The Case for a Right to a Racially Just Education - UCLA K-12 Language Minority Students

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by James

The report argues for a right to a racially just education for K-12 language minority students, grounded in concerns about inequality, discrimination, and segregation in California. It situates the case within the Civil Rights Project’s broader agenda for the next quarter century, emphasizing the need for innovative, research-based policy and equity solutions. The document summarizes key education conditions, including school segregation, educator workforce issues, health impacts, discipline practices, and curriculum considerations, and acknowledges the role of collaborating scholars and funded research.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages55

Reading Time2 h 19 min

AccessFree to download

About the Series

Acknowledgements

Executive Summary

Introduction

The Current State of Education in California

School Segregation

Educator Workforce

Mental and Physical Health

School Discipline and Criminalization of Students

Curriculum

UCLA K-12 Language Minority Students Title The Case for a Right to a Racially Just Education Permalink [https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7zs2486p](https://escholarship.org/uc/item/7zs2486p) Authors Rosenbaum, Mark Castillo, Suzanne Publication Date 2024-12-05 Peer reviewed [eScholarship.org](eScholarship.org) Powered by the California Digital Library University of California Suggested Citation: Rosenbaum, M. D., Castillo, S. (2024). The Case for a Right to a Racially Just Education. Los Angeles, CA: The Civil Rights Project/Proyecto Derechos Civiles, UCLA. © 2024 Civil Rights Project/Proyecto Derechos Civiles, UCLA About the Series A Civil Rights Agenda for the Next Quarter Century The Civil Rights Project was founded in 1996 at Harvard University, during a period of increasingly conservative courts and political movements that were limiting, and sometimes reversing, major civil rights reforms. In 2007 the Project moved to UCLA. Its goal was—and still is—to bring together researchers, lawyers, civil rights advocates and governmental and educational leaders to create a new generation of civil rights research and communicate what is learned to those who could use it to address the problems of inequality and discrimination. Created a generation after the civil rights revolution of the 1960s, CRP’s vision was to produce new understandings of challenges and research-based evidence on solutions. The Project has always maintained a strong, central focus on equal education and racial change. We are celebrating our first quarter century by taking a serious look forward—not at the history of the issues, not at the debates over older policies, not at celebrating prior victories but atthe needs of the next quarter century. Since the work of civil rights advocates and leaders of color in recent decades has often been about defending threatened, existing rights, we need innovative thinking to address the challenges facing our rapidly changing society. Political leaders often see policy in short two-and four-year election cycles but we decided to look at the upcoming generation. Because researchers are uniquely qualified to think systematically, this series is an attempt to harness the skills of several disciplines, to think deeply about how our society has changed since the civil rights revolution and what the implications are for the future of racial justice. This effort includes two very large sets of newly commissioned work. This paper is one of several in a series on the potential for social change and equity policies in California, a vast state whose astonishing diversity foretells the future of the U.S. and whose profound inequality warns that there is much work to be done. The second set of studies is national in scope. All these studies will initially be issued as working papers. They will be brought together in statewide conferences and in the U.S. Capitol and, eventually, as two major books, which we hope will help light the way in the coming decades. At each of the major events, scholars will exchange ideas and address questions from each other, from leaders and from the public. The Civil Rights Project, like the country, is in a period of transition, identifying leadership for its next chapter. We are fortunate to have collaborated with a remarkable network of important scholars across the U.S., who contributed to our work in the last quarter century and continue to do so in this new work. We are also inspired by the nation’s many young people who understand that our future depends on overcoming division. They are committed to constructing new paths to racial justice. We hope these studies open avenues for this critical work, stimulate future scholars and lawyers, and inform policymaking in a society with the unlimited potential of diversity, if it can only figure out how to achieve genuine equality. Gary Orfield Patricia Gándara Acknowledgements The authors are grateful for th

FAQs

What main right does the report advocate for K-12 language minority students?

It advocates for a right to a racially just education. The argument connects that right to addressing inequality and discrimination in education.

Why does the Civil Rights Project frame this work as focused on the next quarter century?

The series is presented as a forward-looking effort to meet new challenges beyond defending threatened existing rights. It leverages systematic thinking to assess societal changes since the civil rights revolution.

Which education areas does the report highlight in describing the current state in California?

It highlights school segregation, the educator workforce, mental and physical health, school discipline and criminalization of students, and curriculum-related issues.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by James