Today the Department of Education and Department of Justice released joint guidance to remind states, school districts, and schools of their obligation under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Equal Educational Opportunities Act to ensure that English Learner (EL) students are provided equal access to a high-quality education.

The guidance released today includes a fact sheet on obligations to meet the needs of ELs (including timely identification, appropriate placement in language and content courses, staff support, and evaluation of EL programs) as well as a fact sheet on schools’ obligations to communicate with limited English proficient parents. A toolkit for school districts on how to effectively identify ELs in their district was also released and is expected to be the first of several resources to help states comply with their obligations to EL students under federal law.

Given that EL students comprise nine percent of all students in the U.S. K-12 system and that EL students are enrolled in nearly 3 out of every 4 public schools, this guidance can help ensure that schools are meeting their mandate of providing each student with the support to meet their full potential.

Please visit this resource page to access all the relevant resources for EL students.