Equality of Educational Opportunity

The Equality of Educational Opportunity study (EEOS), also known as the Coleman Report, was requested and commissioned by the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare in 1966. The purpose of the Coleman Report was to assess the availability of equal educational opportunities to students regardless of race, color, religion, or national origin at all levels of public educational institutions in the United States. It addressed four major issues: (1) school segregation, (2) schools and their characteristics, (3) achievement gap, and (4) relation of achievement to school characteristics. Specifically, the Coleman Report examined the school environment as measured by school curriculum and programs and by resources, including facilities, principals and teachers, and student bodies. The Coleman Report concluded that U.S. public education at that time ...