Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected the Trump administration’s argument that the 2020 Census include a question about citizenship, which caused President Trump to question if the census could be delayed as his lawyers try to overcome the high court’s concerns.
More than a year ago ACT’s Center for Equity in Learning highlighted our work on the Racial Heterogeneity Project, organized by the Institute for Immigration, Globalization and Education at the University of California, Los Angeles. The project is at the forefront of efforts to secure more accurate data to reveal who is attending schools and universities. This is a way to open the door for a better understanding of student needs and to help more narrowly focus attention on supporting those needs.
The U.S. Constitution (Article I, Section 2) calls for a decennial census. Just as importantly, education leaders and policymakers need this vital data to better understand today’s students. We remain hopeful that the census will occur—on time—and be administered in an accurate way, to ensure that our schools and institutions continue to have the resources they need to help all students be successful.