In Virginia, the state Department of Education announced plans to eliminate a number of educational equity resources and rescind initiatives that had been developed to address inequities in schools. The announcement and accompanying report followed an executive order issued by the governor. The order required the Department to review all resources, websites, guidance and other materials to identify and remove so-called “divisive concepts.”

This list of concepts is being used to chill speech and justify the elimination of important diversity and equity initiatives in Virginia and other states. It has become the common cornerstone of the harmful classroom censorship bills being proposed and passed across the country, including House Bill 312 in Alabama, the most recent censorship policy proposed in the state. HB 312 would impact how race, gender and discrimination are discussed in K-12 schools and colleges and universities. 

In Georgia, IDRA and other coalition partners continued to fight against similar classroom censorship bills. In a hearing this week, legislators heard testimony on Senate Bill 377, a policy that would suppress speech in classrooms and withhold funding from schools accused of violating the vague provisions of the bill. Students in Atlanta boldly protested this and similar classroom censorship policies.

In Texas, students continue to experience the harms of these policies and other attacks on their access to educational resources and books that reflect the diversity of our communities. This week, IDRA partnered with other civil rights and educational equity organizations to demand that the Granbury school district immediately return the more than 125 books it had removed from its school library shelves. Most of the books focus on histories of racism and discrimination and the experiences of the LGBTQ+ community and people of color.

IDRA will continue to monitor and work against these and other similar efforts and promote policies that ensure all students are able to attend excellent and equitable schools that reflect and sustain their identities. Please continue to access IDRA’s Knowledge is Power resources and encourage your friends to sign up for updates from our advocacy communities!

Part of the misleading conversations about “divisive” concepts imply that collection of student data is a bad thing. Some discourage any reporting on inequities revealed by data. But data –disaggregated data – is essential to ensuring equal and equitable educational opportunity for all students.

The U.N. Statistics Division (UNSD) recognizes data disaggregation as one of nine key principles of the “data revolution,” which outlines key actions for the sustainable improvement of the “quality and availability of statistics.” Disaggregation of data ensures it is reliable, accessible, inclusive and transparent – all of which are necessary for ensuring safe and equitable schools.

Disaggregation of data refers to the decomposition of gathered data into smaller, more meaningful subpopulations. For example, a state education agency, such as in Texas, may report data disaggregated by demographic dimensions, including geographic identifiers, such as school district and campus by legislative districts, and various student characteristics, such as grade level, sex, race/ethnicity, economically disadvantaged status, emergent bilingual status, program participation and other socioeconomic indicators.

Data reported by intersectional disaggregation can help inform equitable school policies and practices that cultivate student success. It can provide a more finely detailed illustration of students’ experience in school.

Conversely, aggregate-level data grouped by broad categories can obscure underlying disparities that exist between student subpopulations within the larger population. Separating and reporting data by multidimensional categories can reveal the nuanced experiences of students and provide a holistic scope for schools to provide tailored interventions.

Access to disaggregated data can enhance schools’ understanding of their students’ experience through observing important overarching trends in behavior and achievement. It can help focus their improvement efforts toward advancing sustainable and equitable solutions that address unique student needs.

Federal and state education agencies must continue expanding data collection and publication showing intersectional categories to ensure all students benefit from equitable access to educational opportunities in schools. Data disaggregation represents a critical transformative strategy toward achieving equity in schools by helping to unmask discriminatory school policies and practices that disproportionately impact students of historically disenfranchised identities.

IDRA recently submitted a comment letter with recommendations for the Civil Rights Data Collection, including general reporting procedures and demographic data elements, emergent bilingual (English learner) student data, and school discipline and policing.

As censorship laws are touching all corners of the country, including in K-12 and higher education, Dr. Cristóbal Rodríguez, Associate dean for equity, inclusion and community engagement at Arizona State University and former IDRA José A. Cárdenas School Finance Fellow, offers a note with recommendations for how to respond to censorship laws and continue teaching and promoting the truth in education.

IDRA’s detailed guide of the Texas law (Senate Bill 3) contains analysis and our interpretation for how components of the law affect teachers and school personnel and what this means for continuing to teach the truth in schools. Educators should still consult with their district administration for local policies and procedures related to instruction, curriculum and school activities.