Education Rights Institute

The United States ruled in Plyler v. Doe that it violates the Fourteenth Amendment for a state to deny a free public education to students who are undocumented. A new resource from Bellwether unpacks the Plyler ruling and examines state requirements for the education of undocumented students across all 50 states—an essential guide for understanding students’ rights. ⚖️

You can read the analysis here: 🔗 https://bellwether.org/publications/equal-protection-and-public-education-access-for-immigrant-students-a-50-state-review

Affinity groups for students of color can offer vital benefits for students on college campuses and in K–12 schools. 🎓✨

Unfortunately, right now, misinformation is putting these important student spaces at risk.

Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law just released a new guide on affinity groups and spaces on college campuses to clear up confusion ➡️https://www.lawyerscommittee.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Correcting-the-Record-on-Student-Groups-and-Spaces-Final.pdf

Key takeaways:
✅ Affinity groups and spaces that are open and welcoming to all students do not violate civil rights laws.
✅ They can help prevent discrimination and reduce hostile environments.
✅ They can support students of color’s academic confidence, persistence, and mental health.
✅ They often build awareness of diverse cultures.
✅ The Students for Fair Admissions decision does not address affinity groups or spaces.

This guidance focuses on colleges and universities, but the key takeaways provide valuable insights that apply in K–12 settings, too.

🔁Share this resource to spread the word about lawful ways to support student success.

www.lawyerscommittee.org

⚖️ New Federal Report on Civil Rights Enforcement ⚖️

Last week, the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee released a report raising serious concerns about civil rights enforcement by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR).

The report criticized the significant decline in resolution of complaints under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 since January 2025. Title VI protects students in public schools and any school that receive federal funds from discrimination based on race, color, or national origin.

📣 If your district or school is dealing with racial or national origin harassment, be sure to share our resources with those working on this issue.
Recognizing, Preventing, and Remedying Racial Harassment and Hostile Environments in Schools:https://www.law.virginia.edu/sites/default/files/documents/racial-harrassment-prevention_0.pdf
Stay tuned: We plan to release a toolkit for districts related to these matters later this year.

www.law.virginia.edu

ERI's first year attending ASU GSV Summit left us energized! ERI Fellow Helen Min spent the week learning alongside educators, researchers, and innovators grappling with what it means to prepare students for an AI‑shaped future.

Across sessions, several themes stood out:
💻AI literacy is emerging as a growing emphasis across disciplines;
💻 Learning environments need to foster curiosity, agency, and creativity; and
💻 Students, especially those at the margins, need to be able to meaningfully participate in the opportunities developing from new technologies.

These themes impact many areas of education:
🍎 Researching education program and interventions,
🍎 Rethinking assessment and accountability,
🍎 Centering student relationships,
🍎 Supporting educator mentorship, and
🍎 Developing career connected learning.

The clear message: AI can be a powerful tool only if education systems are intentionally designed to support meaningful learning, strong relationships, and shared opportunities.

We are grateful to be part of the conversation committed to strengthening public education during this time of rapid change.

Great conversation with Marguerite Roza and another Education Finance cohort from Edunomics Lab at McCourt School of Public Policy - Georgetown University! 🏦 💵 Kimberly Robinson discussed how law and policy shape school funding—and why a federal right to a high-quality education could expand opportunities beyond the varied state education rights. 🎬Check out our short video to learn more: https://youtu.be/r2QvD69MKfE?si=AmzbUVZ7UgVL7yPN

At ERI, we know we go further together. 🤝 That’s why this week, our Founding Director is at ABFE’s conference focused on bringing people together for meaningful dialogue toward a brighter future for all of our students. If you’re here too, reach out to schedule a time to chat and check out our resources on a federal right to education, educational opportunity gaps, and antidiscrimination law 👉 https://www.law.virginia.edu/education/institute-scholarship-and-resources

Another great year at the American Educational Research Association (AERA) and the National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME)! ✅
Members of our team shared work at the intersection of education and law at both conferences, and we were thrilled to see our founding director Kimberly Robinson honored with the Law & Education SIG’s Distinguished Scholar Award, recognizing two decades of transformative contributions to the field. 🏆
As always, we left inspired by the incredible people doing research and work that informs a stronger public education system for all.

Interested in joining our growing coalition of champions for high‑quality public education? Be sure you’re following us the Education Rights Institute—we’d love to stay connected.

Heading to or ? Don’t miss our sessions in Los Angeles!

🎤 Founding Director Kimberly Jenkins Robinson will speak in the American Educational Research Association (AERA) Presidential Session, Unforgetting in an Era of Erasure: Resisting Anti‑Justice Attacks and Envisioning Futures for Higher Education.
🔗 Learn more: https://convention2.allacademic.com/one/aera/aera26/online_program_direct_link/view_session/2316247/

🛠️Director of Research Sarah Beach will chair an National Council on Measurement in Education Invited Session Workshop on applications for the NCME Task Force on Educational Measurement and Civil Rights.

🔗 Details here: https://www.xcdsystem.com/ncme/program/8DbqHwv/index.cfm?pgid=466&sid=8678

Hope to see you in LA! 🌴

Preparing students to be engaged civic participants can’t stop at what they know, it must include opportunities for all students to engage in dialogue, build agency, and grapple with real‑world issues.

A must‑read from the UVA Karsh Institute of Democracy 👉 https://karshinstitute.virginia.edu/news/americas-civics-gap-isnt-just-what-students-know-its-how-t…

Closing the civics gap will require redesigning systems so every student can experience democracy, not just study it. At ERI we know that, together, we can build a system where all students have the right to enjoy such a high-quality education.

News The UVA Karsh Institute of Democracy addresses the urgent challenges facing democracy today through innovative approaches to research, teaching, programs, and partnerships.

ERI staff enjoyed lunch today with University of Virginia School of Law Child Advocacy Research & Education (CARE) student organization. We loved talking with these law students about our work, education reform, and the benefits of recognizing a federal right to education. We also shared ideas for how they can practice education law while working for a law firm. We can’t wait to see the impact they’ll make in the world!