School Desegregation Plans: A National Census

In the 2011-12 school year, more than 1,200 local educational agencies—including school districts and charter schools—in every state except Hawaii and Nevada, reported to the U.S. Department of Education that they were under a federal desegregation plan that was either ordered by a court or entered into with the Office for Civil Rights under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Those desegregation plans covered roughly 7.7 million students. Desegregation plans mandate a range of actions that districts must take, such as reducing racial isolation in schools, increasing the diversity of faculty, ensuring all students have access to rigorous courses, and improving the quality of capital facilities and classroom materials.