Civil Rights Assistant Secretary to Address National Center for Women & Information Technology's Annual Summit in Chicago

Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Russlynn Ali will participate in a panel discussion at the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT)'s Annual Summit on Women and IT Thursday in Chicago. Ali will discuss her office's Civil Rights Data Collection as it relates to opportunities and access for girls in the STEM fields of science, technology, engineering, and math, as well as the Department of Education's role in elevating the STEM disciplines.

As assistant secretary, Ali's Office for Civil Rights enforces U.S. civil rights laws pertaining to education -- ensuring that the nation's schools receiving federal funding refrain from discriminatory conduct related to race, sex, disability or age.

For information on the Office for Civil Rights, visit http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/index.html, Facebook.com/EDCivilRights or follow on Twitter (@Edcivilrights).