For Immediate Release July 10, 2025
Contacts: Tony Pals, tpals@aera.net (202) 238-3235
Marla Koenigsknecht, mkoenigsknecht@aera.net (202) 238-3233
Education Research Groups Urge Immediate Action on Civil Rights Data Collection Time Running Out for U.S. Department of Education to Finalize 2025–26 CRDC
WASHINGTON, D.C., July 10, 2025 — Eleven leading education research organizations are calling on the U.S. Department of Education to take immediate action to finalize the Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) for the 2025–26 school year. In a letter sent July 8 to Secretary Linda McMahon and Acting Assistant Secretary Craig Trainor, the groups warned that the timeline for approving and implementing the collection has become critically short.
The CRDC is an essential federal tool that gathers data on educational access and equity in every public school district in the country. These data are crucial for understanding student experiences and educational opportunities across race, gender, disability status, and other key demographics. The research community, school districts, and families all rely on the CRDC to support student access and participation in curricula and programs, educational outcomes, and other levers of educational opportunity that are used for continuous improvement and evaluation purposes.
Despite early steps toward finalizing the 2025–26 data collection last fall and winter, the Education Department withdrew the most recent proposed collection in February 2025. No public updates have followed.
“In order to report quality data to the CRDC, school districts need sufficient time to prepare their student information systems to track and record the required information,” the groups wrote. “Ideally, school districts would know well before the school year begins what they will be required to report to the CRDC after the school year ends. But, at a minimum, school districts should be told early in the school year — particularly if new data elements are added or definitions are being revised.”
Signatories of the letter include the leaders of the American Educational Research Association, Association for Education Finance and Policy, Division for Research at the Council for Exceptional Children, International Society of the Learning Sciences, Literacy Research Association, NARST: A global organization for improving science education through research, National Academy of Education, Society for Research in Child Development, Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness, and University Council for Educational Administration.
Under the Paperwork Reduction Act, federal data collections must undergo a final 30-day public comment period followed by a review period by the Office of Management and Budget. That process alone could push final approval past September, creating major logistical challenges for school districts.
“We urge immediate action in order to implement this essential data collection. Simply the timetable has no more flexibility,” the organizations state. “The Office for Civil Rights must restart the process by immediately publishing the proposed Civil Rights Data Collection for the 2025–26 school year for a 30-day comment period.”
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About AERA The American Educational Research Association (AERA) is the largest national interdisciplinary research association devoted to the scientific study of education and learning. Founded in 1916, AERA advances knowledge about education, encourages scholarly inquiry related to education, and promotes the use of research to improve education and serve the public good. Find AERA on Bluesky, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X, and Threads.