are obligated to complete. Data on the civil rights of postsecondary students should also be collected and disseminated on an annual basis from all public, private, and for-profit higher education institutions.

The CRDC is a key resource for policymakers, communities, and schools to better understand the experiences of students of color, LGBTQIA+ students, and students with disabilities.

[i]

The CRDC collects data on student enrollment, access to educational programs and services, complaints, and discipline, which can help with administering and enforcing civil rights laws. OCR relies on school districts to provide CRDC data to support investigations of complaints of discrimination and determine whether federal civil rights under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 have been violated.

[i]“Civil Rights Data” U.S. Department of Education. https://civilrightsdata.ed.gov/.