Department of Education Equity Action Plan

The U.S. Department of Education has released the 2023 equity action plan as part of the Biden-Harris Administration's continued commitment to advancing racial equity and support for underserved communities through the federal government. This plan aligns with the one of the President's first Executive orders: 13985, Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government.

At the U.S. Department of Education (Department), we believe that our nation's future is brighter when we provide every student in every community with equitable access to an academically rigorous, well-rounded education in a safe and inclusive school. We are answering President Biden's call to prioritize equity across government by working intentionally to ensure our policies, grants, and programs address longstanding disparities in education still faced by underserved students, families, and communities. Our "Raise the Bar: Lead the World" agenda tackles these inequities head - on with an emphasis on accelerating learning in our schools, ensuring access to a comprehensive and well-rounded education, strengthening supports for students' mental health and wellbeing, empowering educators, expanding access to multilingual learning, and reimagining pathways to college and careers. Together, we can build an education system that ensures all students have opportunities to discover their passion, find their purpose, and realize their potential.

• Improve college access, affordability, and degree completion for underserved students to increase economic mobility. Supporting higher education with pandemic relief funding.
• Implement Maintenance of Equity requirements to ensure historically underserved students have equitable resources for learning recovery. Supporting learners with disabilities.
• Address inequities faced by justice-impacted individuals by expanding access to postsecondary learning opportunities that improve outcomes for communities and reduce recidivism rates.
• Advance equity in and through career and technical education.
• Increase mental health resources with an emphasis on underserved communities, from the historic legislation and funding provided by the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.

The detailed action plan can be found here.

Additional Resources

• https://www.whitehouse.gov/equity
• https://www.performance.gov/equity
• This is the second year that the Department has released an equity action plan. The 2022 equity action plan can be found here.