This best-practice guide is developed to assist State and local education agencies in their implementation of the new federal race and ethnicity categories -- thereby reducing redundant efforts within and across states, improving data comparability, and minimizing reporting burden.  It serves as a toolkit from which users may select and adopt strategies that will help them quickly begin the process of implementation in their agencies.  (This document was prepared by the National Forum on Education Statistics which includes representatives from State education agencies, local education agencies, the federal government, and other organizations with an interest in education data.)