What do education leaders need to know about the Department of Education's new guidance on race and civil rights?

Friday, February 28, 2025, 1:30 – 2:30 p.m. EST 
Online: https://www.brookings.edu/events/what-do-education-leaders-need-to-know-about-the-department-of-educations-new-guidance-on-race-and-civil-rights 

On February 14, 2025, the U.S. Department of Education released a Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) declaring that any use of race in decisionmaking related to school and college practices and policies violates federal civil rights law. This would include any race-conscious initiatives, including diversity, equity, and inclusion programs or using race-neutral approaches to promote racial diversity (e.g., in selective school admissions practices). However, according to legal experts, the DCL runs contrary to federal law and recent Supreme Court decisions. With that context in mind, how will the guidance letter impact the department’s civil rights enforcement work? And how should school, state, and college leaders think about civil rights compliance given the guidance’s expansiveness and questionable legal foundation?.

On February 28, join the Brown Center on Education Policy at Brookings for a webinar with education and legal scholars, including experts in education civil rights enforcement, to discuss the legality of the February 14 guidance letter and related actions. The discussion will focus on the potential implications for the schools, districts, states, and colleges and universities that are required to comply with federal civil rights law as a condition of receiving federal funding. 

Viewers can submit questions for the speakers by emailing events@brookings.edu or on X/Twitter @BrookingsGov using #TitleVIDCL.