Authored by Naveen Athrappully via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),
The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has initiated an investigation into Stanford University to determine whether one of its programs is racially discriminatory and violates Title VI.
Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, national origin, and color in educational programs that receive financial assistance from the federal government. At issue is Stanford’s National Board Resource Center’s (NBRC’s) program that “helps future teachers who ‘identify as a person of color’ receive National Board Certifications,” the department said in an April 29 statement.
National Board Certification is a professional certification issued that recognizes accomplished teachers. Stanford’s NBRC offers support for teachers seeking this certification.
The Office for Civil Rights noted that the California Teachers Association (CTA) has partnered with Stanford in the NBRC program and positioned the initiative as seeking to boost diversity among certified teachers.
In a 2022 report, the CTA said that selected teachers from the “Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) Cohort” receive “full funding for all certification support services offered by Stanford NBRC.”
The NBRC program also provides such individuals with support in accessing funding sources to cover the costs of certification, including receiving funding through the California National Board Incentive Grant program.
In the statement, the Office for Civil Rights said the investigation into Stanford will assess whether the university’s NBRC program discriminates on the basis of race.
“Instead of helping students achieve their goals through merit, Stanford appears to be conditioning access to National Board Certification programs based on skin color. It is unconscionable that an institution which claims to be a pinnacle of educational excellence would deny opportunities based on race,” Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Kimberly Richey said.
“If the allegations are true, Stanford is engaged in discrimination – pure and simple. The Trump Administration will always fight against discrimination to protect Americans’ rights under the law. All students, regardless of their skin color, should have an equal opportunity to succeed.”
Stanford University said it was meeting obligations required under civil rights laws and “maintaining an environment free of prohibited discrimination” and that NBRC “is open to any primary or secondary teacher, regardless of their race, who is pursuing the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certification.”
The university added that the cohort-based program “is not accepting new teachers and is being sunsetted.”
The Epoch Times reached out to Stanford for further comment but did not receive a response by publication time.
In an April 6 statement, the Education Department said that under the Trump administration, more than 300 colleges and universities have so far eliminated diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) requirements, shut down DEI offices, and removed diversity statements from their hiring practices.
Such institutions include Stanford University, Harvard University, Purdue University, Rutgers University, the University of Iowa, the University of Southern California, and the Ohio State University.
According to the department, just over a year ago, colleges and universities were more focused on DEI than on ensuring students were prepared for success after graduating.
“Institutions required DEI statements from faculty and held segregated affinity graduation ceremonies for students. Academic standards fell, admissions were skewed to favor race over merit, and students graduated with a massive pile of debt and degrees that led to no job prospects,” the department said.
“Today, institutions of higher education are changing the game because President Trump is bringing back America’s Golden Age — shifting the culture and restoring our nation’s institutions to greatness.”
Reuters contributed to this report.