For nearly five decades, the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has stood as a guardian of civil rights in educational institutions nationwide. This office takes very seriously the charge to remove barriers to students' full participation in every facet of educational life. As the contents of this report illustrate, OCR uses every tool at it's disposal to continue significant forward progress to realize the nation's federal civil rights promises for every student in every school. This report chronicles stories of the nation's students, of injustices faced and justice delivered. The distressing facts behind these cases illustrate precisely why this critical work continues. This report also tells the story of OCR. The achievements detailed throughout this report represent important progress in the advancement of civil rights for this nation's students.